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Today my desktop Outlook application was updated and a new "App Bar" was moved to the left of the screen, previously it was located under my folders list with small icons and took up zero screen real estate, not so anymore.
Now it appears as a full screen height column with medium sized icons to the left of Outlook and it takes up way too much screen real estate, on my screen only about 15% of it can be even used with "app" icons pinned to it, the rest is just grey wasted space that takes away from the main job of Outlook reading/writing emails.
Is there a way to move this app bar, remove it, or at least minimise it to somewhere that doesn't use up so much space.
What's the reason for Microsoft to try and replicate a poor version of the Windows Start Menu within Outlook, one that's only limited to 3 Microsoft apps, I don't get this and would really like Microsoft to stop messing with UI, Windows 11 taskbar ahem.
Regards, LK
Using Classic Outlook on Windows for personal email, calendar, and contact management
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
I went to:
File>Options>Advanced>Checkbox titled "Show Apps in Outlook"
After you uncheck and then click "OK" outlook will require a restart to make the change. After restart the "Apps Bar" returns to the pervious location below the folders.
OK but it sounds like if you turn the Coming Soon "On" you are seeing the way it will be in not distant future. So it seems, to me, like Microsoft is saying, you can change it back for now but in the not to distant future it will be just that way (over of the side). So is it a get used to it now or get used to it in the future type scenario?
Hi,
That's certainly been the experience in the past when there was pressure to 'standardise between experiences', or however Microsoft would put it. It was previewed on coming soon and eventually your choices were to keep using the software with the new 'functionality' or move away, and they're betting on not many moving away after they've used the preview tactic to run the numbers on that (over and above the fact that hardly anyone 'chooses' to run Microsoft/Office and it's just what they're given).
Having the app bar down the left side is widely used in their mobile and web apps (where there is no start menu) and i suspect they're more interested in making feel unified, over designing to work best for the different devices you work on. And seemingly regardless of if the OS already has a 'bar full of frequently used apps', adding a duplicate of the OS function within each application, and before they've got enough things to use the space annexed?
But it's like anything (and esp with the insider/coming soon strategies) they're testing the waters to see if anyone is ACTUALLY going to stop buying their stuff because of it, or cause them an ACTUAL headache on social media. They are not full of poor designers, just designers that are under pressure from (short sighted and ill conceived) corporate objectives, they won't be unaware that it's currently a complete waste of space that is to the detriment of their users. Just that they want to get people used to it, have the complaints come out in a trickle that dribbles away rather than a day 1 'big bang' torrent of 'who designed this and for whose benefit?' that shows them up on twitter or reddit etc.
OK but it sounds like if you turn the Coming Soon "On" you are seeing the way it will be in not distant future. So it seems, to me, like Microsoft is saying, you can change it back for now but in the not to distant future it will be just that way (over of the side). So is it a get used to it now or get used to it in the future type scenario?
Thank you for this workaround (it worked for me) but what a ridiculous thing for MSFT to do to Office users after something like 20 years? and with no obvious way to revert to the way it was short of booting office in safe mode? C'mon! this is just ridiculous.
I thought MSFT was a little better at planning than this...
I agree with the above, No one asked for this change stop changing items without first asking permission, it is insane.
I have tried the safe mode recommended and it does not work. Please tell me you have been able to figure out what happened. Also how can you change something and not understand how to change it back.