Microsoft has started rolling out support for Gmail accounts in its new Outlook for Windows preview client. Until now, the new web-based version of Outlook only supported personal Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts, but the Redmond giant promised that support for third-party accounts would come soon.
“Longtime Outlook for Windows users will note that third-party account support has also been improved over the classic client experience, which didn’t have Google Calendar or Contacts support,” the Outlook team emphasized. “Now people can use their Gmail email, Google Calendar and Contacts within the new Outlook for Windows preview. This has been a popular ask and is made possible by our modern codebase in the new Outlook for Windows.”
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While Gmail support is now rolling out in the preview app, you can check if you can add your Google account to it by clicking on ‘Add account’ at the bottom of the folder pane. Users of the preview app will also see a pop-up when the ability to add a Gmail account becomes available.
Support for iCloud, Yahoo, and other IMAP accounts are next, and so is support for .ics files for calendar events. The Outlook team is also still working on making the app work offline, a feature you probably took for granted.
To try the new Outlook for Windows preview app, you currently need to join the Office Insider Beta channel or the Current channel (preview). Insiders can then click on a toggle to switch between the classic app and the new web-based version of Outlook. This same switch will soon roll out to all Outlook for Windows users.