New Outlook was generally released in August 2024. It was created to be a faster, modern version of what is now known as Classic Outlook, whilst being more web-aligned and based on Outlook on the Web.
Classic Outlook
The original desktop app with advanced rules , customisation, and add-ins. Has full offline access as data is stored locally.
New Outlook
The new, lighter, faster desktop app that is more cloud-aligned and therefore reliant on your internet connection.
Both applications look fairly similar, with New Outlook appearing slightly more modern and stripped back. New Outlook also has some new features that are unavailable on Classic Outlook, and any new features will arrive on New Outlook first.
You can view a full comparison of the feature differences on the Microsoft Outlook comparison list here.
Key differences between Classic and New Outlook
Layouts across both apps are very similar. New Outlook has a new navigation pane button which allows you to collapse or expand your folders, giving you more room to focus on your emails.
The Send/Receive tab has also been removed, but you can still manually sync your mail under View.
A new feature in New Outlook is the ability to pin emails. When you hover over an email you will see the flag, delete, and pin icon. Clicking the pin icon moves that email to the top of your inbox.
A key difference in mail between Classic and New Outlook is scheduling emails. In Classic Outlook, this was known as Delay Delivery. That is because it required Outlook to be open for the email to send, so rather than scheduling, you are delaying sending until the date and time or until Outlook is next open after that date and time. In New Outlook, as it is cloud-aligned, it will send at the date and time scheduled. Learn more.
Calendar
Calendar in New Outlook has had a lot of the tools stripped out. One addition is the ability to write emails from the calendar tab, rather than having to go back to your mail.
New Outlook also comes with handy new scheduling features for meetings. One being that when you add people to your meeting, it will suggest dates and times and show in a snapshot who is available.
Other Apps
You can customise your left toolbar, however, we’ll quickly look at the standard applications listed:
People – this app has, again, been stripped back.
To-do – the app is the same on both versions of Outlook. This is great for task management and tracking.
Newsletters – this is only available on New Outlook. It lets you send and track formatted internal email newsletters. Learn more about Newsletters.
Org Explorer – the app is the same on both versions of Outlook. This lets you see the structure of colleagues in your organisation.
OneDrive – the app is the same on both versions of Outlook. It gives you access to your files and folders in Outlook.
Roadmap
We can all agree that two versions of Outlook is confusing (technically three if you include on the web!). And so, Classic Outlook will be retired. Here is the expected timeline:
March 2027 – New Outlook becomes the default app with the option to switch back. (Previously April 2026.)
2027 (appox.) – Classic Outlook is removed from new installations of Microsoft 365.
April 2029 – All support ends for Classic Outlook.
Learn more
To learn more about the differences between Classic Outlook and New Outlook, watch our comparison video:
This video demo was recorded in January 2026. Some of the features may have changed since.
