I am a one-person business. I have a standalone system: high performance PC (bought in early 2021 from Puget Systems) with Microsoft Office Professional installed as part of the PC purchase. All good -- except in those instances when Microsoft goes through the back door at midnight and installs a Windows update... and messes something up. Right? Are you with me here folks?
I use Outlook 2019 (MS Office) because it's just a lot cleaner and has more of a spreadsheet/database look -- which allows me to be way more productive. Each message is on a single line. Compact and easy to read. Click on headers to sort quickly, etc. I am on Exchange (msn.com) and generally speaking it has been working fine. The web version of Outlook (and similarly the version my wife uses in the house... basic low-level/cheap-o Office 365 monthly subscription/rental) is visually more clunky.
A few months ago (maybe 6 months ago or more) all of a sudden I am looking at my Outlook 2019 UI -- and the little navigation toolbar that was in the bottom left corner by the Start button has now moved over on the left border, vertically. How and/or why did that happen? I didn't do it. Plus, I see a new little "flip switch" over on the upper right corner (by the minimize, maximize and "X" buttons) that says "Try the NEW Outlook" (or whatever it said). Again, I'm using Outlook 2019 (Microsoft Office). Initially I was not pleased that this change was made unilaterally by Microsoft (without asking) -- but you get used to it. After doing some research (MS Community) the reason was evident. We need to become "conditioned" to the new UI. OK, fine. Have it your way. The Microsoft Way.
So, this morning, I start working and need to send an e-mail. Outlook 2019 (MS Office). All of the folders look fine... Inbox, Sent Items, etc. All up to date. E-mail messages are being received. I compose the message. Again, I'm using the "Office" application (Outlook 2019). Click the SEND button... and viola! Outlook "crashes'' (we used to call that a GPF) and restarts. Hmmmm. Try again. Same thing. So, I delete my OST file and start Outlook 2019. It rebuilds the OST file (takes a minute or two since it was 1.9 GB before... and 1.5 GB after the rebuild). Try to send again. Crashes. Start Outlook in safe mode. Try to send. Crashes.
So... I go over to the Outlook web app, and yes indeed.... I can SEND an email. But when I check Sent Items to confirm (in the web app) the most recent message (Sent Items) is from 2020. The Sent Items folder (NEW Outlook) is not being updated. But the NEW Outlook Inbox is up-to-date. There's some sort of mismatch going on between Exchange and the NEW Outlook (web). Not good. When I go back to the "old" web application -- voila! The sent Items folder is up-to-date. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER MICROSOFT.
So... I go back to Outlook 2019... and there too, the Sent Items folder is current (including the test message I sent via NEW Outlook). Again, something is goofed-up between Exchange and the NEW Outlook (web app) because the most recent message that I sent from the NEW Outlook is shown in "Sent Items" (Outlook 2019; being downloaded from Exchange to the OST file) and also on the old web version... but Sent Items in NEW Outlook is not being updated (the most recent message in the NEW Outlook Sent Items folder having a 2020 time stamp). Bozos! And now I'm also noticing (over in MS Office Outlook 2019) that the little navigation toolbar Microsoft unilaterally moved to the left border of the window... has now reverted back to the bottom left corner by the Start button. Plus, the little "flip switch" over on the upper right ("Try the New Outlook") -- or whatever it said... is now GONE (in Outlook 2019).
Sure, I can limp-by -- using the web version to send and then going back to Outlook 2019 to MANAGE my e-mails -- but what a PITA.
Microsoft "did something" to my system -- but who knows "What?" and who knows when this gets fixed.
Typical.
My guess is -- once I see Sent Items being properly updated in the NEW Outlook -- the issue will likely be resolved. Hopefully.
GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER MICROSOFT.