Microsoft’s New Outlook for Windows to Let Users Move Emails Across Accounts

Microsoft is about to release a new update for the new Outlook for Windows client, allowing users to seamlessly move emails between accounts. This functionality will be governed by IT policies, giving administrators precise control through Exchange PowerShell.

“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. With this rollout, we are introducing a new parameter called -ItemsToOtherAccountsEnabled for the Set-OWAMailboxPolicy policy,” Microsoft explained.

The new -ItemsToOtherAccountsEnabled parameter will allow administrators to control whether users can move or copy emails between accounts. This feature will be disabled by default, and IT admins will need to manually enable it to move emails between accounts.

Users will be able to move emails by dragging and dropping an email from one account to another or by using shortcuts. They can also click an email and select the Move or Copy option from the menu.

When will this happen?

Microsoft will begin rolling out this update to targeted release customers in the new Outlook for Windows client by mid-January 2025. This feature is expected to hit general availability in early March 2025.

Microsoft is planning to drop support for the Windows Mail, Calendar, and People apps on December 31. The company encourages customers to move existing users of these apps to the new Outlook for Windows client. Users who haven’t moved to the new Outlook for Windows client will no longer be able to send or receive emails using the Windows Mail and Calendar apps.

Microsoft will provide enterprise customers a 12-month notice before it begins moving people from the classic version of Outlook. The company will continue to support existing installs of classic Outlook through perpetual and subscription licenses until at least 2029.