Microsoft will introduce a new email client with Windows 11
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Key notes
- Microsoft has announced that a new email client will be included in the Windows 11 package.
- The email project, codenamed Project Monarch, is intended to be a cross-platform experience that meets the needs of many kinds of users.
- Microsoft is offering a universal Windows Platform app that has a similar look and feel to the Windows 10 operating system.
Microsoft plans to gradually update existing apps with a refreshed look for Windows 11. In addition to Paint, Notepad, Snipping Tool, and other apps, the company is also working on a new email client. The software giant is revamping the existing Outlook app under the Outlook brand.
The email project is codenamed ‘Project Monarch’ and aims to build a cross-platform experience that fits the needs of many different kinds of users.
This new Outlook app could be promoted as a reboot of the Mail and Calendar app. To launch Outlook on Windows, users can click the Outlook tile on their Start screen, dock the app in their taskbar, or search for it in the Start menu. These are just some of the ways people can get to Outlook, so Microsoft thinks it’s time for a more universal email client.
Universal Windows Platform
With Mail and Calendar, available as part of Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft is offering a universal Windows Platform (UWP) app based on its Fluent Design and UWP principles. It features a design that’s reminiscent of the Windows 10 user interface.
The Mail and Calendar app contains many of the same features and limitations as the Outlook desktop app. Some users prefer the Outlook desktop app or even the Outlook web app over the Mail and Calendar UWP app.
Microsoft has announced its intention to unify its Outlook apps by building a new application that will manage e-mail across all supported platforms.
A closer look
Microsoft is testing the first public preview of the One Outlook app in late March or April. The company will then expand it to other Insider channels in the summer.
Microsoft announced that the general availability of the app is scheduled for fall 2022. The app will be pre-installed on all devices running Windows 11 22H2.
Microsoft references available on the company’s website indicate that One Outlook will be released for Windows, macOS, and the web.
Microsoft Outlook Mail and Calendar apps will be available on Windows 10 or Windows 11 initially, but they will not replace the Mail and Calendar apps anytime soon.
Microsoft will retain the previous version
As opposed to forcing Outlook users to convert to the new Windows 11-based app, Microsoft will keep the previous iteration around.
Microsoft has announced that new Outlook will replace all other versions of Outlook on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. It is not yet clear when this change will take place.
According to a support document, the interface of the new Outlook will resemble that of Outlook web.
The One Outlook will work like the rest of Windows 11’s web apps, which means it will support Windows 11’s Start Menu, Taskbar, notification center, and other features.
Microsoft will make an announcement sometime this spring, possibly around the Build conference held in 2022, according to media reports.
Are you excited to see a newer version of Outlook come to Windows 11? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
