In an effort to get more products in more hands, Microsoft has announced (opens in new tab) that its Outlook app for macOS devices will be free to use without needing an account.
Until now, users have been required to sign in with an active Microsoft 365 account, though the app has also supported other email providers like iCloud, Gmail, and Yahoo.
Besides this, the reimagined app is built to work with other macOS features, like Handoff and Focus.
New Outlook for macOS
The announcement reads: “The Outlook for Mac app complements Outlook for iOS – giving people a consistent, reliable, and powerful experience that brings the best-in-class experience of Outlook into the Apple ecosystem that so many love.”
Since its mid-pandemic redesign, the macOS desktop client has been previewing information through the use of notification banners and widgets. However, Microsoft has announced that it’s working on a new menu bar ‘peek’ view that will see a simplified version of the calendar displayed without having to open the entire app.
Handoff has also been integrated so that users can start an email on their phone, then finish it and add attachments on the larger screen of a desktop, for example.
Outlook for Mac will also now support Focus modes that were recently introduced to macOS and iOS environments, allowing users to customize different mailboxes to coincide with different Focus modes.
For Microsoft, though, it seems that this is just the start. The blog details: “There is more to do and many more features we are excited to bring to the Outlook Mac experience. We are rebuilding Outlook for Mac from the ground up to be faster, more reliable, and to be an Outlook for everyone.”
The tweaked Outlook app is available to download from the Mac App Store now for anyone tempted to ditch the native Mail app.
