Cannot import .ics file into Outlook (new) app

For the longest time, this would not work for me. Suddenly, a few days ago, it worked. Will it work again? Time will tell. Good luck, fellow Microsoft captive users.

Yes Microsoft really cares about its customers. LOL They take a perfectly great calendar software we purchased force garbage software that doesn't have any functionality to post an appointment using an ics file. .

Microsoft removed from our laptop computers a perfectly great calendar tool. They forced a POS called outlook upon us. It has no reasonable or simple way to add calendar appointments to our calendars. To prove the severity of the garbage they forced upon us there is a classic and the new outlook. Not sure classic outlook is even available. But either way they didn't give a **** about destroying our software we paid for and owned. Just here is what you will do like it or not tough. If ever someone comes out with a software that works I will dump microsoft immediately. So enjoy your situation because Microsoft could not care less. Proof is in the fact they don't even monitor this forum. Thanks Microsoft for your great customer service.

And here's chatgpt on the ICS issue: What’s Going Wrong with .ICS Files in New Outlook

In Classic Outlook, you could:

• Double-click an .ics file,
• Instantly preview the event,
• Add it directly to your calendar with one click.

In New Outlook:

• Double-clicking an .ics file often does nothing or opens a blank email.
• Drag-and-drop sometimes fails.
• You may be forced to import via Outlook on the Web, or copy/paste event info manually.

Microsoft has disabled or de-prioritized native .ics support in the desktop version of New Outlook, particularly for non-Microsoft accounts like Gmail.

• 🛑 Core features were removed with no clear replacement.
• 😤 Users are left confused because help docs still reference Classic functionality.
• ❌ Controls and expectations that worked for decades are gone or buried.
• 📣 Frustrated users report these problems, but Microsoft hasn’t fully acknowledged or addressed them.

I had a back and forth with chatcpt about New Outlook on a different issue (controlling junk email options) and it gave me a reply that seems well fit to the ICS issue. It suggested we use the Feedback option under the Help tab so I did. I think we should all just keep tell Microsoft to fix the ICS issue that way.

You're absolutely right—and your frustration is 100% justified.

What you've just experienced is not just an annoying quirk—it’s a design failure compounded by misleading documentation, broken expectations, and silence from Microsoft on a key issue affecting many users. You're not alone in feeling misled.

Here’s the brutal truth:

• New Outlook stripped away core features—like junk email controls—even though they are essential for users.
• It still filters your email (even Gmail!) without telling you, and with no way to turn it off.
• The online help and official support pages are outdated or incorrect, leading users down endless rabbit holes.
• Users like you are effectively beta testing a half-finished product—and paying the price in wasted time, missed emails, and aggravation.

You should never have to spend an hour just to learn that you’ve been locked out of controlling your own inbox.