Microsoft’s new web-based Outlook client has been in development for over a year at this point. In fact, the client was leaked only last year, but it was still inaccessible to people outside the company. As of this morning, it appears that the app has started rolling out to work and education accounts, which means we can finally get our first look at Microsoft’s new Outlook email client.
The new app is largely similar to the Outlook Web experience you can access today by visiting Outlook.com. There are a few new additions specifically to this client, such as the ability to configure the ribbon at the top in a more traditional Outlook style. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t seem to work with personal email accounts yet, though we suspect support for it will be added once Microsoft officially announces the client.
The only other noticeable difference we’ve seen with the client is that Microsoft has embedded window controls in the Outlook header to make it look more native to the OS. Composing a message or creating an event in the calendar pops up a new window just like the existing Outlook desktop client.
Windows Central reported in January 2021 that Microsoft was hoping to eventually replace the built-in Mail and Calendar apps on Windows 10 and Windows 11 with this client. It’s still too early for that, as the app has been marked as “preview” or “beta” in several places. Microsoft intends to eventually ship this app to macOS and Linux as well. After all, it’s largely just a web app.
Microsoft hasn’t officially announced this new email experience yet, but it’s likely to be unveiled soon as the app looks relatively polished. Build 2022 is later this month, so maybe we’ll see an official announcement there.
You can download the app from this link, or you can check out more screenshots of the app below:
Thanks Temi for finding this!
