New Calendar and Groups are awful

Question

I keep getting emails from you that you are getting rid of Outlook Classic. I do not want to use the new Outlook. The calendar is showing other people in the right top corner that I do not need to see. I do not like the washed out colors, I prefer them to be more vibrant. The Contacts does not show the Groups that I have created, only the system groups at my company and not all of them. Super frustrating and I can't find any help on the internet either.

Answer 1

Hi @Glavan, Leah BSN RN NI-BC (She/Her), 

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for contacting us with your feedback about the transition to the New Outlook. We understand that this is a significant adjustment, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your specific concerns about the Calendar and Contacts features. Your points are clear, and I’ve structured my response to address each of your three concerns directly, providing explanations and available workarounds for each.

1. The "People" pane in the Calendar view

The Work hours and location feature in Outlook helps hybrid teams coordinate by showing who is working in the office or remotely. If you find the People pane distracting, you can hide it by changing your settings:

1. Open Settings (gear icon) > Calendar.
2. Select Work hours and location.
3. Uncheck Show work location on my calendar.
4. Restart Outlook for the change to take effect.

Once completed, the pane will no longer appear in your calendar view.

2. The new 'Washed Out' color palette

Regarding the color palette, this is a part of a broader design change across all Microsoft 365 applications to create a more consistent, modern look. We understand your feedback on this, especially when comparing it to the high-contrast colors of the classic version.

While the previous colors cannot be restored, there are still some visual management options available within Outlook's settings. You can still assign different colors to separate calendars, apply color-coded categories to individual events, and adjust the overall theme (such as trying Dark Mode) to find a contrast level that works better for you.

3. Missing personal 'Contact Groups'

This is a common point of confusion, and we can clarify it. Your personal lists have not been removed; the terminology has just changed.

• What Outlook Classic called "Groups" (or "Distribution Lists") are now called "Contact Lists."
• The "Groups" section you now see is only for company-wide "Microsoft 365 Groups," which function more like shared mailboxes.

Your personal lists are safe. Here is how you can find them:

1. Select the People icon on the far-left navigation bar.
2. In the pane that opens, look for a section titled "Your contact lists" or "All contact lists."
3. All your previously created personal lists should be located there.

I completely understand how these changes in the new Outlook can feel disruptive, especially when features you depend on, like vibrant calendar colors, personalized contact groups, and a clean, focused interface, aren’t working the way you’re used to. It’s not just about aesthetics; these differences can genuinely affect how smoothly you work and navigate your day.

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Outlook (new) · Community portal. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility. 

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the “Accepted Answer.” Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it. 

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern