Release notes for Outlook for Windows (New) in Government Cloud Channels

Outlook for Windows (new) is updated regularly to provide new features, performance improvements, bug fixes, and security updates. These release notes provide more information about those changes in Government Cloud Channels.

Note

Outlook for Windows (new) is currently scoped to GCC. However, many of the documented items may apply to the Outlook Web application as well, which explains the presence of GCC-High and DoD labels.

July 17, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

July 1, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

June 26, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

June 18, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

June 12, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

June 5, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

May 29, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

May 22, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

May 15, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

May 8, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

May 1, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

April 24, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

April 17, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

March 27, 2026

  • Search now includes a more compact scope picker with options to search the current folder or subfolders.

March 20, 2026

  • Meeting templates: You can now create personal meeting templates and access templates set by your IT admin from the New Event dropdown in Calendar.
  • You can now import email from PST files in Settings > Files > Import.

March 13, 2026

  • When you share a folder, Outlook now verifies that the recipient can also see the parent folder and prompts you to share it if needed.

March 6, 2026

  • You can now assign multiple categories to calendar events and email messages simultaneously using the context menu or ribbon.

February 27, 2026

  • A warning now appears when you add external email addresses to a message.
  • The Data Loss Prevention (DLP) warning dialog now matches the Win32 experience, with options for providing a justification and reporting false positives.
  • DLP policies are now re-evaluated when you send a message to ensure compliance with the latest policies.
  • The message item actions menu has an updated design.
  • Insert row and column controls are now hidden when working with large tables in compose.

February 20, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

February 13, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

February 6, 2026

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

January 30, 2026

  • Rows in the Message List now have more accurate and distinctive focused and selection states, similar to Classic Outlook.
  • Search folders: Added new options including scoping to specific folders.
  • Shared mailboxes: Added online archive folder access.

January 9, 2026

Note

Version numbers will no longer be included in release notes. Features in these notes roll out to all versions automatically.

  • Increase in options to delay send (from 10 seconds to 30 seconds) to give you more time to undo sending an email. (Edit Feb 20 - Corrected number of seconds)

December 12, 2025

Version: 20251205004.10

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

December 5, 2025

Version: 20251128003.09

  • Improvements in meeting email headers using infobars to show changes.
  • Contacts from PST files now appear in the People Hub.

November 21, 2025

Version: 20251114001.19

  • Save, load, and update email templates while composing an email.
  • Users can now sort the message list by message type including Message, Meeting Invitation, and different Meeting Responses.

November 14, 2025

Version: 20251031008.24

  • The File tab is located next to Home in the ribbon and it appears in new message windows. The File tab gives you quick access to PSTs, manage accounts, print, and more.
  • Save new email templates and load a template while writing an email.
  • In single line mode, message list actions are in the sender column.

November 7, 2025

Version: 20251031008.17

  • Offline RSVP to calendar events.
  • Easier import of PST files from classic Outlook.
  • Importance icons on notifications.

October 31, 2025

Version: 20251024006.11

  • Drag and drop files between accounts as attachments.

October 24, 2025

Version: 20251017002.15

  • PST: Read-only access to calendar events from PST files.

October 17, 2025

Version: 20251010001.15

  • New app icon.

October 10, 2025

Version: 20251002060.13

  • Various fixes to functionality and performance.

October 3, 2025

Version: 20250926009.05

  • PST search improvements.

September 26, 2025

Version: 20250918044.05

  • Warning when deleting a folder that emails are being moved to in a rule.
  • Snooze, pin, and ignore options in ribbon when email is popped out.
  • Offline: Open and sync attachments.

September 5, 2025

Version: 20250829003.06

  • Subject header improvements: Improved interactions in the subject header on email messages.
  • Offline signatures: Use and edit email signatures while offline.

August 29, 2025

Version: 20250815005.24

  • Quick steps in the pop out ribbon: Access quick step actions when reading an email in a popped out window.

August 8, 2025

Version: 20250801002.10

  • Find text in reading pane: Use the familiar shortcut Ctrl + F to find text in the reading pane.
  • Calendar: new work location sharing options: Share work location with colleagues to improve collaboration.

August 22, 2025

Version: 20250815005.12

  • Send Replies To header: Customize which email address replies go to using this optional header.
  • Jump To in the message list: Jump to a section of the message list.
  • Copilot user preferences in Settings: Option to enable or disable Copilot in Settings.
  • RSVP improvements in message list: Improvements to the experience of RSVPing from the message list.

