Microsoft Will Soon Let All Outlook for Windows Users Try the New Web-Based App

Microsoft is getting ready to make its new web-based Outlook for Windows app available for all users. The new app is currently available via a toggle on the Office Insiders Beta and Preview channels, but the same toggle will become available on the Current Channel in early April.

The toggle to try the new web-based Outlook app will only appear for Outlook users using accounts by the new app, which are currently quite limited: The new Outlook client only supports Microsoft Exchange Online and personal Microsoft accounts, though Microsoft is planning to add support for more accounts “within the next month.”

“The experience is an option to try, and nothing will change without end users taking action. We will give notice before any required changes occur, after the preview has received sufficient usage and feedback,” Microsoft explained on the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. IT pros will also be able to hide the toggle by using a registry key.

Microsoft’s new Outlook app for Windows looks a lot like Outlook on the web, though it supports multiple accounts (again, only personal MSA accounts or work or school accounts at the moment). While the UI is nothing to complain about, Outlook power users who require specific add-ins will likely stick with what Microsoft now calls the “classic Outlook for Windows.”

The new web-based Outlook for Windows is set to replace the UWP-based Mail and Calendar apps on Windows 10 and Windows 11 at some point. These two apps haven’t been updated in ages, so this new Outlook for Windows should be quite an upgrade. However, if you really like the ability to create unified inboxes in the UWP Mail app, the new web-based Outlook doesn’t have that feature yet.

Last week, Microsoft also announced that it was making Outlook for Mac free to use on macOS. However, the app is ad-supported for users without a Microsoft 365 subscription, and the new web-based Outlook for Windows should use the same business model.