[German]Microsoft plans to expand the test of the new Outlook app in the corporate environment in January 2024. The option to switch will be offered in the "semi-annual channel" of Microsoft Office 365. Administrators who do not wish to switch should react – also in view of the fact that the new Outlook app transfers login data to Microsoft servers and will also cause other issues.
Advertising
The new Outlook client
Microsoft has been developing a new Outlook client for some time, which has been available as a "new Outlook app" for Windows since September 2023. In the first step, this app was available in the Microsoft Store (for consumers via their personal Microsoft account) and is intended to replace the previous Windows apps Mail and Calendar. I reported on this changeover in July in the article Microsoft 365: First Windows Mail and Calendar users will be migrated to the new Outlook at the end of August 2023.
It is a free app for Windows users that makes it possible to integrate various email accounts and calendars so that they can be managed under the new interface. The app with the new Outlook is already pre-installed on devices sold with Windows 11, version 23H2, as well as on machines that have been updated to Windows 11, version 23H2. In the medium term, the new Outlook app will then replace the classic Outlook desktop solution, which is still part of Microsoft Office (365).
Tests in companies are being expanded
Martin Geuß reports on German site Dr. Windows in this article that Microsoft is testing the new Outlook client in companies and will expand this test. Martin refers to an entry in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and states that Microsoft plans to show the switch to the new Outlook client more broadly in current Outlook versions in the course of January 2024.
Users within a tenant who have accounts that are logged into the Mail and Calendar app will see an option Try the new Outlook in the top right-hand corner of the application. Users can use this button to switch to the new Outlook for Windows.
Advertising
According to Dr. Windows, this affects enterprise environments where Microsoft Outlook 365 release branch "Semi-Annual Channel" is used. For administrators, this means preparing for this test and, if necessary, preventing users from switching to the new Outlook client (basically it is still a preview).
Administrators who want to prevent the toggle button from being displayed in the classic Outlook for Windows can find information on the Enable or disable access to the new Outlook for Windows policy in this Microsoft support article (see the section Enable or disable access to the new Outlook for Windows). Alternatively, the option can be hidden via the following reg file.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options\General] "HideNewOutlookToggle"=dword:00000001
Problems with the new Outlook client
I have been covering the topic of the new Outlook client here on the blog for months. Microsoft is pursuing the long-term goal of replacing classic Outlook with the new Outlook app. However, administrators and users should be aware of the problems of this new client and also prepare for and react to these problems at an early stage.
Problem 1: The new Outlook is still a preview
Even though Microsoft has been switching users to the new Outlook client for some time now, every user should be aware that it is still a "preview" that is far from being able to keep up with the functionality of classic Outlook. I'll link to the Microsoft Answers forum post from January 3, 2023, The latest version (January 2024) of Outlook in Office 365 does not support a POP server. Will this be updated? When? Does Outlook in Office 2021 support a POP server?, where a lack of POP3 support is criticized. Many features that are missing compared to classic Outlook will only be implemented in the course of 2024.
This is a slightly different issue, but when using Microsoft 365 accounts (private and business), Outlook has the problem that emails can no longer be sent from the private account. Martin Geuß wrote about it in this German article in December 2023. I would also like to refer you to my blog post New Outlook for Windows 11: Adding of business accounts denied due to missing licensing from the end of December 2023, in which I pointed out another problem when integrating accounts.
Problem 2: Outlook transfers login data
The biggest problem for administrators in corporate environments could be the fact that the new Outlook app transmits login data for accounts and emails to Microsoft servers. I addressed this in the article Beware: New Outlook app transfers access data to Microsoft. Microsoft had indeed commented on this issue and pointed out that users would be informed about this (see New Outlook app: Microsoft's statement on transferred credentials and content).
Anyone who operates an Exchange Online server will probably say "They already have the data anyway, so what". But it's not really clever if the access data and emails may be routed via Microsoft's cloud infrastructure. I hadn't discussed it separately here in the blog, but the German CERT (BSI) takes a critical view of the cloud constraints imposed by the new Outlook app. Also the data protection commissioner of German state Thüringen (Thuringia) advises against using the new Outlook client due to the cloud obligation to transfer access data to Microsoft.
Problem 3: Outlook cuts off COM/VBA solutions
In environments where Microsoft Outlook is called from other applications by add-in via VBA or the COM interface, or where MAPI is used to send mails, there is another problem. If the user switches to the new Outlook client themselves, this integration no longer works. However, this is a problem in many business environments if they rely on MAPI (not supported), VBA or COM – the integration then no longer works. I wrote about this in the German blog post Neue Outlook-App als Problem: Der Ansatz schneidet alle COM-/VBA-Lösungen and in the post New Outlook: Microsoft will definitely not support COM add-ins. Administrators should therefore take care of these issues before the new Outlook app is used.
Similar articles:
Microsoft 365: First Windows Mail and Calendar users will be migrated to the new Outlook at the end of August 2023
New Outlook: Microsoft will definitely not support COM add-ins
Beware: New Outlook app transfers access data to Microsoft
New Outlook app: Microsoft's statement on transferred credentials and content
New Outlook for Windows 11: Adding of business accounts denied due to missing licensing
