The next generation of Microsoft Outlook is here now - but you won't get to try it

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The newest iteration of Microsoft Outlook is now available to try for selected users, the company has confirmed.

The new version of the email client is open for Office Insiders to try now, giving an insight into what the company sees as the future of Outlook on Windows.

Among the upgrades to the new Outlook for Windows is the ability to support all kinds of Microsoft email accounts, a new Quick Steps feature for speedy problem-solving, and new simplified Ribbon options.

Outlook preview

Outlined in a company blog post, the new edition marks the first time support for personal Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Windows Live email accounts has been included, giving you access to all your accounts in a single app.

Microsoft Outlook new design — (Image credit: Microsoft)

The new Quick Steps feature looks to help your inbox clean and organized by displaying "personalized triage actions" that you can use to keep everything in order, as well as making sure newsletters and important files are also within easy reach.

Also included is a sleeker and stripped-back Ribbon to make it easier to navigate around Outlook, and dynamic calendar column widths allow for more customizability depending on how busy your week is.

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Anyone looking to try the new Outlook build will need to be a registered Office Insider running the Beta Channel or Current Channel (Preview) builds. Once that's set up, they'll just need to toggle the Try the New Outlook option in Outlook for Windows, and follow the onscreen instructions.

The launch follows a lengthy design and testing process by Microsoft as it looks to give Outlook a new lease of life.

The project, initially named "One Outlook", saw a small-scale public beta earlier this year, but alongside the raft of upgrades and new features, also caused concern with reports of more adverts coming to the iOS and Android applications.

This latest release will mark another important stepping stone for Microsoft's design of Outlook as it moves towards a wider public launch, so stay tuned for more developments over the coming weeks and months.

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Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.