[German]A brief addendum from Friday, January 10, 2025: Microsoft announced in the Microsoft 365 Message Center that Windows 10 will also receive the new Outlook app as a "pre-install". The app will be pre-installed on systems as part of updates with the preview update at the end of January and with the regular February 2025 update.
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Announcement with Message ID MC976059
Under the message ID MC976059, administrators with access to the Microsoft 365 Message Center are informed that the new Outlook for Windows will be automatically installed on Windows 10 devices as part of an upcoming "monthly security release". Behind the cryptic description "security release" is the information that the new Outlook app will be rolled out and pre-installed via a Windows 10 update.
- Specifically, the optional preview update for Windows 10 22H2, which will be rolled out on January 28, 2025, will install the new Outlook app.
- Furthermore, the new Outlook app will be pre-installed by the regular Windows 10 security update on February 11, 2025 (I assume that this only affects version 22H2 of Windows 10).
The only positive information is that Microsoft states that the new Outlook app will only be installed alongside classic Outlook. The default settings and configurations will not change. This means that anyone using classic Outlook will not be automatically switched to the new app.
However, the new Outlook app will be accessible via the start menu in the "Apps" section. Both classic Outlook and the new Outlook app for Windows can be run side by side.
No possibility to block the install
The support article Block new Outlook preinstall on Windows explains that there is no way to block this preinstallation. However, administrators have the option of removing the new Outlook app after installation using the following PowerShell command:
Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -AllUsers -Online -PackageName (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.OutlookForWindows).PackageFullName
Furthermore, the REG_SZ value BlockedOobeUpdaters must be set to ["MS_Outlook"] in the following registry branch.
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\Orchestrator\UScheduler_Oobe\OutlookUpdate<
After removing the new app, Microsoft does not want to reinstall the new Outlook via Windows updates.
Time to kick Outlook
No matter what Microsoft says, it's time to kick Microsoft Outlook out in any form (if possible). The way Microsoft is forcing the new Outlook app onto systems is an absolute no-go. Offering the new Outlook app as a download in the Store would have been a different case, then you could freely decide whether to install the app. Classic Outlook will still be supported until 2029 (see Road map for new Outlook app; classic Outlook supported up to 2029).
In my opinion, the new Outlook app is an absolute no-go because of the numerous restrictions (e.g. New Outlook: Microsoft will definitely not support COM add-ins), the license requirements (see New Outlook for Windows 11: Adding of business accounts denied due to missing licensing) and the redirection of emails and login data via Microsoft's servers (see Beware: New Outlook app transfers access data to Microsoft and New Outlook app: "Monitoring and surveillance tool for targeted advertising").
Apparently, Microsoft sees the skins swimming away that they are now resorting to such forced installations. For the "it's not so bad, it won't be activated" faction: All software, even unused, is a security risk in the system. In any case, I make three crosses here, having used Thunderbird as a mail client since 2009 and now using Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC. There is no store on the platform and no apps are installed.
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