Hi everyone,
So, I am having this weird issue with Outlook Classic. I used this version over the newer Outlook because it used to be more efficient, for me, over its predecessor. However, as of several days ago I am having to use the newer Outlook as the Classic version can no longer connect to the server.
Wondering if anyone else has had this or similar issues and have you any suggestions on how to fix it, if possible?
To reiterate, the newer Outlook has no problems with regards to email functionality, I just find it to be a touch slower than the Classic Outlook on my machine.
Thanks in advance. 🙂
Comments
It still works for me
I use it allot. The classic outlook app that is. Works fine on my end, accross multiple machines.
Newer outlook app at times is sluggish with NVDA, and, it's a bit slow to operate certain areas, such as calendar.
classic and T-bird
Just tried it and still works on my desktop. On my Surface, Classic disappeared completely and it pushed me to the new one. Its days are numbered.
If it's for basic personal email use, Thunderbird is very accessible now. Just turn off toolbars and message preview, and maybe one or two other things in the wonderfully old-school menus.
Just to get the obvious out of the way: You can check if the server is down, see if one of your other email accounts works, delete the account and try again... That's all I got.
Re: Outlook
New Outlook works fine. Servers are up, I can send and receive emails no problem. Same as with my iPhone. Emails are working just fine. It's only classic outlook that's giving me trouble, and it's only as of earlier this week, but yeah …
@Voracious P. Brain,
I do not doubt that classic outlook is going to be discontinued at some point, I mean, why else would Microsoft make a newer version? I was just hoping to be able to use it a bit longer, as I prefer that version. Regarding Thunderbird, which version would you recommend? I tried the version from the Microsoft store, and while I was able to get my email on there, I was having a hard time getting my contacts in calendar to work For some bizarre reason.
@SeasonKing,
Yes, NVDA is a little sluggish with newer Outlook, however, narrator seems to do all right. Honestly, I do not mind switching to narrator for certain tasks, that is the beauty of Windows, after all. 🙂
can one still get classic outlook
Can one still get classic outlook? for me it keeps trying to force me to the new outlook and for some reason ThunderBird freezes after a few seconds meaning I cannot go to the menus and disable anything.
download
Google is your friend. Here's the first hit:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/install-or-reinstall-classic-outlook-on-a-windows-pc-5c94902b-31a5-4274-abb0-b07f4661edf5
Not sure what's up with Thunderbird. Maybe it was triggering a Windows security dialog or something else in the background that didn't receive focus. Or it's updating, or tossing up an inaccessible setup dialog that needs NVDA object navigation or JAWS touch cursor to navigate. All those things are pretty common.
stopped using classic Outlook
Hi,
I was using classic Outlook for ages with Gmail no problems, until a couple of weeks ago, I opened Outlook, tried to send an email, and the 'to' field had just disappeared. To cut a long story short, whatever I tried to get it back didn't work. And when I managed to re-add my Gmail account back, my Gmail folders just wouldn't sync, and the 'to' field still wasn't there anyway. So I just added my Gmail to the new Outlook no problems, and everything works fine now. The only thing I really don't like about the new Outlook is the calendar, there are hardly any shortcut keys. In classic Outlook I could jump between appointments and not just dates. So I just use Google Calendar on the web if I really need to look at what's coming up for the next month or week. Don't know what's going on with not connecting to servers. If it's gmail, something was going on with stuff not syncing, so if people are having other problems, maybe there's something wrong with Gmail and classic Outlook.
Re: stopped using classic Outlook
Thanks, Tara, for your input and insight. I'm using my iCloud email account for all of my email needs, but yeah, classic outlook has just gone kaput on me. So, using the newer outlook for now. I don't use calendar enough to really judge whether or not it's better or worse than classic outlook calendar, but at least my email is working.
For now ... 🥺
Classic Outlook
Classic Outlook Still working fine for me.
Office Version?
What version of Office are you using? Office 2016 and 2019 will reach end of life in October, so you should ideally be using 365 or 2024 at the very least. Office 2021 has an EOL of October 2026. Have you tried checking for Office updates? Classic Outlook's days are numbered, but you can continue using it for now as long as you're using 365 or Office 2024. I won't even include 2021 in that list anymore since its days are numbered as well. Office 2024 is good until October 2029.
Re: Office Version?
Fairly certain it is Microsoft 365, I will have to double check and get back to you .
Reset Email Accounts
If you've made sure your Office apps are fully updated and it still doesn't work, try removing your email accounts and configuring them from scratch. The newest version of Office I have access to right now is 2016, but I mainly use Word. Support runs out in about 3 months, so I don't rely on the version of Outlook it comes with anymore, even though it may still work just fine. We enter unknown territory after October 14, 2025. If things break, that's it.
Re: Reset Email Accounts
So, this seems to have done the trick. As of about a half hour ago, give or take, I can once again use Classic Outlook. Not sure how it got all twisted up before, but whatever, it works now.
Go figure ... 🙂