Microsoft has released an updated version of the Outlook app for Windows PCs to Office Insider subscribers who are registered in the beta channel.
And while screenshots and a full version of the app were recently leaked, Microsoft's announcement gives us a look at what features can be seen in our inboxes.
Microsoft announced the availability of the new Outlook for those with Microsoft 365 or Office 365 accounts for business and education.
This version is an update to Outlook itself, not a replacement for the Mail app included in Windows 11. The new app is almost identical to the recently leaked version. But there are some noticeable differences.
Outlook gets a large number of new features as well as an updated design. The new version comes with support for Microsoft Loop (formerly known as Fluid framework) components.
Microsoft Loop is the company's system for collaboration across Office with real-time editing support.
Other new features coming from the web include a calendar and To Do view. And with the calendar preview method, you can easily see all the upcoming events, sorted by day, week or month.
There's also Board Preview, which lets you organize important items in whatever way makes the most sense to stay on top of your tasks.
In Board Preview, you can see your calendar, multi-to-do lists, and all your notes visually so you can keep track of your tasks.
The calendar and to-do lists can also be accessed via a side panel so you can quickly create to-do items or events based on an email you've received.
Microsoft helps you be more productive
The new Outlook app also makes it easy to attach files and documents using @mentions, similar to how you can add a person to a conversation.
And if you have something stored in the cloud, you can type the @ symbol and then the file name, and you get a list of matching files ready to be added to an email.
There is also a smart feature from Microsoft, so that if you receive an email that is considered important and forget to respond to it, Outlook reminds you of it.
And if you need to remind yourself of something important, the new Outlook app also supports pinning messages to the top of your inbox.
You can now also respond to your most important meeting requests by letting people know if you're attending in person or virtually.
Most of these features come from the web version of Outlook. This web-based interface is supposed to become the default experience for all Outlook PC clients, including the Mail app built into Windows 11.
This new Outlook experience for Windows is still available for enterprise users only. You have to be in the Office Insider beta channel to try it out.