Classic Outlook Gets an Official Death Date

As per the latest Microsoft Announcement Outlook Classic Death Date at 2029. As Outlook classic is the traditional desktop version of Microsoft Outlook that many people have used for years. It first launched with Microsoft Office 1990S and after this lots of updates came such as Outlook 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2021 is the latest version of Outlook. From recent years, Outlook is one of the most used email clients for professional and individual purposes to manage emails, calendar, contacts and tasks on Windows PCs.

Outlook Classic feels familiar because of its easy menu style. People can move around using tabs like Inbox, Send Items, and Calendar. It also has handy tools like rules, categories, and search. Many users like it because it’s reliable, full of features, and works well even when you’re offline with saved data files.

How Does It Differ from New Outlook?

• New Outlook comes with a modern and clean interface to make it reliable to use on desktop, web and mobile. Classic Outlook has more buttons and options, which advanced users like because it gives advanced features to work with advanced tasks.
• New Outlook works with Microsoft 365, making it simple to transfer files, store data in the cloud, and stay synced across devices. Classic Outlook depends on OST files that are saved on your local drive.
• Some old tools in Classic Outlook such as macros, custom toolbars, and multiple add-ins may not be available in New Outlook. But New Outlook supports faster search, easier account configuration and better team features.
• Classic Outlook is a great choice to work without the internet, as it saves and access data locally. New Outlook works with cloud which can make less offline access.

When is the Outlook Classic Death Date?

Microsoft officially announced the Outlook Classic Death Date to indicate a shift into a newer version. Here’s what you need to know: On March 7, 2024, Microsoft published a timeline for the New Outlook for Windows client, confirming that support for the Outlook classic client will continue until 2029.

Timeline of Retirement and Support Cutoff

• Users can voluntarily switch to New Outlook.
• Starting in April 2026, New Outlook becomes the default for Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise Users, but they can still revert to classic Outlook if desired.
• Cutover Phase: By the second quarter of 2028, Microsoft plans to remove Outlook Classic from Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. However, it will remain unavailable as a separate download for Microsoft 365 apps for enterprise customers until 2029.

Key Dates Users Should Know

• April 2026: New Outlook becomes default for Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise User.
• Q2 2028: Classic Outlook is removed from Microsoft 365 suite for Enterprise.
• 2029: Outlook Classic will be ended, no support or updates will come.

Why is Microsoft Retiring Classic Outlook?

Microsoft Retiring Classic Outlook due to its push toward the New Outlook experience which offers a modern, cloud based desktop, web and mobile device platform to easily sync all data immediately.

Push Toward New Outlook Experience

The New Outlook emphasizes cloud integration, real-time collaboration and faster updates. Microsoft wants users to benefit from features like integrated Team meetings, simplified account management and improved search functionality all of which are more challenging to important in Classic Outlook Essentially, the goal is to unify the experience across all devices and platforms.

Benefits Microsoft Claims with Switch to New Outlook

• It offers faster performance, advanced search and is specially developed to handle large size mailbox data.
• Advanced security features that are updated to handle Outlook data.
• Improved Integration with Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint.
• Offer Simplified Interface to easily use by all levels of users.

How Classic Outlook Death Impact User?

For personal users, the biggest change with Classic Outlook. It will no longer receive updates and security patches after its death date. Features like offline access or local OST management will be limited, requiring you to switch to New Outlook Outlook on the Web to maintain email functionality.
For business Teams need to migrate mailbox train employees to use new Outlook and check add-ins for continued work. Without proper planning, organizations could see disruptions in daily operations.
IT Admin need to perform migration carefully, especially for organizations with large or shared mailboxes. Tasks may include backup Outlook emails before migration, test New Outlook functionality, coordinate phased out rollout to minimize downtime.

Features Lost After Outlook Classic Death Date

One of the biggest issues about Outlook Classic Death Date is what features are not available in New Outlook. While Microsoft highlights improvement in performance, design and integration, some tools that rely on Classic Outlook are either missing, simplified or behave differently.

Missing or Changed Features in New Outlook

• Classic Outlook supports offline work with OST files, while Outlook need stable connectivity to use.
• Many VBA macros and customizations won’t function in the New Outlook environment.
• Some calendar views, meeting options and color coding-system from Classic Outlook are no longer available.
• Older or custom add-ins built with Classic Outlook may not transfer to New Outlook.
• The simplified interface in New Outlook removes some detailed menu

Preparing for the Outlook Classic Death Date

When a platform like Outlook Classic reaches its retirement date, the risk of data loss or it can affect email communication. From decades of experience, I can say that the biggest mistake users make are waiting until the last minute and assuming Microsoft will handle everything seamlessly. Instead you should treat this as a data migration project plan, backup, test and validate. Once Outlook classic stops receiving updates or becomes inaccessible, recovering data could be complicated. Even if Microsoft Promises smooth migration, things like corrupted mailboxes, local caches or large attachments can be lost. So, let’s know the way to save Outlook emails.

1. Open Outlook and navigate to the file.
   
2. Click on Open and Export and hit on Import/Export.
   
3. Choose Export to a file and press Next button.
   
4. Browse Outlook data file(.PST) and hit on Next option.
   
5. Select the Outlook folder as you want to backup.
   
6. Choose the destination path and hit the Next button.
   

If you want to backup Outlook files in another format or want to switch into another platform. Then, we recommend you to opt BitRecover PST File Converter as it can detect and convert directly from default location and also allows to convert into popular formats such as PDF, PST, EML, MBOX and also support Gmail, Microsoft 365, and all IMAP Supported email services.

Outlook Classic Death Date Key Milestones