Table of Contents
Summary
- New Outlook for Windows will become the default experience in EDU environments, enabling organizations to progress to the Admin Controlled Migration policy.
- Adoption is strong, with tens of millions of users benefiting from features like Copilot integration and message pinning.
- Administrators can manage the transition using policies and tools, allowing users to switch back to classic Outlook if needed.
- Organizations not ready to adopt can take no action but will receive advance notice before mandatory cutover.
- Resources are available for administrators to plan the rollout and manage user communications effectively.
Admin Impact: Low
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 01 Jan 2026
Release End: 01 Jan 2026
Services: Exchange, M365 Apps
Category: Plan for change
Tags: Feature Update, User Adoption, Admin Action
History
12/5/2025 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Starting January 2026, Microsoft will enter the opt-out phase for new Outlook for Windows in EDU environments. New Outlook is ready as the default experience for EDU users and we recommend organizations that have the toggle available to progress to enable the Admin Controlled Migration policy.
What this means for your organization
New Outlook has now matured through the opt-in phase and is broadly available (General Availability reached August 2024) with a robust feature set. Adoption is strong across many organizations – tens of millions of users have already moved to new Outlook, benefiting from its lower total cost of ownership, modern interface, leading edge Copilot integration, and productivity features like message pinning and snoozing. Microsoft will not automatically switch users from classic Outlook to new Outlook at this time.
Admin-driven migration (Opt-Out control)
We encourage you to use the provided admin policies and tools shared below to manage the transition. Once your organization is ready to upgrade users to new Outlook, you can proactively migrate using the Admin-Controlled Migration to New Outlook policy. This policy (available via Group Policy, Cloud Policy, or registry) allows you to toggle users into new Outlook in a controlled manner, with in-app prompts that ease users into the new experience over successive Outlook launches. Users who are moved by policy will have the option to switch back to classic Outlook if needed, so you can pilot and phase your rollouts confidently. We recommend starting with new users in your organizations and those piloting and using Copilot as early target audiences.
If your organization is not yet ready to adopt new Outlook in January 2026, you can take no action at this stage. Microsoft will provide a minimum 60-day notice to change the opt-out approach. We will provide a further 12-month advance notice before mandatory cutover stage is implemented, so you can expect ample lead time to prepare for eventual full transition.
Next Steps for Admins
We recommend reviewing your organization’s plan for moving to the new Outlook: assess feature readiness, conduct any needed pilots, and decide on a timeline that works for your organization. Be sure to communicate with your users about what to expect, and leverage Microsoft’s adoption resources to make the experience smooth. If you have previously disabled the “new Outlook” toggle via policy and now want to roll out new Outlook, remember to re-enable the toggle first so users can see the transition prompts. Control installation and use of new Outlook | Microsoft Learn.
Resources and Support
Microsoft is committed to helping you manage this transition effectively. Please refer to the following resources for detailed guidance and tools:
- New Outlook for Windows Adoption Kit (aka.ms/newOutlookAdoption) – A downloadable kit with checklists, project planning templates, user communication examples, and FAQs to support your rollout. New Microsoft Outlook for Windows – Microsoft Adoption
- Policy for Admin-Controlled Migration to new Outlook (Microsoft Learn) – Instructions for using group policy or cloud policy to enable or block the new Outlook migration for your users (including how the user experience is handled and how to configure the policy). Policy for Admin-Controlled Migration to new Outlook for Windows | Microsoft Learn.