Microsoft Outlook is a paid application that is normally available through Microsoft 365. That's now changing, as Microsoft is opening up Outlook for Mac to everyone.

Microsoft announced today that Outlook for Mac is now a free application on the Mac App Store. It's now positioned more like the mobile app, as it is designed to work with Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, and other IMAP email accounts in addition to Microsoft services.

Microsoft called it the "redesigned Outlook app with the latest and greatest features for macOS," though there don't appear to be any significant changes compared to the redesign that arrived in 2020. Microsoft is currently testing a rewritten Outlook for Windows app, which might also replace the Mac version at some point, but Microsoft hasn't publicly said anything about that yet. Full support for Apple Silicon is mentioned in the blog post, but that also arrived in 2020.

There's no shortage of excellent email apps on Mac, but Outlook might now be the most feature-packed free option outside of Thunderbird and Apple's own Mail app. It even supports some Apple ecosystem features like detailed notifications, menu bar peek, widgets, and Handoff with the iPhone and iPad apps.

Microsoft didn't mention when, or if, the Windows version of Outlook will be available for free. Presumably, that will happen once the new Outlook for Windows is completed. In the meantime, Mac owners can download Outlook from the Mac App Store.

Source: Microsoft