A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft"s leaked Outlook client started working for some people. Shortly after this happened, the company discouraged customers from using the app until is officially unveiled. Codenamed "Project Monarch", the revamped client is a web-powered application that is a major step towards Microsoft"s "One Outlook" strategy to unify Outlook across all platforms.
Now, Microsoft has officially started testing the One Outlook client with the public.
The new Outlook app integrates with Microsoft Loop components so you can streamline your workflow across Outlook and Teams. You can also quickly attach documents and files stored in the cloud to emails using the @thenameofthefile syntax.
There are some intelligent features in tow too. Basically, if you forget to respond to an email that Outlook deems important, it will surface this information to you and pin it at the top of your inbox until you dismiss it.
You can also drag and drop emails to My Day in the app, which is basically a To Do list for you to keep track of your activities for the day. Microsoft has revamped the Calendar with a board view too and you can customize it with various components such as To Do, goals, files, and more.
There"s a new Outlook RSVP mechanism to cater to the hybrid work environment as well. It allows you to clarify whether you"ll be attending a meeting in-person or online. Other smaller capabilities include pinning emails and new automated policies to clean and prioritize emails in your inbox using Sweep.
Since the new Outlook app is currently available in preview only, there are a bunch of known issues, primarily related to lack of features compared to the existing generally available (GA) offering. You can find out more details here.
As it currently stands, the One Outlook for Windows experience is available to Office Insiders in the Beta Channel Beta Channel Version 2205 (Build 15225.20000) or later. There should be a "Try the New Outlook" toggle on the top-right of your Outlook for Windows app to trigger it. You can use the same toggle to revert back to the classic version at any time.