Outlook keep resetting ribbon back to default after changes

Sadly the "New Outlook" is a junker! It reminds me of the "olden days" and the way Yahoo and AOL's first browser-based email platforms looked. I don't know if MS is going for retro or their Gen-Z developers just think they're creating something new....

I have exported my ribbon configurations and reinstall them after MSoft installs what it wants to install. I have to do this perhaps once a month, maybe more frequently. Hard to say. Incredibly annoying. My fear is that MSoft's goal is to make the client and browser versions of Outlook have the same user interface....and in the process will wreck the client. I clicked on the "Try the new Outlook" button in the client, was disgusted with the result, and reverted back to (I guess we can call it) "Old Outlook." I've read on the web that for some it was difficult or impossible to switch back to "Old" so proceed with caution on that one.....

You've hit the nail on the head. It's just another form of force-fed "advertising." Some idiot has decided that if we just get the icon in front of the user enough times, they'll just be compelled to try our newest BS features.

In my case, the customizations are restored when I click on each window (only for the window clicked). Give it a couple of minutes, and it will shift most or all of them back to defaults.

You're right: why allow users to customize the ribbon if they know they are going to continuously change/reset it? Obviously the marketing dept has precendence over the developers, some of whom actually listen to user feedback.

And why do they do this? Because they can.

I have been searching for a solution to the ever-changing ribbon since Microsoft added this "feature" to Outlook, I have tried all the suggestions posted and none of them work well or consistently. Maybe disabling Office Updates permanently might work but then you would not be getting security updates or any other beneficial updates. And even then MS probably would find a way to sneak all those useless buttons back to your ribbon through the accursed "Click-to-Run".

I suggest that we all stand and shout together "F-CK YOU MICROSOFT!"

I have the same frustrating experience. I customize the ribbon to my liking and maximum productivity. It's disappointing that the reset is a product design, presumably, at least in part, to encourage users to utilize Microsoft products like Meet. As the director of our K-12 school, I'm still a strong advocate for Microsoft products (versus the growing wave of Google and Apple fans) with my go-to argument that Microsoft has always been more customizable to the individual user even if a bit more complex. This built-in reset of customized ribbons back to default doesn't support my argument.

I hope the product development team weighs carefully the cost/benefit of resetting customizations. Pro - maybe more likely that a user will finally click Meet and use it (doubtful). Con - the common preference for Microsoft (over Google and Apple) is their commitment to a customized experience which, in this case of automatic reset to default, is not realized.