Since its launch, the brand new Outlook app hasn’t gone down too effectively. Many How-To Geek readers really feel it lacks many options that made its predecessor, basic Outlook, their go-to electronic mail consumer.
Nonetheless, it is clear that Microsoft desires to make issues proper in 2025. On the time of writing, the Microsoft 365 Roadmap exhibits that there are 53 new Outlook objects presently in growth or rolling out. I am going to discover some modifications you’ll be able to count on to see over the approaching months (although rollout dates can change.)
1 Pin Your Favourite Electronic mail Folders
This performance will profit you if you’re an inbox-zero type of person.
Moderately than having to scroll by way of a protracted listing of folders within the left-hand Folder Pane (additionally referred to as the Navigation Pane) to seek out the one you are searching for, you can pin it to the highest of the Folder Pane. In consequence, you can entry it rapidly to open an electronic mail it comprises, or rapidly click on and drag an electronic mail in your inbox to its storage folder.
At the moment, the one workaround is so as to add the folder to your Favorites, although this methodology requires you to open your Favorites to entry it. Pinning it to the highest of the Folder Pane makes this course of a lot faster.
Cannot see the Folder Pane? Click on the three traces subsequent to the House tab on the ribbon.
Applies To: Desktop and Net | Rollout Begin: December 2024
2 Simply Set up and Reorder Your Folders
Beforehand, if you created a brand new folder, it will place alphabetically in your Folder Pane. Additionally, if you clicked and dragged folders, they might be inserted as sub-folders within the location the place you dropped them, quite than between current folders.
This replace means you can prepare folders in an order that fits you, just by clicking, dragging and dropping them as crucial.
Applies To: Desktop and Net | Rollout Begin: November 2024
3 Use a “None” Coloration Class
Since new Outlook launched, you have had the choice to assign color-coded classes to your emails and calendar occasions, making organizing your inbox and schedule a lot simpler.
Microsoft’s scheduled change to this listing is the addition of a “None” coloration class. The tech big says this replace “supplies extra flexibility and customization in categorizing your emails and calendar occasions,” enabling extra management over which objects stand out.
Applies To: Desktop and Net | Rollout Begin: November 2024
4 Create, Distribute, and Monitor Newsletters
Though this replace is not scheduled to be accessible till later within the 12 months, it will likely be a pleasant addition that will likely be distinctive to the brand new Outlook, having not featured in any of this system’s predecessors.
It is possible for you to to create and distribute inner electronic mail newsletters from throughout the app, and observe the variety of occasions they have been opened by others. This all-in-one characteristic means you will not have to make use of an add-in, one other Microsoft program, or different software program to create your newsletters, and real-time analytics gives you a greater thought of what works and what does not.
Applies To: Desktop and Net | Rollout Begin: November 2025
5 Change the Coloration of Folder Icons
One other folder-related change you are going to expertise this 12 months in new Outlook is the power to vary the colours of your electronic mail folders within the Folder Pane.
Beforehand, there was no solution to differentiate between folders you created other than the identify you gave them—they might all have the usual, boring folder icon, with no means of personalizing them or jazzing them up. This replace will dramatically change how your Folder Pane appears and, as Microsoft says, make it “simpler to distinguish and personalize your folders visually.”
Applies To: Desktop and Net | Rollout Begin: February 2025
6 Add Shared Folders to Favorites
At the moment, you’ll be able to solely add your personal folders to Favorites within the Folder Pane by right-clicking the related folder, and clicking “Add To Favorites.”
Nonetheless, this replace will even allow you to add shared folders to your Favorites, permitting you simple and fast entry to essential emails shared with you in simply a few clicks.
Applies To: Desktop and Net | Rollout Begin: January 2025
7 Transfer Emails Between All Your Private Accounts
One of many advantages of latest Outlook is you could add email accounts from other providers, together with Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud, in a single place.
Nonetheless, one of many drawbacks was that you just could not drag and drop an electronic mail from one account’s inbox to the opposite. Once you tried to do that, your cursor would change to the prohibition signal, indicating that this transfer wasn’t potential.
Should you’re a Private Outlook consumer, this replace means you can freely transfer emails between your accounts. The characteristic will even be accessible for folks utilizing new Outlook at work, although your admin staff should allow it first if firm coverage permits.
Applies To: Desktop | Rollout Begin: January 2025
8 Open and Save Attachments With out an Web Connection
Are you somebody who likes to work on the transfer? If that’s the case, you may be all too aware of new Outlook’s lack of offline performance, although Microsoft did make some changes in 2024 to deal with this challenge.
Regardless of these enhancements, one of many greatest bugbears that remained was not having the ability to open and save attachments with out an web connection. Nonetheless, this adjustment to how the desktop app offers with attachments will imply that you are able to do simply that, so you can entry these essential information in your laptop computer wherever you’re.
Applies To: Desktop | Rollout Begin: January 2025
9 Copilot Implementation
Microsoft is not holding again on its Copilot integration throughout the entire suite of productiveness apps. Should you’re a subscriber of Copilot Professional, listed here are some additions you’ll be able to count on over the approaching months:
- Prioritize My Inbox: This characteristic will establish and mark high-priority emails, and it’ll additionally present a brief abstract of their content material (Applies To: Net, Desktop, Android, and iOS | Rollout Begin: June 2025).
- Chat With Copilot on Mac: Utilizing the Copilot app within the left app bar, it is possible for you to to seek out data and full duties utilizing dialog-like instructions (Applies To: Mac | Rollout Begin: January 2025).
- Put together For Conferences: Once you open an upcoming assembly in new Outlook that has a abstract accessible, Copilot will be capable to establish and summarize key factors right away, which means you may be extra assured managing back-to-back conferences and being absolutely ready for all of them (Applies To: Desktop and Net | Rollout Begin: January 2025).
- Outlook Themes: Copilot will show you how to generate themes in new Outlook to personalize the consumer interface (Applies To: Net, Desktop, iOS, Mac, Android | Rollout Begin: November 2024)
- Rewrite With Copilot: Microsoft’s AI will show you how to rewrite chosen components of an electronic mail you are drafting, and you can state sure situations, similar to tone and size (Applies To: Net, Desktop, iOS, Mac, Android | Rollout Begin: September 2024).
You may additionally see some AI-based modifications should you nonetheless use basic Outlook (whereas it lasts!)
New Outlook is not the one Microsoft app that is attributable to see some important modifications in 2025—Excel will also receive some exciting updates, like improved integration with Microsoft Kinds, remediation of incompatible formulation, and extra.
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