Microsoft will make a new version of Outlook for Windows available to those who are testing Office

Microsoft will make a new version of Outlook for Windows available to everyone testing Office this week. The new Outlook for Windows app will make the desktop email client more like the web version. Microsoft has been working on this redesign for months and initially released a semi-public beta earlier this year.

Margie Clinton, product manager for the Outlook team explains. “We've been listening to feedback since May, and our team has been working diligently to improve the new Outlook for Windows. Since then, we've received valuable feedback from Office Insiders on Beta Channel on how to create a more consistent, feature-rich experience."

The new Outlook for Windows app now includes support for Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Windows Live personal email accounts - a part that was missing in early beta versions. Microsoft has also added a simplified Ribbon to improve the look, along with dynamic calendar column widths for more customization.

Office Insiders will be able to access the new app on the Current Channel preview, and Microsoft says in the coming weeks the same experience will roll out to Windows Insiders with a toggle in the Windows Mail app.

Outlook updates this new Windows with improved user interface and design of the application, but still lacks a lot of features in the existing email client. Microsoft says it's working to support multiple email accounts in the same app, and even supports third-party email accounts like Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. Offline support is also rolling out, along with directory search, web plug-in support, native ICS support, and more intuitive update and personalization options.

Microsoft is planning to eventually replace the Outlook for Windows email client with this updated one, when it's already on par in terms of features. That swap could take months or even years, but now all Office testers can get an early look at Microsoft's planned changes.

Soure: https://www.theverge.com