Switch from 'new' Outlook (2023) to 'classic' outlook

Anonymous
2023-04-18T20:26:13+00:00

I need to go back to the Classic version because the 'new' Outlook lacks some features that I need for work.

This webpage https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/getting-started-with-the-new-outlook-for-windows-656bb8d9-5a60-49b2-a98b-ba7822bc7627 states "You can switch back whenever you want, just switch the toggle off in the new Outlook and it will automatically open the classic version."

There is no toggle. Is there any other way I can undo this update and go back to the previous version?

EDIT: Moved FROM Microsoft 365 Insider / Outlook / Windows TO Outlook / Outlook for Windows / For business.

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home

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Anonymous
2023-04-19T15:15:49+00:00

Once flipped on, the toggle is irrelevant since the "old" version still exists. Just run it. You should still be able to find its shortcut in Start (and wherever else you might have had it before), but if not you will see outlook.exe in one of these places (may vary slightly depending on edition), so if necessary make a new shortcut:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

or here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

The nice thing about the New Outlook is that it's not an either/or proposition (like New Teams is). You have both old and new. You can even run them concurrently.

But if running that actually runs New Outlook for you (some have reported that's the case), then either:

  1. Uninstall Outlook

or

  1. run Regedit.exe and go here (or the same with 15.0, if you don't have 16.0):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences

And in that you will see UseNewOutlook

Set it to 0, which means that running old Outlook actually runs it.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-06-06T12:34:12+00:00

    I fell for the "new look" ploy. Sure, I'll just toggle back if I don't like it! Little did I know that a complete nightmare awaited me! I have my work e-mail set up to go into Outlook from Gmail and now I cannot even open Outlook to access the toggle, let alone anything else. It wanted to import ALL of my e-mail from everywhere! No! Just no! Then it fought back with me when I just entered my work e-mail address. Now it's stuck in a loop between "accessing gmail" and "you didn't sign in." But I DID sign in!! What a mess! I have managed with one little toggle, to totally screw up my e-mail. How can I fix this? I don't have time to spend hours troubleshooting because of this ridiculous situation!!

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-06-06T17:37:01+00:00

    I have Windows 10 and MS Office 2016 and none of the other fixes worked for me and a few other folks. I'm not sure this would work for later versions.

    This worked for other users who have newer PCs with later programs/apps:

    From Registry Editor enter >

    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences

    then go to bottom of next column {Name} and select 0

    If that doesn't work look below Preferences and look for Setup or Settings > go to migrate and select 0.

    I restarted and it worked, if it doesn't work for you repose the question and give more information about your systems.

    BTW - If you're looking for Registry Editor go to search in bottom left side of task bar, type in Registry Editor and it will show editor for Window 10 and 11.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-06-07T14:56:23+00:00

    I had the same problem, old Classic " Mail and Calendar" was launching new version. I un-stalled old Classic "Mail and Calendar" and re-installed from the Microsoft Store. My old Classic "Mail and Calendar" is back to normal. I had to re-add all my Microsoft email addresses. I did not lose any folders. Everything is back to normal including the "Toggle" button (in case I would ever want to try the new version).

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-06-08T02:00:07+00:00

    Thanks very much. Very helpful. I found the old version in Start and was back in business in a few seconds, after tearing my hair out for days trying to work with the 'new' outlook and then trying to find a way back.

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