August 1, 2025

Version: 20250711010.06

  • New RSVP settings: Two new settings to improve the user experience when responding to meeting invitations: (1) do not delete invitation email after RSVPing and (2) autodecline if the attendee's calendar shows as busy.

July 11, 2025

Version: 20250704003.06

  • [GCC] Move emails between accounts: All personal accounts in the new Outlook for Windows can seamlessly move emails between all their personal accounts, streamlining organization and productivity. For work or school users, this feature is controlled by a policy managed by administrators. By enabling this policy, admins can grant their users the ability to move emails between accounts in a way that aligns with organizational needs and policies.

June 27, 2025

Version: 20250620014.12

  • Search fallback to locally saved items: When a mailbox search can't be completed, Outlook searches locally saved items (when Offline is enabled in Settings).

June 20, 2025

Version: 20250613016.10

  • Category management for delegates: Delegates can now create new categories on behalf of the person who granted them permissions. They can also apply said categories to the Calendar of that same person who granted them permissions. Delegates can view the list of the delegator's Categories by visiting the Accounts > Categories page of the Settings window and selecting the delegator's account from the dropdown. Learn more

June 13, 2025

Version: 20250606009.12

  • [GCC] Setting to toggle comma as recipient delimiter: By default, Outlook Web and the New Outlook support separating recipients by using either a semicolon or a comma. This new setting allows users to choose if the comma should be used as a recipient separator or instead allowed as part of the contact name. This is helpful for organizations where contacts follow the "Family name, First name" format.

June 6, 2025

Version: 20250516009.19

  • [GCC] Add folders from a .PST file to favorites.
  • [GCC, DoD] Profile cards in the new Outlook for Windows display people details stored in PST files.

May 30, 2025

Version: 20250523006.11

  • [GCC] Reply and forward emails in a PST file: Users can reply and forward emails in a .pst file. Future releases of new Outlook will expand the support for .pst file capabilities.

Version: 20250509011.10

  • [GCC, GCC High] External tag in contact suggestions: An "External" tag is added to contact suggestions that appear in the dropdown when entering contacts in the email compose form.

May 23, 2025

Version: 20250516009.05

  • [GCC] Reply and forward emails in a PST file: With this update of support for .pst files (also known as Outlook Data File) in the new Outlook for Windows, users are able to reply and forward emails in a .pst file. Future releases of new Outlook will expand the support for .pst file capabilities.

Version 20250509011.10

  • [GCC, GCC High, DoD] Undo send while offline: The ability to cancel an email message after you select Send is now supported offline.

May 09, 2025

Version 20250418009.15

  • [GCC, GCC High, DoD] Add shared folders to Favorites: We're thrilled to announce that you can now add shared folders to your Favorites. This enhancement offers increased flexibility and convenience, allowing easy access to important shared content directly from your Favorites list.

May 02, 2025

Version 20250411007.11

  • [GCC] Background calendar event notifications: Users can now receive their calendar event notifications while the new Outlook isn't launched/opened. To enable this feature, users must (1) enable the “Send notifications when Outlook is closed” setting in Monarch, (2) allow the new Outlook permissions to run in the background in Windows 11 Settings, and (3) enable the “Show Notification banners” setting in Windows, as well. You can also see these notifications on your lock screen if you enable the "Show notifications on the lock screen" Windows setting.

  • [GCC, GCC High, DoD] Notification batching: Batches are groups of cards in the user's Notification pane separated by subject. Items from the same email thread, document, sheet, etc. are grouped into a single batch.

April 25, 2025

Version 20250404005.15

  • [GCC] Share an email to Teams: You can share an email, including attachments, from Outlook to any chat or channel in Teams. Learn more here.
  • [GCC] Initiate Teams chats from an email: Within any email, you can initiate an individual Teams chat session with the sender or a Teams group chat with all recipients. Learn more here.

April 18, 2025

Version 20250328005.25

  • [GCC] Group messages as a conversation for PST files: Users are now able to group messages as a conversation for emails within .pst files.

April 04, 2025

Version 20250307002.19

  • [GCC, GCC High] Save emails as .MSG: You can now save emails as .msg files by right-clicking them (in your message list) and selecting Save as > Save as MSG.

March 28, 2025

Version 20250307002.19

  • [GCC, GCC High, DoD] Folder icon colors: We’re introducing the ability to customize folder icon colors in the new Outlook. This feature lets you change the color of folder icons, making it easier to differentiate and personalize your folders visually.

