By
Delia
/ Last update
December 10, 2024
Windows 11 is gradually updating various existing pre-installed programs, from appearance to functionality to better match the style of the new system, including drawing, notepad, screenshots and more.
The next upgrade will be Mail, which will not only be new inside and out, but will also be under the brand name of Outlook, named "One Outlook", codenamed "Project Monarch", with the aim of providing every user with a cross-platform email app.
One Outlook will co-exist with Mail&Calendar
Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 currently come with a pre-installed application called Mail&Calendar. This app is designed based on FluentDesign and UWP principles and is closer to the user interface of Windows 10.
But for now, the Mail & Calendar app has its own limitations, and many users prefer the original Outlook desktop app or even the web app over the Mail UWP app. With the new Outlook app, Microsoft wants to consolidate it into a unified app that can manage email across all supported desktop platforms.
Take a look at the new Outlook app
From the leaked screenshots, the interface design of One Outlook is very similar to Outlookweb, with rounded UI design, which looks more modern and also consistent with Windows 11 system style.
Functionally, it will also integrate seamlessly with Windows 11 Start menu, taskbar, notifications, etc., making it easy for users to send and receive emails at any time. And like other Web applications, One Outlook will also support Windows 11 Start menu, taskbar, notifications and other features.
Microsoft reportedly plans to launch the first public preview of the One Outlook app in late March or April and then expand it to other Insider channels in the summer. The app is currently scheduled for a fall 2022 release, with the odds being that it will come pre-installed in Windows version 1122H2.
In addition to supporting Windows 11, it will also be ported to Windows 10, followed by macOS support, and have a web version. However, it will not replace the existing mail program immediately, but coexist with it for the time being, instead of forced migration and upgrade.
Further details should be announced by Microsoft sometime this spring, presumably during the Build 2022 developer conference.