Plans for adding back Classic Outlook tools into New Outlook?

Question

Plans for adding back Classic Outlook tools into New Outlook?

Jim Maxwell 0

New Outlook issues that were fine in Classic Outlook:

Keyboard Shortcuts are subpar compared to Classic Outlook
- I have arthritis. Forcing me to use the mouse to navigate where before there were keyboard shortcuts is exacerbating my arthritis can causing pain in my hands.
Unread Folder cannot be sorted by folder location.
- This is key workflow tool for me. Its absence is slowing me down and again forcing mouse use.
Macros do not work. I used the Developer and Macros to save keyboard strokes.
- I am now forced to type, exacerbating my arthritis.
- Do not offer third party solutions, as I have seen elsewhere from MS support, my company's security policy prohibits them.
This is only a short list. Basically, New Outlook is unusable for me.
- I am dreading the day when MS stops supporting Classic Outlook and forces all users to rely on this inferior tool that will just speed up the spread of my arthritis.

When will these features be added to New Outlook?

Jim Maxwell 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T17:06:25.1533333+00:00

I am aware of these resources.

New Outlook was released two years ago; when will all keyboard shortcuts be added to match Classic Outlook in their entirety?

Additionally, the link provided in the response leads to a list of keyboard shortcuts for New Outlook that do not work in New Outlook, such as Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2, which do not work at all and I use constantly. I have tried these shortcuts myself and verified it with multiple sources. Why are they listed?

The response given does not address the developer functionality, such as Macros. I rely heavily on those features to spare my hands further deterioration.
Ryan-N 12,100 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T17:32:09.52+00:00

Hi @Jim Maxwell,

Thank you for your response. I would like to provide you with the following information:

Based on my current test environment, using Ctrl + 2 to switch to Calendar and Ctrl + 1 to switch to Mail is still working as expected.

If any keyboard shortcuts are not working or are not behaving as described in the referenced article, you can report this issue directly to the Outlook product development team. This will help the Outlook team identify the issue early and release an update to fix it

At this time, according to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, there is still no information regarding macro support or the addition of more keyboard shortcuts for New Outlook.

As mentioned previously, I recommend that you share your feature requests and future expectations directly with the Microsoft product development team.

Please understand that, as a moderator, I do not have the authority to make decisions regarding product design. However, I will do my best to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information available, and I will share any new updates related to the features you mentioned as soon as they become available.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.
Jim Maxwell 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T19:12:13.24+00:00
I will send that inquiry

For your reference - I tested the following shortcuts - all are not working in my New Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts that are listed on the current New Outlook list of keyboard shortcuts are not working at all.

Examples:

Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2 do not move back and forth from calendar to inbox,

Ctrl+F goes to the find function, not the forward an email function.

ALT+K does not open the insert a link function

? does not open keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl+N in calendar does not create a new item

Ctrl+N in mail does not create a new email message.

Ctrl+3 does not open CoPilot
Ryan-N 12,100 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T19:47:06.4166667+00:00
Hi @Jim Maxwell,

Thank you for your response. I would like to provide you with some information as follows:

Based on my test environment: Outlook version: 1.2026.213.100

All the features you listed are working normally on this version.

For the Insert link feature, I recommend using the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + K

First, please make sure that keyboard shortcuts are enabled for New Outlook:

Settings > General > Accessibility > Turn on keyboard shortcuts

I suggest that you try clearing the cache first, then check the keyboard shortcuts again by following the instructions below.

Step 1: Completely close Outlook

Step 2: Press Windows + R

Step 3: Enter the following path and press Enter: olk.exe --devtools

Step 4: Select the Application tab

Step 5: Under Cookies and Local Storage, right-click outlook.office.com and select Clear

After that, please recheck the keyboard shortcuts as follows:

Ctrl + 2 > Switch to Calendar

Ctrl + 1 > Switch to Mail

For Ctrl + F, you need to first select the email that you want to forward, then press the shortcut.

To insert a link, please use: Ctrl + K (instead of Alt + K)

To open the keyboard shortcuts help list, you can press: Shift + ?

For the remaining three shortcuts, they are still working normally on my version.

Note:

The steps above apply only to the New Outlook desktop application.

For New Outlook for Web, keyboard shortcuts may be different.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.
Ryan-N 12,100 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-06T19:47:07.0333333+00:00

Hi @Jim Maxwell,

I hope everything is going well on your end.

I’m following up on the support thread we've been working through together. I wanted to check in and see if the information I shared in my previous answer helped resolve the issue you were experiencing.