March 21, 2025

Version 20250307002.15

  • [GCC] Copilot Draft: When composing an email, customers can select portions of text in an email and use Copilot to rewrite it. Users can give detailed instructions on how to rewrite and are also able to modify tone and length.
  • [GCC] Delete invitations from Inbox after responding: You can enable/disable this new meeting invite option by visiting the Calendar > Events and invitations > Invitations from other people section of your Settings window.
  • [GCC, GCC High, DoD] Pin Favorites: Easily access your most-used folders by pinning them to the top of your Left Nav Bar. This feature streamlines navigation, ensuring your important folders are always within reach.
  • [GCC, GCC High, DoD] "None" color category for Mail and Calendar: This update provides more flexibility and customization in categorizing your emails and calendar events. By selecting the "None" option, users can now choose to have items without a designated color, allowing for cleaner organization and more control over which items stand out visually.

March 07, 2025

Version 20250206076.11

  • [GCC] Enjoy the benefits of your Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro subscriptions in Outlook: Activate subscriptions from accounts that don't have a Microsoft mailbox - either personal Microsoft accounts set up with a non-Microsoft email address (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) or accounts provided by your work or school administrator. Learn more by visiting Connecting a Microsoft subscription to Outlook.

February 21, 2025

Version 20250124006.14

February 14, 2025

Version 20250124006.14

  • [GCC] Copilot is now included in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family: We're bringing Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Designer to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers in most markets worldwide. These changes bring the transformative power of AI to the personal productivity tools that millions of people use every day. Learn more.
  • [GCC] Conversation view improvements: Add categories for individual messages in Conversation view.
  • [GCC] UX improvements to Schedule send: Now it's easier to identify scheduled meetings in the Drafts folder, edit scheduled messages, and cancel scheduled messages.
  • [GCC High] Offline browser-based spelling when Microsoft Proofing is disabled: Essential spell-checking is now provided when composing a message while not connected to the internet.

February 07, 2025

Version 20250116064.19

  • [GCC] S/MIME: The new Outlook for Windows now supports S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail extensions) signing and encryption. All new and existing S/MIME configurations work without any explicit action from your administrator.
  • [GCC] Copilot Chat: Microsoft 365 Chat is the new hero experience for Copilot for Microsoft 365 and goes far beyond simple questions and answers. It combs across your entire universe of data—all your emails, meetings, chats, documents, and more, plus the web—to solve your most complex problems at work.
  • [GCC] Calendar update to Time Suggestions: We're improving how suggested times are shown when scheduling a meeting. We're removing the automatically suggested times and instead, you need to enable a switch (Find a time) if you want to see suggested times. If you enable the toggle, the new availability view on time suggestion tiles will make it easier to find a suitable time with more clarity on everyone's availability.
  • [GCC] Calendar grid keyboard navigation via arrow keys: When focused on the calendar grid, you're able to navigate the time slots on the calendar via left/right/up/down arrow keys in day, week, and work week views.
  • [GCC] Offline compose: When sending a message while offline, a notification appears indicating that the message will be saved to the Outbox.
  • [GCC] Offline browser-based spelling when Microsoft Proofing is disabled: Essential spell-checking is now provided when composing a message while not connected to the internet.

January 28, 2025

Version 20250116064.16

  • [GCC] Microsoft 365 Copilot: Bringing Microsoft 365 Copilot GCC, your AI assistant for work in the GCC environment. It combines the power of Large Language Models with your work content and context, to help you draft and rewrite, summarize, and organize, catch up on what you missed, and get answers to questions via open prompts. Copilot generates answers using the rich, people-centric data and insights available in the Microsoft Graph. Microsoft 365 Copilot GCC is available in Teams (Chat and Channel) excluding Compose, Outlook (includes mobile), Word, PowerPoint, and Excel as well as other surfaces, including microsoft365.com.
  • [GCC] Copy list of attendees: In the event tracking pane, you can copy the list of attendees from the calendar event.
  • [GCC] Sort and search meeting attendees: In the event tracking pane, you can sort attendees in alphabetized order or search for an attendee by display name.
  • [GCC] Autolink enhancements: Improved automatic detection of email addresses and phone numbers when drafting an email, generating links for them automatically.
  • [GCC] Drag and drop to download attachments and emails: Users can drag and drop attachments and emails from the new Outlook for Windows to their desktops or local folders to download them directly to that location. A feature that is already available in world-wide multitenant will now be available for customers in GCC.

Version 20250110003.23

  • [GCC, GCC High and DoD] Reset People Suggestions in Search: This feature allows users to reset, export, and/or opt out of people suggestions in search through settings in the Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows. When a reset is done, all versions of Outlook reflect the change.
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