New Outlook features: Work IQ gets an upgrade
Key takeaways
- Outlook is getting numerous new features for calendar and email.
- Copilot is being even more tightly integrated with Outlook.
- New calendar features provide better clarity and fewer clicks.
- Improved sorting and intelligent search increase efficiency.
- Personalized mass emails and other features make daily collaboration easier.
The new Outlook is being gradually equipped with new features that strengthen email as an element of Work IQ in the age of agents.
Microsoft will continue to maintain both Outlook Classic and the new web-based Outlook in parallel for some time, delivering new features for both versions. The Classic version is being more closely integrated with Copilot, while the new Outlook is being expanded step by step and will eventually replace the locally installed version.
"Outlook and the Copilot AI are moving closer together", says Sven Heeb, Cloud Solution Architect and M365 specialist at Baggenstos. "This makes sense, because email inboxes and calendars contain an organization's most up-to-date knowledge. It is a key element of Work IQ."
Selected features
We have summarized some important new features that are already being rolled out or will be in the coming weeks.
Calendar management in Outlook is being significantly improved and requires fewer clicks. The software is receiving an update called Automapped Calendars. With this, Outlook automatically loads or subscribes to all accounts for which the user (in their Outlook profile) has full access to the mailbox.
You can now switch between Outlook Classic and the new Outlook as you like, and your calendars will remain intact. You can now select multiple calendars in the left navigation column. Furthermore, you can select and work with multiple calendar entries at the same time. In the small monthly view, you can select multiple non-consecutive dates simultaneously in the web client using Shift-click or Control-click.
Planning overview is improving; users will soon be able to apply conditional formatting rules to the calendar in the new Outlook, allowing events and appointments to be color-coded based on sender, location, participants, and more.
Better organization in your inbox: Emails can be sorted by status as well as start and end dates. In addition, Copilot assists in searching for information within the clutter of emails. In Outlook Classic, you can now select text and pass it to Copilot.
For those who frequently send mass emails users appreciate the "Mail Merge" extension. In the basic version, fields can be replaced with specific values for each email address. With Mail Merge (Advanced), every recipient receives their own individual email, showing only their own address in the recipient field. You can also personalize emails with content such as the recipient's name.
Further information: Microsoft Roadmap
