Control the installation and use of new Outlook
This article provides guidance for admins on how to control the installation and use of the new Outlook in an organization.
Prevent users from switching to new Outlook
Some organizations might opt to use a policy to hide the Try the new Outlook toggle from appearing in the classic Outlook for Windows until they're ready to migrate.
Hiding new Outlook is available as a cloud policy in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center. To set up the policy:
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center.
- Under Customization, select Policy Management.
- Select Create to create a new cloud policy.
- Search for the Hide the "Try the new Outlook" toggle in Outlook policy and enable it.
Alternatively, you can use the following Windows registry key to hide the Try the new Outlook toggle:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options\General]
"HideNewOutlookToggle"=dword:00000000
To later enable the policy, set the registry key to 1:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options\General]
"HideNewOutlookToggle"=dword:00000001
More details are available in Enable or disable access to the new Outlook for Windows.
Block new Outlook preinstall on Windows
Windows builds after 23H2 have the new Outlook app preinstalled for all users, as it will replace the preinstalled Mail and Calendar apps by the end of 2024.
Currently, there isn't a way to block the new Outlook from being installed before it's first installed as a replacement for the Mail & Calendar app. If you prefer not to have new Outlook show up on your organization's devices, you can remove it after it's installed as part of the update.
To remove it, follow the instructions in Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage to remove the app package using the PackageName parameter value Microsoft.OutlookForWindows. Once uninstalled, new Outlook won't be readded as part of a Windows update.
Use the following command in Windows PowerShell:
Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -AllUsers -Online -PackageName (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.OutlookForWindows).PackageFullName
Additionally, remove this Windows orchestrator registry value:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\Orchestrator\UScheduler_Oobe\OutlookUpdate
For any device that installed the March 2024 Non-Security Preview release (or later cumulative update) for Windows 11 Version 23H2, Windows Orchestrator respects the deprovisioning cmdlet and it's not necessary to remove this registry value.
In cases of user installs, for example, if users used the toggle to install the new Outlook for Windows, use Remove-AppxPackage. The AppxPackage cmdlets are used for managing applications for current users, while AppxProvisionedPackage cmdlets are used for managing default applications for both current and future users of the system.
Use this Windows PowerShell command to remove the new Outlook for Windows for all users:
Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Package (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.OutlookForWindows).PackageFullName
Tip
To confirm if the app is installed, check if the logs folder is present under: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Olk\logs. In some cases, users might not have the app installed but might see the pinned/placeholder icon in the Start menu. The new Outlook app is installed when users select it. You can manage Windows Start pins by following the instructions in Customize the Start layout - Configure Windows. Users might also see the new Outlook app in the Start 'Recommended (Win11) or Suggested (Win10)' sections on consumer devices.
Block new Outlook installation as part of Mail and Calendar deprecation
Users can toggle to new Outlook from the Mail and Calendar applications that ship with Windows. Support for Windows Mail and Calendar will be out of support at the end of 2024, so we're also automatically switching active users to the new Outlook app.
If you would like to block your users from acquiring the new Outlook from Windows Mail and Calendar applications, you can uninstall these apps from the user's devices.
To uninstall the apps, follow the instructions in Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage to remove the app package using the PackageName parameter with the value microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps.
Use the following Windows PowerShell command:
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Where {$_.DisplayName -match "microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps"} | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName {$_.PackageName}
To remove the Mail and Calendar apps for the current users, you can use the following Remove-AppxPackage command in Windows PowerShell:
Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Package (Get-AppxPackage microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps).PackageFullName
Alternatively, you can remove the apps through Intune or by following the instructions in Uninstall applications.
Prevent users from acquiring new Outlook from Microsoft Store
The new Outlook for Windows app is also available in the Microsoft Store. To prevent users from downloading the app from the store, you can block store access by following the instructions in Configure access to the Microsoft Store app.
Conditional access to the new Outlook App
Many organizations have common access concerns that Conditional Access policies can help with, such as:
- Requiring multifactor authentication for users
- Blocking or granting access from specific locations
- Blocking risky sign-in behaviors
- Requiring organization-managed devices to be used
A more granular control can be offered using OWA Mailbox Policies with the parameter ConditionalAccessPolicy. For example, when users are on noncompliant devices, OWA mailbox policies limit their capabilities, such as restricting attachments.
To learn more about Conditional Access and how to configure it, follow the instructions on Require compliant, hybrid joined devices, or MFA to grant or block access. To configure OWA Mailbox Policies, check OWA Mailbox Policy - Conditional Access Policy.
Block Mailbox Access on new Outlook
Users might acquire the new Outlook app through different flows, as outlined in the previous sections. To prevent mailbox access from new Outlook regardless of how users acquired it, an Exchange mailbox policy can be used to block organization (work or school) mailboxes from being added to the new Outlook. This is the final block as users can't use their work or school account even if they have the app on their device.
Mailbox policies are applied to the work or school email account and not at the device or app level. Therefore, to prevent users from using the app with other accounts that aren't their work or school email account, we recommend blocking access to the app (as described in previous sections).
Follow the instructions in Enable or disable access to the new Outlook for Windows for managing mailbox access.