New Outlook vs Classic Outlook vs Outlook for Windows

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Classic Outlook

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Classic Outlook (also called Old Outlook) is the installed desktop application version of Outlook. All Outlook versions prior to 365 have been "Classic" Outlook, there is a version of Office 365 that is Classic Outlook and a version that is Outlook on The Web (OTW).

Classic Outlook is right for you if you value these features:

  • Using Outlook offline
  • Import/Export Data files
  • COM Add-ins
  • Advanced Outlook features
  • Using Outlook Profiles
  • Using POP Email Addresses





New Outlook

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New Outlook is a web app preview that comes from Classic Outlook.
New Outlook is very similar in functionality to Outlook.com which is also knows as Outlook on The Web (OTW)
New Outlook works well for basic tasks but lacks many of the more advanced features in Classic Outlook.

New Outlook is right for you if you value these features:

  • Simplified interface
  • Use Outlook Online Only








Outlook For Windows (Microsoft Store)

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Outlook for Windows can be downloaded for free on the Microsoft Store and can run alongside Classic Outlook. This web app will be replacing the Windows Mail and Windows Calendar Apps by the end of 2024. Outlook for Windows is coming preinstalled on many new Windows machines and is functionally identical to New Outlook with one key difference: There is no way to return to Classic Outlook from Outlook for Windows.
Outlook for Windows is right for you if you value these features:

  • Using Outlook for free/without a license
  • Simplified interface
  • To replace the functionality of Windows Mail and Windows Calendar
  • Use Outlook Online Only








Main Differences between Classic Outlook and New Outlook

  • New Outlook is free, Classic Outlook requires an Office license.
  • New Outlook does not support PST files. This means you cannot bring your data from Classic Outlook into New Outlook unless that data is on an Exchange account.
  • POP email addresses are not supported in New Outlook.
  • COM Add-ins are not available in New Outlook.
  • New Outlook does not work offline, the app won't launch if you do not have internet



What is a Web App

A web app uses a wrapper such as Electron. A wrapper is a toolkit that allows you to turn a website into something that looks like a desktop application. New Outlook has the same feature set as Outlook.com which is also called OWA or Outlook On the Web. Because of this many features are not available in New Outlook, an extensive but not comprehensive list is below in the following section:

New Outlook for Mac

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There is a Mac version of New Outlook. This version has been around for a number of years prior to the Windows version of New Outlook. They are entirely different, the Mac version is desktop app whereas the Windows version is a web app in a wrapper (essentially a website disguised as a desktop app). We have a great guide on this topic.
How to turn off New Outlook for Mac

Steps for Outlook for MacOS 16.70 and Higher:

  1. Open Outlook for Mac.
  2. Select Outlook in the Tool bar.
  3. Select "New Outlook" to disable it and choose "Revert" when promted.
  • Note: The New Outlook option does not appear unless you have a Registered version of Outlook. To Confirm this in Outlook for Mac, select File, then About Outlook. If the "License" section says "Not Registered" the New Outlook option will not appear.

If you need steps for older versions of MacOS, please check the guide.



Outlook for Windows (Microsoft Windows Store version) or Preinstalled New Outlook

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There are two "versions" of New Outlook. There is the version that comes preinstalled on some machines and can also be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. This version is slightly different then the preview version of New Outlook, as it is a standalone program and can be installed/ran at the same time as Classic Outlook. To remove this version of Outlook, you simply need to uninstall it. Uninstall Steps:

  1. Open the Start Menu on your PC
  2. Click or search for "Settings" (Gear Icon)
  3. Click Apps
  4. Locate "Outlook (New)" in the list
  5. Click the "..." on the right hand side
  6. Click Uninstall and follow the prompts

To use Classic Outlook, you will need a license. This can be part of your Microsoft 365 subscription or a standalone license. From there, just install Classic Outlook normally.


Outlook "Apps View"

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There is a similar looking option that is turned on by default on newer installs of Outlook. This is what is known as the "apps view" and is a more modern version of the Outlook menu bar. You can switch back to the old layout using these steps:

  1. Open Outlook
  2. Click "File" in the upper left
  3. Click "Options" towards the bottom
  4. Click "Advanced"
  5. Uncheck "Show Apps in Outlook"
  6. Close Outlook and re-open it for the changes to take effect

We also have a video on the topic here.

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