New Outlook gets more AI and improved PST support

Microsoft has equipped the new Outlook with updates in June with more AI functions and improved support for PST files. The developers have also tweaked the offline functions.

Microsoft describes the changes in a support article. According to the article, Outlook will offer Copilot functions for all connected email accounts for accounts that have access to Copilot Pro or with AI credits through Microsoft's 365 Personal or Family subscription. This includes outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, msn.com and third-party services such as GMail, Yahoo and iCloud – This requires Outlook to be logged into all of them on the device.

AI functions and more in the new Outlook

The new Outlook will also include the Copilot functions for texts, which provide suggestions for improving the tone of voice, clarity, and reader mood before sending. If you would rather not use AI functions, you can also deactivate the Copilot. To achieve this, open the settings and go to the “Copilot” – “Copilot Control” page. There you will find a switch labeled “Turn on Copilot”, which can be used to disable the feature.

Support for .pst files has also been improved. Users can now reply to or forward emails in a .pst file with the new Outlook. Microsoft points out that future versions of the software will add further support for PST files.

End users can now move emails seamlessly between accounts. For Enterprise customers, Microsoft has disabled this feature by default. It can be controlled by admins using policies. Another new feature is the ability to add shared folders to favorites. In addition, Outlook is introducing a function that displays an “External” tag in the drop-down menu with the suggestions in the contact suggestions when creating emails for external contacts.

New Outlook: Offline functions

The new Outlook has some functions for offline mode. The synchronization window in offline mode has been increased from 7 to 30  days. Search folders are now also available offline. In addition, the Outlook function for retrieving sent e-mails also supports offline mode.

Despite all the criticism, Microsoft continues unabated and is pushing ahead with the distribution of the new Outlook, which is essentially an app with access to Microsoft's cloud server, where all emails have to go. In the coming year, the software company also wants to migrate customers with enterprise licenses to the cloud and, in the longer term, consign classic Outlook to the scrap heap.

(dmk)