New Outlook killed POP/IMAP — Microsoft left us stranded.

Question

New Outlook killed POP/IMAP — Microsoft left us stranded.

Ben Pleysier 30

PSTs ignored, contacts gone, custom domains broken. No warning, no migration path. Long‑time fans now in limbo.

I recently set up a newly purchased computer to replace my old one. The new Outlook was automatically installed, and at first, I configured it without a problem. I had to cope with the fact that my previous PST files were no longer recognised, but I bit the bullet and decided to start afresh with emails, contacts, and calendars. This was less than a month ago.

Fast forward to two days ago: new Outlook no longer supports POP/IMAP. I now have no access to my emails. Complete disaster.

As someone who has been a huge Microsoft fan ever since their very first product — Altair BASIC, an interpreter for the BASIC language — I am now questioning Microsoft for what feels like unprofessional behaviour. No warning, no migration path, and no clear communication has left me (and probably many others) in limbo.

Has anyone else been blindsided by this sudden change?

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Answer accepted by question author

Chloe-V 12,605 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Ben Pleysier,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I completely understand the inconvenience caused by New Outlook changing its POP/IMAP support policy. To help you continue using email smoothly, you can try the following steps:

1. Switch to Classic Outlook (the quickest solution)

New Outlook can be turned off to return to Classic Outlook, which still supports POP/IMAP and full PST functionality.

Open New Outlook
In the top-right corner, turn off the “New Outlook” toggle
Outlook will restart in Classic mode
In Classic Outlook, go to File > Account Settings to re-add your POP/IMAP account and open your old PST file

This usually restores all your previous emails and data.

2. If the “New Outlook” toggle is missing

Some newer Windows 11 builds no longer show this toggle.

You can reinstall Classic Outlook by:

Open Control Panel > Programs and Features
Select Microsoft 365 / Office
Click Modify > Quick Repair
Then open Word/Excel > File > Account > Manage Apps
Find Outlook (Classic) and install it

3. Restore emails from a PST file

After switching back to Classic Outlook:

Go to File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File
Select your old PST file
You can drag and drop emails/folders from the PST into your current mailbox if you want to merge them

4. If you prefer to keep using New Outlook

Currently, New Outlook does not support POP/IMAP in the traditional way.

If you need POP/IMAP, you will have to use Classic Outlook or switch to another email client that supports POP/IMAP (e.g., Thunderbird, eM Client).

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Ben Pleysier 30 Reputation points

2025-12-02T11:55:09.2966667+00:00

Thank you for your answer. I had already figured as much and have reverted to Classic Outlook. What frustrates me most is the lack of communication: no warning, no migration path, and no clarity when configuring the downgraded and limited New Outlook. The least Microsoft could have done was give it a different name, rather than confusing long-time Outlook users into thinking this inferior product was an upgrade.

For those of us who rely on POP/IMAP and PST files to maintain legacy workflows, these sudden changes undermine trust and continuity. Clearer naming and advance notice would have helped users plan and adapt, instead of leaving us stranded. I hope this feedback is passed along internally, because it affects not just convenience but professional reliability.
Chloe-V 12,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-02T12:32:55.6166667+00:00

Hi Ben Pleysier,

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Outlook following the recent changes. If you have any additional suggestions, please use the Help & Feedback option in the app to ensure your input is captured promptly.

3 additional answers

Ben Pleysier 30 Reputation points

2025-12-02T11:55:09.2966667+00:00

Thank you for your answer. I had already figured as much and have reverted to Classic Outlook. What frustrates me most is the lack of communication: no warning, no migration path, and no clarity when configuring the downgraded and limited New Outlook. The least Microsoft could have done was give it a different name, rather than confusing long-time Outlook users into thinking this inferior product was an upgrade.

For those of us who rely on POP/IMAP and PST files to maintain legacy workflows, these sudden changes undermine trust and continuity. Clearer naming and advance notice would have helped users plan and adapt, instead of leaving us stranded. I hope this feedback is passed along internally, because it affects not just convenience but professional reliability.
Chloe-V 12,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-02T12:32:55.6166667+00:00

Hi Ben Pleysier,

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Outlook following the recent changes. If you have any additional suggestions, please use the Help & Feedback option in the app to ensure your input is captured promptly.

Answer 1

Hi Ben,

Not that this helps but I sympathize with you regarding the new Outlook. Like you I've been using Microsoft products forever and have fully committed to the Microsoft universe. I figured I would try the new Outlook just for kicks and found out it doesn't work with my IMAP email. For the life of me I'll ever understand the logic of them dropping support for IMAP/POP on their flagship email client. It defies logic and I keep hoping they will add real support in the future but until then, I'll use the classic version. When that is no longer supported, I'll switch email clients. It's totally bizarre!

