How to remove old Outlook after switching to New Outlook

MICROSOFT... I defend you all the time as being a competent company who provides a valuable product. Please, why are you proving me wrong?

HERE'S WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN:

In Microsoft 365 and parallel apps, you need to provide an option for either NEW or OLD Outlook and programmatically remove the other. Period Dot.

LOGIC:

You can't expect your ENTIRE user base to deal with all the trouble caused by having Outlook (old) installed while using (new). I can't email a OneNote, I can't import Calendar items... it ALL GOES TO OUTLOOK OLD BUT I'M USING OUTLOOK NEW.

NO, CHANGING DEFAULT APPS DOESN'T FIX IT.

YES, THIS IS A DEPRICATION HANDLING FAILURE ON YOUR PART.

CAUTION:

Removed this out of respect for moderator, as they tagged it as a COC violation.

[Removed - COC violation] I don't want to troubleshoot with you, and I don't need a canned statement on how it's a feature not a bug. Just stop.

The only thing I'd like in reply is either "we've forwarded your concerns, and the wizards in the white tower said it will be in a coming update" or "we don't care".

There are no other viable options.

Hi,

For those who ran into this issue like me, I have found a way to fix most of Outlook protocol links like mailto:

1. find the path of the new Outlook application on the file system
2. assign new Outlook as default application to each file type supported by classic Outlook

1 - Find the path of the new Outlook application on the file system

• To find the path of the new Outlook application, open the task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Escape).
• In the processes tab (the first), you'll see the opened applications listed by their names.
• Open the new Outlook application, if it's not done.
• Hover the name of applicaiton "Outlook (new)" and right-click on it.
• You should see "Open the file location"
• If it's grayed, right-click on the sub-process "Mail", then it should appear clickable
• A Windows Explorer window opens on path "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_1.2024.1023.300_x64__xxxxxxxxxxx"
• Select the path and copy it.

2 - Assign new Outlook as default application to each file type supported by classic Outlook

• Open the Windows settings application.
• Select Applications in the menu
• Select Default applications tab
• Now in the "Define default applications value" search bar, type Outlook
• You should see both "Outlook" and "Outlook (new)"
• Select "Outlook"
• For each file extension showing the old Outlook logo, select the extension and follow the steps:
  • A windows pops up to select the default application,
  • Case 1: If you see "Outlook (new)" just click on it, it's done,
  • Case 2: If you don't see "Outlook (new)" in the list, go to the bottom of the list and click "Choose an application on your PC", A Windows Explorer window opens, paste the path you previously copied, click "open" and select "olk.exe" click open, it's done.

For some reasons, some extensions will keep the old Outlook logo because you'll be unable to choose the application path on your PC. Windows Store will be the only proposed option but then it's impossible to validate the choice as default application.

Now I'm able to open the new Outlook on mailto protocol links.

Good luck.

David

EDIT:
The classic Outlook is part of Office16 desktop apps suite. Deleting outlook.exe will not free much space. All you risk is to make some registry keys orphans, which is never good.

I guess the new Outlook installs in a brand new path because Microsoft is rebuilding MS Office with separate apps.

I'm affraid we'll have to keep old MS Office apps until all the new ones are out there, :D

To Microsoft,

Why is it so difficult to answer this question, I am sure this isnt the first time it has been asked.

Nowawdays, Outlook only installs via the O365 or "ClicktoRun" options, I would assume that there is an option to uninstall an individual application as it has in several previous versions.

So we would like detailed instructions on how to uninstall "Classic" Outlook from either "ClicktoRun" or from the O365 so that only the "NEW" Outlook and all other office applications remain on the PC.

I am sure this isnt to much to ask.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Allen

Dear K.Schenewerk,

Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

Based on your description, I understand that you have a query "How to remove old Outlook after switching to New Outlook." Before we proceed, we need more detailed information about the situation you are experiencing.

Please help us in isolating the issue by providing the following information:

1. What windows version are running?
2. Have you tried the steps below to remove the old Outlook application:
   • Close all Office applications, including Outlook.
   • Open the Control Panel and select "Programs and Features" or "Add or Remove Programs" depending on your version of Windows.
   • Find Microsoft Office in the list of installed programs and select "Change".
   • In the Office installer window, select "Add or Remove Features" and click "Continue".
   • Expand the "Outlook" section and uncheck the box next to the old version of Outlook.
   • Click "Continue" and follow the prompts to complete the uninstallation process.

Once the old version of Outlook is uninstalled, your Office apps should default to using the new version of Outlook for sending emails.

We look forward to hearing from you; Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue right away. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely

De Paul | Microsoft Community Moderator

... right click and delete the application.

I had already considered this "workaround", but deleting an executable file doesn't means the program gets completely uninstalled: everything else used by the "old" Outlook will still remain in the PC.