Earlier this year, Microsoft started nudging Windows users towards the new Outlook app, steering them away from the familiar inbox Mail app. Users initially had a lifeline: a simple toggle switch that allowed them to revert to the old email app. However, Microsoft has now tightened the reins, making it significantly more challenging for users to return to the Mail app.
New Outlook Toggle: A Thing of the Past
Previously, turning off the New Outlook toggle not only brought back the Mail app but also kept it active until users decided to switch back to Outlook. That convenience has now vanished. Disabling the New Outlook toggle no longer resurrects the inbox Mail app. Instead, it reopens the new Outlook app, and crucially, the New Outlook toggle is conspicuously absent from the interface. Users won't find it in any corner of the new Outlook app for Windows.
For those yearning for the old Mail app, the journey has become more convoluted. The option to switch back is now buried within the settings of the new Outlook app. To locate it, users must navigate to Settings > General > About Outlook. At the bottom of this page lies an
Windows Mail App: On Borrowed Time
The removal of the New Outlook toggle is not entirely unexpected. Microsoft has officially announced that the Windows Mail app will be phased out and replaced by the new Outlook app by year's end. By complicating the process of reverting to the old Mail app, Microsoft seems to be signaling that the transition is nearing completion.
For those who find themselves at odds with Microsoft Outlook, it might be time to explore alternative email clients. The days of the Windows Mail app are numbered, and users will soon need to adapt to the new Outlook or seek other options.