If you're still experiencing any issues or have further questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I’m always happy to help if you need anything else.

I want to ensure everything is functioning smoothly and that your experience remains seamless.

Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Warm regards,

1 answer

Your answer

Jim Maxwell 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T17:06:25.1533333+00:00

I am aware of these resources.

New Outlook was released two years ago; when will all keyboard shortcuts be added to match Classic Outlook in their entirety?

Additionally, the link provided in the response leads to a list of keyboard shortcuts for New Outlook that do not work in New Outlook, such as Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2, which do not work at all and I use constantly. I have tried these shortcuts myself and verified it with multiple sources. Why are they listed?

The response given does not address the developer functionality, such as Macros. I rely heavily on those features to spare my hands further deterioration.
Ryan-N 12,100 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T17:32:09.52+00:00

Hi @Jim Maxwell,

Thank you for your response. I would like to provide you with the following information:

Based on my current test environment, using Ctrl + 2 to switch to Calendar and Ctrl + 1 to switch to Mail is still working as expected.

If any keyboard shortcuts are not working or are not behaving as described in the referenced article, you can report this issue directly to the Outlook product development team. This will help the Outlook team identify the issue early and release an update to fix it

At this time, according to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, there is still no information regarding macro support or the addition of more keyboard shortcuts for New Outlook.

As mentioned previously, I recommend that you share your feature requests and future expectations directly with the Microsoft product development team.

Please understand that, as a moderator, I do not have the authority to make decisions regarding product design. However, I will do my best to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information available, and I will share any new updates related to the features you mentioned as soon as they become available.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.
Jim Maxwell 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T19:12:13.24+00:00

I will send that inquiry

For your reference - I tested the following shortcuts - all are not working in my New Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts that are listed on the current New Outlook list of keyboard shortcuts are not working at all.

Examples:

Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2 do not move back and forth from calendar to inbox,

Ctrl+F goes to the find function, not the forward an email function.

ALT+K does not open the insert a link function

? does not open keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl+N in calendar does not create a new item

Ctrl+N in mail does not create a new email message.

Ctrl+3 does not open CoPilot
Ryan-N 12,100 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T19:47:06.4166667+00:00

Hi @Jim Maxwell,

Thank you for your response. I would like to provide you with some information as follows:

Based on my test environment: Outlook version: 1.2026.213.100

All the features you listed are working normally on this version.

For the Insert link feature, I recommend using the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + K

First, please make sure that keyboard shortcuts are enabled for New Outlook:

Settings > General > Accessibility > Turn on keyboard shortcuts

I suggest that you try clearing the cache first, then check the keyboard shortcuts again by following the instructions below.

Step 1: Completely close Outlook

Step 2: Press Windows + R

Step 3: Enter the following path and press Enter: olk.exe --devtools

Step 4: Select the Application tab

Step 5: Under Cookies and Local Storage, right-click outlook.office.com and select Clear

After that, please recheck the keyboard shortcuts as follows:

Ctrl + 2 > Switch to Calendar

Ctrl + 1 > Switch to Mail

For Ctrl + F, you need to first select the email that you want to forward, then press the shortcut.

To insert a link, please use: Ctrl + K (instead of Alt + K)

To open the keyboard shortcuts help list, you can press: Shift + ?

For the remaining three shortcuts, they are still working normally on my version.

Note:

The steps above apply only to the New Outlook desktop application.

For New Outlook for Web, keyboard shortcuts may be different.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.
Ryan-N 12,100 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-06T19:47:07.0333333+00:00

Hi @Jim Maxwell,

I hope everything is going well on your end.

I’m following up on the support thread we've been working through together. I wanted to check in and see if the information I shared in my previous answer helped resolve the issue you were experiencing.

If you're still experiencing any issues or have further questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I’m always happy to help if you need anything else.

I want to ensure everything is functioning smoothly and that your experience remains seamless.

Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Warm regards,

Answer 1

Hi @Jim Maxwell,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I am very sorry for any inconvenience this issue may have caused you.

I would like to provide you with the following information:

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook - Microsoft Support

Regarding the keyboard shortcuts in New Outlook, you can refer to the documentation below.

Classic Outlook will continue to be supported until 2029. During this period, Microsoft will continuously develop and release new features based on customer needs.

Microsoft also encourages customers to share their experiences and expectations regarding New Outlook, so that Microsoft can better understand real user requirements and continuously improve and add new features.

You can refer to the following documentation:

Feature comparison between new Outlook and classic Outlook - Microsoft Support

User's image

I hope this information is helpful.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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Plans for adding back Classic Outlook tools into New Outlook?

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