Microsoft will force installation of new Outlook on Windows 10 computers in February

Microsoft is making a lot of efforts to push users to switch to Windows 11. At the same time, the software giant continues to expand the capabilities of Windows 10, despite the fact that the operating system’s support period will end in October this year. This time, it has been announced that the new Outlook email client will be coming to the legacy OS next month.

Image source: Microsoft

Somewhat unusually, the app will be added with the February security update package. This may cause controversy among users, as not everyone will be happy with new software being installed without their knowledge. Microsoft hasn’t made too much noise about forcing the installation of the new Outlook app on Windows 10, but a message about it has appeared in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Those who want to quickly access the new email client are encouraged to manually install the preview version of the update package.

«The new Outlook exists as an application installed on the device. For example, you can find it in the Applications section of the Start menu. It does not replace existing (classic) Outlook or change any default configurations/user settings. Both (classic) Outlook and new Outlook for Windows can run side by side,” Microsoft said in a statement.

Another support document says that Windows 10 users will not be able to opt out of installing the new Outlook app. It also says that the email client will be part of a preview package for Windows 10, which will become available on January 28. Next month it will also be distributed automatically along with the next security update package for Windows 10, which will be released on February 11.