Compare Outlook for Mac 2011 with Outlook 2010 for Windows

Office for Mac 2011 will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see these resources.

 

Applies to: Office for Mac 2011

Topic Last Modified: 2015-03-09

Outlook for Mac 2011 and Outlook 2010 for Windows differ in some key respects. The following table summarizes these differences.

Exchange features	Implemented in Outlook for Mac 2011?	Implemented in Outlook 2010 for Windows?
Communicates with the server that is running Microsoft Exchange Server	Yes Outlook for Mac uses Exchange Web Services to communicate with the Exchange server.	Yes Outlook uses a MAPI-based architecture to communicate with the Exchange server.
Connects to multiple Exchange accounts	Yes	Yes
Provides access to the Offline Address Book (OAB)	Yes	Yes
Creates or modifies server-side rules	Yes Note This feature was introduced in Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 1 (SP1).	Yes
Manages Exchange server distribution lists	No	Yes
Synchronizes the personal distribution list with Outlook for Windows	No	Not applicable
Synchronizes categories with Outlook for Windows	Yes The Master Category list is not synchronized.	Not applicable
Synchronizes S/MIME certificates and contact photos between Outlook 2010 for Windows and Outlook for Mac 2011	Yes	No
Supports retention and compliance functionality	No Users cannot apply a retention policy to a message or a folder. However, IT-enforced retention policies on the Exchange server will apply.	Yes Users can apply a retention policy to a message or a folder. IT can enforce policies on built-in folders (Inbox, sent items, and so on). Also, an online archive provides separate, online-only folders for long-term retention and archiving.
Available as a 32-bit application and a 64-bit application	No Outlook for Mac 2011 is available as a 32-bit application only.	Yes
Enables voice mail previews	Yes Microsoft speech technology converts voice mail messages into text that users receive in an e-mail or text message.	Yes
Plays voice mail messages received from Microsoft Exchange Server Unified Messaging	Yes	Yes

Mail features	Implemented in Outlook for Mac 2011?	Implemented in Outlook 2010 for Windows?
Enables Outlook forms, voting buttons, and receipt tracking	No	Yes
Enables RTF message formatting	Yes You can use hyperlinks, strikethroughs, highlighting, and signatures in your messages. You can also copy and paste charts or tables from Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. Or, use the Office Photo Browser to quickly add your iPhoto or Photo Booth images to messages.	Yes
Enables conversation view (a threaded view of e-mail messages in an Outlook folder)	Yes	Yes
Supports Exchange, POP, and IMAP accounts in one Inbox	Yes	Yes
Supports improved search tools for contact search	Yes	Yes
Supports Ignore and Clean Up actions	No	Yes The Ignore button on the ribbon moves an entire conversation and any future replies to that conversation directly to the Deleted Items folder. The Clean Up button moves older, redundant messages in the conversation to the Deleted Items folder but keeps the most recent message.
Imports Outlook 2010 for Windows .pst files	Yes	Yes
Enables attachment previews in mail messages	Yes Outlook for Mac 2011 uses Quick Look to view attachments. This enables you to view a multipage document or photo slide show without leaving Outlook. This feature is available when Outlook is used on a computer running Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard).	Yes
Displays photos of your contacts in your mails, contact lists, and calendar	Yes Note This is a new feature in Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 1 (SP1).	Yes
Supports message recall	No	Yes
Provides the capability to expand distribution lists into individual members when you add a distribution list in the To field, or when you rest the mouse pointer on a distribution list	Yes Note This is a new feature in Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 2 (SP2).	Yes
Provides the option to enable the calendar to display week numbers	Yes Note This is a new feature in Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 2 (SP2).	Yes

Calendar features	Implemented in Outlook for Mac 2011?	Implemented in Outlook 2010 for Windows?
Establishes a federated trust relationship with an external partner to share availability (free/busy) information, calendar, or contacts	No	Yes
Overlay calendars	Yes You can view multiple calendars in the overlay mode but not side-by-side.	Yes You can use the new Group Schedule view in Outlook 2010 Calendar to see multiple calendars vertically, in addition to side-by-side, or save frequently used groups of calendars together from one location.
Calendar preview in meeting requests	Yes When you view a meeting invitation, Outlook automatically displays your calendar alongside the body of the message. This lets you see whether the proposed time works with your schedule, without having to switch back and forth between your messages and calendar.	Yes

Miscellaneous features	Implemented in Outlook for Mac 2011?	Implemented in Outlook 2010 for Windows?
Synchronizes Calendar, Mail, Tasks, Notes, Categories, and Contacts with the Exchange server	Yes	Yes
Synchronizes folders, such as Drafts, Deleted Items, Sent Items, and Junk E-Mail, automatically for Gmail accounts.	Yes Note This is a new feature in Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 2 (SP2).	Yes
Uses the ribbon interface that helps you quickly find the features and commands that you can use to complete tasks	Yes Outlook menus continue to be part of the user interface. When you view a meeting invitation, Outlook automatically displays your calendar alongside the body of the message. This lets you see whether the proposed time works with your schedule, without having to switch back and forth between your messages and calendar.	Yes The ribbon replaces the menus and toolbars of the Outlook main window.
Supports rich integration with Communicator	Yes Hover over a name, see a person’s availability, and then easily start a conversation directly through instant messaging, voice call, or video.	Yes
Supports Information Rights Management policies	Yes	Yes
Displays contacts, tasks, and appointments at a glance even when Outlook is closed	Yes Outlook for Mac 2011 includes the My Day application that allows users to display tasks and appointments at a glance.	No