Answer 2

JcW32 290

Hi, Chloe-V -- I have a related question about Classic Outlook 2024 (loaded as part of Office 2024 Click-to-run under Windows 11). At least I'm pretty sure I set Outlook in Classic mode when I installed it, I use only POP 3 accounts with PST files, and I see the "Working Offline" message at the bottom of my screen. (I'm trying to stay as close as I can recall to my previous Windows 10 computer with Office Outlook 2019 Click-to-run.) Anything else I need to check to confirm I am actually in Classic mode?

I've made use of the Send/Receive Groups/Define Send/Receive Groups option in the Send/Receive menu to place my four email accounts in three different groups:

The built-in "All Accounts" group is set up to omit one of my accounts but includes the other three. This group is the only one set to "Online and Offline" and is what I would normally use.

My second (home-made) group includes only the account omitted in "All Accounts" and only selects Send, not Receive (in order not to get flooded with emails that I usually access through to server's Web Mail).

My third (home-made) group applies only to one of the three included in "All Accounts", because it's a backup for when the other server is under a DOS attack and is out of service.

The above is by way of an introduction to my question about the "Send/Receive All Folders" button at the upper right corner of the screen: Unfortunately for me, this button sends and receives all four accounts, not the function I planned, which is defined in the "All Accounts" group.

In this version of Outlook, how is the "Send/Receive All Folders" button different from the built-in "All Accounts" group as defined above?
If I want a single key stroke to operate just those three accounts, what do I have to do in this version?

Very Best Regards -- JCW32

Chloe-V 12,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-05T06:18:26.5733333+00:00

Hi JcW32,

Thank you for the detailed explanation.

Regarding your questions, in Classic Outlook the Send/Receive All Folders button (F9) is not always equivalent to the built-in All Accounts Send/Receive group. If multiple Send/Receive groups are configured to participate in F9 processing, Outlook may send and receive on accounts outside the accounts included in your customized All Accounts group.

To have a single keystroke operate only the three accounts in your customized All Accounts group, review the settings under Send/Receive Groups (Ctrl+Alt+S) and ensure that any other custom groups are not included in F9 processing. Outlook provides an Include this group in send/receive (F9) option for each group.

Based on Microsoft's documentation, this difference between the Send/Receive All Folders command and the All Accounts Send/Receive group is the most likely explanation for the behavior you are seeing.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas only.

Thank you for your understanding.
JcW32 290 Reputation points

2026-07-05T19:39:38.66+00:00
Dear Chloe-V -- As you suggested, I have rechecked my groups under Send/Receive Groups/Define Send/Receive Groups, and the only one set for inclusion in F9 is "All Accounts."

Upon re-checking with a new series of emails among all four accounts, I now observe that F9 is still operating both the "All Accounts" group and the second group defined above -- the one excluded from "All Accounts." (Of course I can't tell whether it's operating the third group, since those actions are included in "All Accounts."

I may have been mistaken in my previous reporting, however. (It's easy to get confused when sending emails to oneself between multiple accounts!) What I failed to notice last time is that, rather than simply sending/receiving all four email accounts in disregard of instructions in the groups, F9 is in fact following the instructions in my second group to send only, not to receive that account!

Some details/new thoughts that I didn't mention in my first message on this topic:

There isn't any other place, such as in the email account definitions themselves, where I could add or exclude F9 is there?

The Outlook profile I'm describing here and above was set up in a Standard User account, which is where I do nearly all of my computer usage for better security. Office 2024 was installed originally in a Microsoft (Administrator) account, of course, but Outlook has never been used in that or the personal Administrator account that I set up, only in my third, Standard User account. (I don't know any other way to set up the profile for such an user.) Should that make any difference?

I don't really need the third group I set up, since its function could be performed as easily by simply by using the "Inbox" command under the listing for that particular account in the Send / Receive menu, Send/Receive Groups. Might it help solve my problem by deleting that third group?

Beyond these three, I can't imagine any way to fix my problem with F9. Anything else I should try?

Again, Best Regards -- JcW32
Stefan Blom 350.8K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-05T22:25:39.6933333+00:00

@JcW32

You have posted in an old thread on a completely different topic regarding a different version of Outlook. If you have further questions regarding this, please start your own thread. Use the Ask a question option. Good luck.

Answer 3

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