Since Windows 8, Microsoft has shipped a barebones but functional Mail app, replacing the older Windows Live Mail. That will change very soon.
The Old Mail App is Going Away
The Mail app was never the email powerhouse that those who spend their day buried in email need, but it was a relatively solid way to tie a few email accounts together on your Windows PC. Ithad its share of issues, and you didn’t get powerful email templating or filters, but those aren’t features your typical email user typically needs.
A similarly simple but even more limited Calendar app was also available built into Windows. Between these two, you had all the most basic email and calendar functionality you needed without installing any additional apps.
While it originally intended to sunset them in 2023, Microsoft gave both the Mail and Calendar apps a temporary stay of execution. It was short-lived however, as the companyannounced that both apps are going awayfor good in 2024.
Say Hello to the New Outlook
The good news is that Microsoft isn’t simply removing the apps without replacing them. The bad news is that this new solution has some annoyances built-in that the old Mail app didn’t.
In place of the old Mail and Calendar apps, Microsoft is now shipping its new Outlook client. This is essentially a desktop version of the Outlook webmail app with support for more accounts. That isn’t a problem.
Alternative Mail Apps
If you don’t want to use the new Outlook, you have options in the form of third-party email clients, but you’ll have to install these yourself.
You have plenty of choices. Thunderbird is a popular free, open-source email client, but while it offers plenty of power, it isn’t as slick as it could be. Mailbird is a more aesthetically pleasing choice, but it isn’t free. The eM Client app is as close as you get to a free Outlook, but some features require payment.
These days, many people don’t even use a dedicated app for email, instead relying on webmail from services like Gmail. If you’re a webmail user or primarily use email on your phone, Microsoft’s change likely won’t even register for you.
That said, if you’ve been relying on the built-in Mail app, you may not be happy with Microsoft’s drop-in replacement. If you want to spend some time trying out alternatives, we’d suggest the options above. For more options, take a look at our list of thebest free email clients for your PC.
