Microsoft announces plan to transition from Outlook Classic to New Outlook for enterprise customers. The transition will be divided into 3 steps. Currently in the first phase is Opt In, where users have the option to join the New Outlook testing phase or not.
Following this, New Outlook will enter the GA status for enterprise customers when Microsoft deems it ready enough (no specific timeline yet, but general customers are already in GA) and will then have a minimum of 12 months for the second phase, Opt Out. This phase requires organization admins to configure settings to continue using Outlook Classic.
Microsoft will then allow another minimum of 12 months for the third phase, Cutover, where new users will no longer be able to switch back to using Outlook Classic. However, this does not mean that Outlook Classic will stop being supported during the Cutover phase, as Microsoft has stated they will continue supporting Outlook Classic “at least” until 2029.
Timeframe for the 3 steps is outlined vaguely (no detailed timeline, just that there will be a minimum of 12 months between GA, Opt Out, and Cutover phases).
New Outlook lacks several features present in Outlook Classic, including the use of web app technology integrated with Outlook.com, leading to performance issues (compared to the native Outlook Classic). This has resulted in heavy criticism of New Outlook. For more user feedback, refer to the original source.
Source: Outlook Blog
TLDR: Microsoft is transitioning from Outlook Classic to New Outlook for enterprise customers in 3 steps, with at least 12 months between each phase. New Outlook has received criticism for performance issues and missing features compared to Outlook Classic. Support for Outlook Classic will continue until 2029.
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