Microsoft - any chance of reconsidering this new Outlook?

JCC 0 Reputation points
2026-10-15T15:02:42.8166667+00:00

Just used new outlook for two weeks. Thought I'd get used to it, but with a busy industry, I don't have time for this massive downgrade. Was this new version really made for businesses who have relied on this quality product for so long? Not being able to "add contact from same company"; not prioritizing company name in the contact file (gotta go to another tab to enter that); you can no longer see the business address in list view - which is critical when you have large corporate clients with multiple locations; on list view you can see 'business location' BUT I'd have to go in and enter it for THOUSANDS of existing contacts; no longer have folders and only categories (essentially tags); not being able to modify list view into something more meaningful than the watered down one-size-fits-all columns you can get (Company us thrown way over to the left) are just a few of my complaints about this New Outlook. Here's the question: Could Microsoft allow Classic outlook live on?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business
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  1. Lin V 1,710 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-15T15:33:57.8433333+00:00

    Hi JCC,

    The concerns you described are generally related to differences in the Contacts experience and customization options between Classic Outlook and New Outlook. Many users who rely heavily on contact management have reported that New Outlook does not yet provide the same level of flexibility for managing contacts, layouts, and views as Classic Outlook.

    As a community forum, fellow users do not have insight into Microsoft's future product decisions, so no one here can say whether Microsoft will continue supporting Classic Outlook indefinitely or whether specific design decisions in New Outlook will change in the future.

    If there are particular features that are critical to your business workflow and are currently unavailable or less effective in New Outlook, you may wish to submit feedback through the Feedback Portal. Feedback submitted through official channels is reviewed by the product team and helps them understand how changes affect real-world business scenarios.

    In the meantime, if your organization depends on functionality that is only available in Classic Outlook, you may want to continue using Classic Outlook for as long as it remains available and supported in your environment.

    Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-15T15:03:01.82+00:00

    Yes. Classic Outlook can continue to be used as long as Microsoft still supports it.

    For an individual user, the supported path is to switch back from new Outlook to Classic Outlook if the switch is available:

    1. In new Outlook, look for the New Outlook toggle in the top-right corner and turn it off.
    2. Outlook restarts in Classic mode.

    If that option is not available, one documented path from Microsoft Q&A is:

    1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
    2. Select Microsoft 365 / Office.
    3. Choose Modify > Quick Repair.
    4. Open a Microsoft 365 app such as Word or Excel.
    5. Go to File > Account > Manage Apps.
    6. Find Outlook (Classic) and install it.

    For organizations, Microsoft Q&A also states that the switch to new Outlook can be turned off for the entire organization.

    The feature gaps described are consistent with Microsoft’s published comparison pages. New Outlook does not fully match Classic Outlook in several areas, and some classic capabilities remain unavailable or are still being investigated. For example:

    • Share Contacts folder is listed as Investigating in new Outlook.
    • Contact features are a mix of Available, Revised, or Not supported depending on the specific capability.
    • Some customization and legacy extensibility features from Classic Outlook are not supported in new Outlook.

    So the practical answer is: yes, Classic Outlook can still be kept in use for now, but only while Microsoft continues to support it.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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