Missing Functionality in New Outlook

Question

I try not to be dismissive of new software. It's often misunderstood. But the new Outlook is driving me up a wall. I am so frustrated by its lack of features. I swear I must be missing something and there's a way to do these things, but I just lack the understanding on the new way to do it. Any help that someone can provide would be great.

• Contact cards are gone. I don't remember everyone's name, so I need their titles shown so that I know who to go to. Now it's just a list of people, and I need to look at every single contact independently to find the one that does the job I'm looking for.
• You lose your "spot" on your selected email when you change the sort. Here's an example: Say I have selected an email from Mike Smith. Now I want to see all emails from Mike Smith. Before, I would click on "From" to sort the emails, and I would still be on Mike Smith, and all of his emails would be there in a list right where I was selected. Now, when you click on "From" to sort the emails, your selection is gone, the list sorts, and you are just viewing the top of the list with no email selected at all. This can usually be solved by clicking on an email and typing the first letter of the person you are looking for, but......
• You can no longer "jump" to a sorted section of email by pressing letters on the keyboard. For instance, in the old outlook, if you were to sort by "From" and then select a single email and then press the "M" button on the keyboard, you would jump down to the first person who emailed you with a name starting with M. now you can't.
• The RSVP option is way more complex and terribly designed. It was perfect before. I don't really know how I'm responding to things now. In an invite, there are TWO different Yes/No sections to respond to. One has a check box option to email the organizer, one doesn't. So what happens if the check box is checked, but you respond Yes on the section that doesn't have the check box? WHY ARE THERE EVEN TWO SECTIONS TO RESPOND IN?
• When you reply, you can't edit the people you are responding to unless you take the extra step of clicking up in the names section to "activate" the open text fields and then you have to click on the section you want to add the name to (CC/BCC/TO)
• You can't permanently switch back. Every time I restart outlook it goes to the new one. I get why, but it's just an annoying add-on.

I can't think of a single thing that was improved. Help.

Answer 1

Hi Mitchell, 
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. We truly appreciate your input and understand how important this feature is to you. We're sorry for any inconvenience caused by the recent update. 

As community moderators, our role is limited to providing guidance and support within the platform, we do not have the tools or permissions to directly resolve technical issues. But we want to assure you that your feedback has been noted and will be shared with the relevant team. Your insights help shape future improvements, and your voice plays a key role in that process. 

We really appreciate you reaching out and sharing your perspective. If you have any further thoughts, please don’t hesitate to let us know. 

Best regards,  

Hendrix-C - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Moderator.

Answer 2

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been using more of the search function.

If I reply "Yes" in the top field of an RSVP, and the check box to send an email to the organizer is checked on the bottom section, does the organizer get an email, or not?

Please bring back contact cards. Or something that shows job titles. I just tried search function for job title and didn't have great results. Also, I don't always remember everyone's exact title. I have hundreds of contacts. I know it when I see it, so I need to see it. If I had the capability to remember everyone's exact job title, then I would have the ability to also remember everyone's name, in which case I really wouldn't need the "People" section at all.

Answer 3

Dear Mitchell, 

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experience with the new Outlook. We truly appreciate your patience as we continue improving the platform. 

We’d like to address the concerns you raised and suggest some possible solutions: 

• Contact Cards Missing

While the traditional contact cards are no longer available, you can use the People View:  

1. Click on the People icon in the left navigation pane.
2. You can search for contacts and see more details, but titles may not be as visible as before.

• Sorting Emails

As an alternative, using the Search bar to filter by sender should help maintain visibility without losing selection. 

1. Instead of sorting by "From," use the Search bar and type the sender’s name.
2. This will filter emails without losing your selection.

• No More Keyboard Jumping in Sorted List

The ability to jump to a section by pressing letters on the keyboard is currently unavailable in the new Outlook. You can use the Search bar or Ctrl + F. 

1. Use the Search bar and type the first letter of the sender’s name.
2. Use Ctrl + F to search within the email list.

• RSVP Functionality

The updated RSVP format includes two sections for responding. The check box determines whether a response email is sent to the organizer, while the Yes/No selection updates your calendar without notifying the event organizer. 

• Editing Recipients in Replies

To edit recipients more efficiently, clicking directly in the recipient field after selecting "Reply" will activate the text input fields without additional steps. 
 
We recognize that change can be challenging, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us refine the Outlook experience. If you’d like to submit feature requests or report issues, you can submit it via Microsoft’s official feedback portal. Your input helps shape future updates! 

How to send feedback: 

You can always post your valuable suggestions on Microsoft Feedback portal. Ideas · Community 

We hope this helps! If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to ask. 

Best regards,  

Dustin - TP - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist.