Microsoft Phases Out Mail and Calendar Apps, Promotes Outlook for a Unified Experience

Microsoft has made a significant announcement regarding its suite of applications for Windows, particularly concerning the Mail, Calendar, and People applications. As part of its ongoing efforts to streamline user experience, the company will be discontinuing support for these apps by the end of this year. Users are being encouraged to transition to the newer Outlook for Windows app, which consolidates functionality for emails, calendar events, and contacts into a single platform that previously required three distinct applications. Alongside this change, Microsoft intends to phase out the traditional desktop version of Outlook in favor of its web-based counterpart.

Microsoft is signaling a shift in its application support strategy. The company has stated that the Outlook app is designed with a more user-user-friendly design and a wide array of functionalities. Consequently, from December 31, the Mail, Calendar, and People applications will no longer receive support. Users who choose not to transition to Outlook will find that they will be unable to send and receive messages through the existing Mail and Calendar applications.

Nonetheless, users can still export their local emails, calendar events, and contacts that have been stored within those applications. Additionally, for those preferring not to use the new interface, a return to the previous Mail and Calendar platforms remains an option. Microsoft emphasizes that the new Outlook app will support a variety of email accounts, including those from Outlook, Hotmail, and various work or educational institutions, along with third-party services like Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud through the IMAP protocol.

Outlook for Windows has been available in a preview format until its global launch in August, with the app now pre-installed on devices running Windows 11 versions 23H2 and above. Users will find that upon signing in, the Outlook app automatically directs them to their designated default account.

This application enhances user convenience by enabling access to multiple accounts and calendars from a single display, allowing for seamless transitions between various accounts to view emails and contacts. In addition, it integrates a range of artificial intelligence features, including smart spelling and grammar checks, AI writing tools, and Copilot functionalities.