New Outlook - Why so awful? Can I just swap back?

Monica Cornall 5 Reputation points
2026-09-17T10:08:39.4+00:00

I got a new laptop and switched to New Outlook. It is truly awful:

You can't right click to save a contact you have to type the address it

If you do a mail list you have to expand it before you send it otherwise it sits in drafts....I have had several disasters with folk not getting important emails already.

The search function doesn't work reliably so it's almost impossible to find an email more than a day old....

What on earth????

This is a critical application and it is USELESS.

Can I just switch back or do I need to bin Microsoft 365 altogether. I am paying a vast fee....

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-17T10:08:59.3733333+00:00

    Yes. On Windows, it is possible to switch back to classic Outlook.

    • If classic Outlook is installed, open Outlook and turn off the Try the new Outlook toggle in the upper-right corner. That switches back to classic Outlook.
    • From new Outlook, selecting the toggle gives the option to open classic Outlook or switch back to classic Outlook.
    • If classic Outlook is not installed, install or reinstall classic Outlook on the PC, then use it instead of new Outlook.

    A few important limitations from the current product behavior:

    • Importing a mailbox or calendar from a .pst file is not supported in new Outlook.
    • To import from a .pst, the desktop version, classic Outlook, must be used.
    • If Outlook is freezing or not responding, a supported recovery path for new Outlook is to end the Outlook task in Task Manager, reopen it, and if needed uninstall and reinstall new Outlook for Windows from Microsoft Store.

    If the goal is to get back to the older desktop experience on the new laptop, the direct path is:

    1. Open Outlook.
    2. Look for Try the new Outlook in the upper-right.
    3. Turn it off.
    4. Choose to switch back to classic Outlook.
    5. If that option is unavailable because classic Outlook is missing, install classic Outlook and then open that app instead.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. DaveM121 935.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-17T10:46:58.94+00:00

    If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, and Outlook Classic is not installed on your PC, you can download and install Outlook Classic from this link.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/install-or-reinstall-classic-outlook-on-a-windows-pc

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