Late last year, we commented on the new Outlook, and how it wasn’t being appreciated as much as Microsoft might like.
Our view on this has only been reinforced with most clients preferring the ‘classic’ version that we are all used to.
We’re now seeing that the Classic version of Outlook has been dropped from some Microsoft 365 installations as standard.
On new computers – Starting in 2025, only the new Outlook will be preinstalled. The classic Outlook will be available only as a separate download, confirmed by Microsoft.
New Microsoft 365 installations – Reports indicate that fresh Microsoft 365 installs for Windows include only the new Outlook, not the classic version.
This is widely reported but not officially announced by Microsoft, conflicting with their promise of a 12-month notice for the “Opt out” phase.
The good news is that we still can install the old version.
It is just an extra step and a little time consuming.
If you encounter this on your home machine, look for Outlook as a separate download from the Microsoft Store. You will need a personal Microsoft 365 plan
.