Postponed by 12 months: Microsoft slows down the forced migration of new Outlook enterprise version on Win10/Win11

IT News reported on March 6 that technology media Windows Latest today (March 6) published a blog post stating that Microsoft has adjusted the rollout strategy for the new Outlook. For enterprise users, the mandatory migration deadline has been officially postponed from April 2026 to March 2027, providing organizations with an additional 12-month grace period.

Citing the blog post, IT News said that Microsoft, for regular consumers, has already shut down the “Mail and Calendar” app and forced users to switch to the new Outlook.

However, for enterprise users and consumers who have a Microsoft 365 license, Microsoft has taken a more cautious concession approach. These users can legally and normally continue using the older version until the classic version of Outlook is completely discontinued in April 2029.

The media analysis believes that Microsoft’s extension of the mandatory migration timeline exposes the current situation in which enterprises are not highly receptive to the new Outlook app. Compared with the new Outlook based on web technology (Web App), the native Win32 classic version runs faster and also offers more complete functionality.

For example, the .pst data file features frequently used by businesses are currently only partially supported in the new version. If a forced push happens now, most enterprises may simply use the system-provided switch button to revert to the older version.