Microsoft told me it had decided to roll out support for .pst files in the new Outlook earlier than the original schedule. This is part of the company’s efforts to help more people migrate to the new Outlook for Windows 11 (and Windows 10). I’m told more features will be added to the new Outlook as Microsoft doubles down on its efforts.
For those unaware, the new Outlook is based on Outlook.com and doesn’t have as many features as Mail or classic Outlook. That’s because it’s a web wrapper trying to load Outlook.com in a Windows 11 container, and it fails to offer the “native” experience of the Mail app or classic Outlook.
However, Microsoft still wants to end support for Mail & Calendar apps. It also wants people to stop using classic Outlook, but some do not prefer new Outlook due to missing features like .pst (Personal Storage Table) file. This is a dealbreaker for enterprises and businesses relying on Outlook.
Classic Outlook has a feature that allows you to open .pst file, which basically stores a local copy of items from your Exchange mailbox. The .pst files may contain your messages, calendar events, contacts and more. The benefit of using .pst is that it can free up space in the mailbox, which is quite important in organizations with limited resources.
However, the new Outlook does not support .pst.
Back in 2023, Microsoft promised that it would begin shipping .pst support for Outlook in March, 2025.
In an update to its roadmap and a statement to Windows Latest, Microsoft confirmed to us that it has changed its plans and the first phase of .pst files will begin in January 2025 (either in less than 31 days). This will give everyone access to PST files two months earlier, which might convince few more people to try new Outlook.
Well, that’s what the company expects.
“The first phase PST (a.k.a. Outlook Data File) support in the new Outlook for Windows provides read-only access to Mail items within *.pst files,” Microsoft said in a statement.
However, there’s a catch.
While PST support is now coming to new Outlook for Windows 11 earlier than originally planned, you won’t be able to access your Outlook contacts, tasks data and calendar in the first release.
“All Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks data saved in the *.pst files are still there, but they cannot be accessed in this preview. Next releases will expand PST support capabilities,” Microsoft added.
In a world where tech is supposed to make people productive, we wouldn’t be debating about migrating to a new Outlook (a web app). But here we are, and it’s an unfortunate outcome of companies choosing web stack over other frameworks.
Microsoft is convinced Outlook Web is the future of email on Windows 11, and the company will not change its strategy.
Outlook web has already replaced the Mail & Calendar app, which will stop working starting January 1, 2025.
Microsoft is also urging people on Outlook classic to ditch it for new Outlook.