Why did new Outlook remove Text to Table option?

Question

I know someone else asked this question, but this is not a small trivial issue. Why in the world did Microsoft get rid of the "text to table" conversion for the new Outlook? This function was used a lot. For example, I would routinely use data from SQL Server Management Studio to send to clients. To do this, I would copy the data from the Results in SSMS, paste into my email (Outlook) and then use "text to table" to convert this tab-delimited text into a table for better presentation.

But now the people Microsoft decided they apparently don't like that functionality??? WTF!! Seriously. Or maybe this functionality was just beyond the brain power of the new Outlook development team?

And the response from Microsoft that I've seen several places is to open up Word (or some other application), copy your data in there to convert to a table, then copy it back into Outlook. No! This is so frustrating. Did Microsoft Outlook engineers never even consult with users when they removed this feature?

Please add this feature back. Now. Not in 5 years. Now.

And don't tell me to open up a separate application to do what I used to be able to do easily, and quickly, directly within Outlook.

Answer 1

They haven't removed it, it's the reverse; They haven't implemented it yet.

Converting features from Classic Outlook to New Outlook is a multi-year project. If your favorite or necessary feature isn't available in New Outlook yet, then it is advised to remain on Classic Outlook. Classic Outlook remains available and fully supported until at least 2029.

In the meantime, you can leave feedback and request for the feature to be implemented from within New Outlook via; Help-> Feedback-> Make a suggestion
This will help the dev-team with prioritizing features to implement.

Answer 2

It is completely frustrating that this function was not immediately included with this Outlook release. Users have been asking for it return since the start. Its even more frustrating in that the functionality exists but was not surfaced

Answer 3

Please incorporate the convert text to table feature in the new Outlook NOW.

Answer 4

Hi @Randy Vernon

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

We are sorry for the inconvenience you're experiencing. As a Moderator, we truly understand your feeling. However, we can’t directly implement feature changes, your feedback is invaluable.

As Outlook continues to evolve, features and settings may be introduced in future updates. We encourage you to submit feedback through the Microsoft Ideas Community at Ideas · Community so that the product team can review user preferences. 

Once again, we are sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

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