Microsoft has announced via the Microsoft 365 Roadmap that it will replace the Mail and Calendar apps in Windows with the new Outlook for Windows. The change is expected to take effect next year in September, but the company has indicated that some users might start seeing a MailTip in the Mail and Calendar apps, which will clearly indicate the change.
The company further added that:
- Users will no longer be able to use or download the Mail and Calendar apps.
- Users with a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription with access to the Microsoft 365 desktop apps can use the new Outlook for Windows.
- Users will be able to use the new Outlook for Windows with any personal email account (Outlook.com, Gmail, etc) even without a subscription.
Microsoft announced that the new Outlook for Windows client shipped to more users in April. The entry ships with many features, including loop components, message reminders for important emails, pinned items, and more. However, it doesn’t support features like offline support, that’s part of the classic Outlook for Windows client.
The company also started rolling out third-party account support for the app to get more users to transition from Mail for Windows, Outlook for the Web, and Outlook Exchange. Be sure to check out our Microsoft 365 recap post to get caught up with everything new announced as coming to the suite.