The future of Outlook on the Mac is looking bright today. Microsoft has optimized Outlook for Apple Silicon to deliver a speed and sync performance boost. Outlook for Mac is also now available as a free app.
Microsoft has offered Outlook for iOS as a free app for years, but the macOS version has required a Microsoft 365 subscription or paid license.
Starting today, it’s now free to use the Mac version for email, calendars, contacts, and more.
For Mac users, Outlook could be a viable alternative to Apple Mail. Users can use Outlook with non-Microsoft services, including Gmail and iCloud email. Microsoft is also providing widget support for Outlook’s calendar feature, and a Menu Bar mini-app is coming soon.
Top comment by Christo
MS Office on the Mac is so bad I use a Parallels/Windows VM instead. I absolutely would not use it for additional email accounts such as IMAP as they upload all your email to their servers and use it for advertising. Quite apart from the confidentiality and GDPR issues behind this unnecessary breach of privacy, one reason I use non-MS email for personal accounts is so that I don't have all my eggs in one basket when MS inevitably goes down.
For Focus users, Microsoft promises an upcoming update that will integrate Outlook with Apple’s notification modes feature. Outlook Profiles will integrate with Focus modes and give you individual control over separate work and personal inboxes.
Microsoft calls Outlook for Mac a redesign and rebuild from the ground up. The new version will be very familiar to users of Outlook for iPhone and iPad. Features from the mobile app include Microsoft’s Focused Inbox feature for filtering out unwanted emails, and swipe gestures let you snooze and do more on the Mac.
Outlook for Mac is available for free on the App Store. A direct download from Microsoft is also available, although Handoff between Apple devices requires the App Store release.
Switching to the all-new Outlook for Mac? Let us know what you think in the comments.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments