The unified Outlook app, which Microsoft has been working on for years, will be rolled out to all Microsoft 365 users from April.

Microsoft has been working on a universal Outlook app for all platforms for some time, but it’s proving to be a difficult delivery. After an official announcement in 2021, it took a year for the first beta testers to get started. It was a tough test phase, because again we have to wait a year. Microsoft has now decided to roll out the thorough Outlook redesign for all Microsoft 365 customers.

For those who get scared right away, Microsoft offers the option to optionally enable the redesign. If you’re not a fan, you can always revert to the old design for now. How long this option will be available is not yet clear. In the long term, everyone should switch.

The focus is initially on personal Microsoft 365 accounts and Microsoft Exchange Online accounts. Organizations that are in the Current Channel update cycle will be offered the update starting in early April. Organizations moving through the Enterprise Channel monthly update cycle won’t be offered the feature until early May.

New parts

The new Outlook client adds many new features, including better integration with Microsoft Teams, message reminders, a calendar, a to-do list, and support for loop components. The latter are part of the Fluid framework. This makes it easier, for example, to share files in the cloud by typing “@nameofthefile” in your message. Other things like spreadsheets, notes, tasks or even sales details in Dynamics 365 fit into Fluid.

Project Moca also comes with a handy board view of your calendar for better project management. Think of notes, tasks, the weather, predefined destinations, contact details or even files. You can think of the new tool as a giant desk where you can organize important data so you can see what’s important to you at a glance.