In 2025, Microsoft is pushing their “new” Outlook app on their PCs. It’s not going so well. The new Outlook for Windows app doesn’t work well with all email accounts, lacks critical features and shows built-in ads. Adoption rates are low. Users of the “classic” Outlook email client (born in 1997!) usually remain loyal and try to sidestep this new offering. But Microsoft isn’t having it. If you still enjoy your classic Outlook program, we need to talk about the Vanishing of Classic Outlook that is going on right now.
Silently Uninstalled
Microsoft has this habit of silently uninstalling things from your computers. Like the Windows 7-era games that some people just can’t give up. After a major Windows Update has processed… poof! They’re just gone. This is starting to happen with classic Outlook. It just goes missing, and I have to suspect it was removed during an update.
Other times, though, Outlook vanishes because a user was tempted to “try the new Outlook”. If you see that as a toggle in the corner of your Outlook program, or as a pop-up message, beware! Trying out the new Outlook often removes the old one from your system. Again, this is done in the background, without fanfare.
Classic Outlook also goes missing, as people retire their computers and setup new systems. You can log into a new PC with your 365 credentials, and Word, Excel and the rest will work immediately for you. But classic Outlook? Nowhere to be found…
How to Get Classic Outlook Back
It’s easy to get classic Outlook back, once you know how. But Microsoft is hiding these options, so I have to make it known:
Go to this Microsoft page and use the Download link. Save and run the OfficeSetup.exe file that comes to your PC.
Alternatively, go to this Microsoft Store link and download it from there.
If you go directly to the Microsoft Store, you will not be able to search for “classic” Outlook. Everytime I try, I am steered to the “new” Outlook. You must use a link to get to it!
Final Notes
This doesn’t get you a free copy of classic Outlook to use. You need to have an existing Office or 365 license for this to work. When you install this, it may ask you to sign in with your Microsoft account, to check your rights to use this program. If you need a free email client, consider the apps detailed in this blog post.
Microsoft’s full intent in all of this is to get rid of classic Outlook. They want their users to be on the new version of the program, or using OWA (in the browser). But the end is still a long way off, so Don’t Panic. This Microsoft blog post states that classic Outlook will be supported through “at least 2029.”
