Microsoft Unveils New Admin Policy for Seamless Transition to New Outlook for Windows

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft’s new policy will allow IT administrators to transition users from the classic Outlook desktop app to the new Outlook for Windows client.
• The policy includes settings to re-initiate the migration process for users who revert to classic Outlook.
• Administrators will be able to set policies to manage the interval between migration attempts.

Microsoft is set to introduce a new admin policy that will streamline the transition from the classic Outlook desktop app to the new Outlook for Windows. The company announced on the Microsoft 365 admin center that this new ‘Admin-Controlled Migration to New Outlook’ policy will become generally available later this month.

With the new migration policy, administrators will be able to switch users from the classic version of Outlook to the new Outlook for Windows app in three steps. Essentially, each step will be triggered during a new app launch session, with prompts and messages guiding users through the migration process.

In the first step, users will receive a notification encouraging them to switch to the new Outlook client. If they don’t make the switch, a banner message will appear in the next session stating: “Your organization recommends using the new Outlook for Windows. If you skip this now, you’ll be taken to the new experience the next time you start Outlook.”

Lastly, the classic version of Outlook will display a prompt urging users to switch to the new Outlook for Windows. However, users will still be able to revert to classic Outlook at any time.

What are the prerequisites to enable the migration policy for new Outlook for Windows?

Microsoft notes that the migration experience won’t be available for tenants where IT admins have disabled the new Outlook toggle via group policy (GPO) or Windows Registry. It will be up to the administrators to configure a policy to define how often migration attempts can be made.

“The migration will run only once until users switch to new Outlook. You can set the interval policy to re-initiate migration in the scenario that users toggle back to classic Outlook. The policy functionality can be used in Current Channel Version 2406 (Build 16.0.17830.20138),” Microsoft explained.

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that its new web-based Outlook for Windows is now generally available for commercial customers. This new app will replace the built-in Mail and Calendar apps on Windows PCs by the end of the year.