Microsoft plans to replace its Mail and Calendar apps with the new version of Outlook based on the web version of the service in September 2024. The company made the announcement on its support website along with additional information about the transition.
According to the announcement, Windows 11 will bundle the new Outlook as the default email client for every installation. The Mail and Calendar apps will continue to be available through the end of 2024 but as an optional download through the Microsoft Store.
The new version of Outlook is currently available as a public preview, and anyone can switch to the new version by turning on the “Try the New Outlook” toggle switch from the top-right corner.
The new version of Outlook is identical to the web version of the service for mail and calendar but with some additional features, such as a single view for email, calendar, people, and tasks. In addition, the new app includes support for the mica material to match the design style of Windows 11.
The email client includes support for multiple accounts, including services like Outlook, Gmail, and Yahoo. Support for iCloud and IMAP will be coming in future updates. Also, the app includes offline support, but the feature is still under development.
In the new experience, the company says that users will be able to write better emails with new AI features to help users write impactful, clearer, mistake-free messages. Furthermore, some other changes include integrating the Microsoft Editor for rich editing, spelling, and auto-complete suggestions and sending emails with polls to help make decisions quicker. This last feature is only available for work and school accounts.
In the Calendar experience, you will find new improvements, including support for Google Calendar when adding a Gmail account, multiple time zones, daily weather, and you can add multiple shared calendars.
In this new version, Microsoft will be keeping some of the previous features, including tracking packages and checking in to flights directly from your inbox, reminders for important messages that require a reply, search folders, and the ability to customize your email density and views.
The development team is still working on other changes, new personalization options, and native ICS file type support.
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