Microsoft’s Newest Updates for Outlook

Dating back to 1996, Microsoft Outlook was one of the very first webmail services to be launched as the internet was still coming into its own. Now, over 20 years later, Outlook continues to be one of the most popular email services available. Over its decades-long history, Outlook has become more sophisticated, streamlined and user-friendly. Now, Microsoft is rolling out new Outlook updates that will offer even more features for users to improve the platform and promote ease-of-use.

Outlook update highlights

Microsoft first announced its plans to update Outlook’s design back in June, and some changes have already been rolled out. The new changes are primarily focused on improving the appearance of the platform, making navigation easier, improving searches and allowing users to customize their experience. Microsoft is rolling these updates out periodically over the next several weeks and users can test out new features before officially making the switch to the updated version.

• Modern aesthetic updates: Appearances aren’t everything, but they can have a significant bearing on user experience. Microsoft is updating all its apps with new colors and icons to create a sleek, modern look across its platforms.
• User-friendly ribbon design: One of the most anticipated changes with these new updates is a simplified ribbon design. The new ribbon will have fewer tools making it easier to navigate and cutting out unnecessary clutter. Users can choose to expand the ribbon to reveal the traditional view depending on their preferences. The new design also allows users to customize their tools by pinning them to the simplified ribbon.
• Revamped search features: The new search capabilities for Outlook are designed to make searching easier and more intuitive. When a user hovers their cursor over the search bar, search recommendations will come up automatically.
• Streamlined design: The changes to the appearance of the platform as well as some updates to tools and the development of a more intuitive framework for Outlook will all contribute to increased productivity and a heightened user experience.

If you’re on the Targeted Monthly Channel for Outlook, you might have already seen some of these updates rolled out. Consider toggling over to the newest version of Outlook to try out a few of the newest Outlook features for yourself. While any change to familiar platforms can be difficult to get used to, the new updates for Outlook promise to offer a number of great benefits to users.