In an effort to get more products into more hands, Microsoft has done just that announced (opens in new tab) that the Outlook app for macOS devices is free to use with no account required.
Until now, users had to sign in with an active Microsoft 365 account, although the app also supported others email providers such as iCloud, Gmail, and Yahoo.
In addition, the updated app is built to work with other macOS features, such as Handoff and Focus.
New Outlook for macOS
The announcement reads: “The Outlook for Mac app complements Outlook for iOS, bringing people a consistent, reliable, and powerful experience that brings the best experience of Outlook into the Apple ecosystem that so many love.”
Since its redesign in the midst of the pandemic, the macOS desktop client has previewed information through the use of notification banners and widgets. However, Microsoft has announced that it’s working on a new “peek” view of the menu bar that shows a simplified version of the calendar without having to open the entire app.
Handoff is also integrated, so users can start an email on their phone, then finish it and add attachments, for example, on the larger screen of a desktop.
Outlook for Mac also now supports Focus modes recently introduced in macOS and iOS environments, allowing users to customize different mailboxes for different Focus modes.
For Microsoft, however, this seems to be just the beginning. The blog details: “There is more to do and many more features that we would like to bring to the Outlook Mac experience. We are rebuilding Outlook for Mac from the ground up to be faster, more reliable and an Outlook for everyone.”
The tweaked Outlook app is now available for download from the Mac App Store for anyone tempted to ditch the native Mail app.