Microsoft enhances new version of Outlook with new features including Copilot and offline support

Microsoft is working hard to get people to use its new Outlook app for Windows, and as part of that effort, it has rolled out the latest updates to the app, which include Copilot, offline access, and a few other perks, according to a company support page cited by Windows Central .

Most notable among these is Copilot’s functionality, which is now available for all connected email accounts. This includes Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, and MSN.com, as well as third-party email services such as Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. However, the feature is not free; Copilot requires AI credits, which are included with Copilot Pro or Microsoft 365 Personal/Family plans.

If you have Copilot, you’ll see an icon in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Clicking the icon will allow Copilot to draft a new email based on a prompt. For example, you could say, “Based on all the projects I completed ahead of schedule, write an email to my boss asking for a 15% raise,” and Copilot will automatically draft an email based on that prompt.

You can also select existing text in an email and ask Copilot to make a variety of edits to it, including rewriting sentences, correcting grammar and spelling, adjusting tone, shortening or expanding sentences, and offering coaching suggestions to improve your message.

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If you don’t want to use Copilot, you can easily disable it: click on the Copilot button, select “Settings,” and there you’ll find a switch that says “Turn on Copilot” that you can simply toggle to the off position to disable the feature.

More features are now available in offline environments. The email storage period, which was previously a maximum of 7 days, has been extended to a maximum of 30 days, allowing you to access more emails even when offline. In addition, the “Search” folder, which automatically organizes emails based on specific conditions, is now available offline. In addition, you can now undo sent emails even when offline.

The classic version of Outlook worked smoothly with PST files used to store emails. The new Outlook also now allows you to reply to and forward emails in PST files. Microsoft has announced that it will strengthen support for PST files in future updates. It is now also easier to move emails between different personal accounts, and shared folders can now be registered as “favorites.”

Many of these changes are beneficial additions to Outlook, especially access to Copilot, but I’m still not a big fan of the new Outlook, which Microsoft rolled out with some confusing names from the get-go.

To be sure, the new Outlook has some advantages over the classic version: it’s designed as a Windows app, so it’s lighter, faster, and has a nicer design, but it still leaves a lot to be desired, especially since it feels like it was designed more for the average consumer than for heavy-duty or business users.

SOURCE: Zdnet