Microsoft to drop Mail and Calendar apps and force users to switch to Outlook for Windows

Microsoft has been somewhat indecisive with regards to the Mail and Calendar apps for Windows 10 and Windows 11, changing the deadline for a switching to Outlook for Windows more than once.

But now the company has confirmed that it plans to go ahead with its plans to kill off Mail and Calendar -- and it has also revealed that users will be forcibly switched to Outlook for Windows. The timescale for the switch is still slightly hazy, but it is definitely coming... starting later this year.

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In an update to an advisory notice for Microsoft 365 customers, Microsoft confirms that "The Mail and Calendar apps for Windows are being replaced with the new Outlook for Windows".

As Bleeping Computer reports, the MC650424 bulletin sheds more light on just what is happening and when:

At the end of 2024 we will be ending support for the Mail and Calendar apps for Windows. The new Outlook for Windows helps people be more productive and in control of their inbox.

The notice continues: "In late August of 2023, we will also begin a process of auto-migrating Mail & Calendar app users to the new Outlook for Windows with an option to go back if they choose," reads the MC650424 bulletin".

Microsoft has some good news for those who are not happy about the immediate switch-over, saying: "Users can go back to the current Mail and Calendar apps by clicking the toggle in the new Outlook for Windows". But this option will only be temporary; the forcible switch will ultimately go ahead.

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