Microsoft reveals the new updates coming to the web version of Outlook in Office 365

Microsoft has just revealed the new updates that are coming to the web version of Outlook in Office 365. The company also states that the browser-based Outlook experience will now be referred as Outlook on the Web from now on.

The latest updates bring a cleaner look, which focuses on helping you work more efficiently. Alongside the new user interface changes, Microsoft is also adding new tools to Outlook on the Web, such as Pin — which will allow you to pin in any email and much more:

• Pin—You can now pin any message in your inbox to have it highlighted in yellow and kept at the top of your inbox. Pins are a terrific way to keep important messages handy and prevent them from getting buried in your inbox.
• Sweep—Sweep provides a simple set of actions to manage emails from specific senders. It is great for managing reoccurring messages like newsletters, digital coupons, and other email received on a regular basis. With Sweep, you can choose to keep messages from a specific sender for a specified number of days, only keep the latest message, or delete all messages from the sender. This feature first debuted as part of our consumer Outlook.com email service—and we are excited to bring it to Office 365 customers!
• Archive—One-click archiving allows you to quickly move messages out of the inbox to a folder of your choice.
• Undo—We included a dedicated Undo button so you can quickly undo unintended actions with a single click.
• Improved single line view—If you prefer the single line message view over the traditional reading pane, Outlook on the web now includes a preview of the message contents in-line with the subject. In addition, you can now perform common actions in bulk, which makes managing your inbox not only easier, but also a lot faster.
• Immersive reading pane—When in single line view, clicking a message now displays the message in the same window—no pop-up or separate windows!

Microsoft is also adding better image formatting tools for Outlook on the Web. You can now easily resize images, add custom borders, apply shadow effects, rotate images and more.

Alongside better image formatting tools, Microsoft has also added a full set of emojis! 😉

The update also introduces better ways to manage your calendar on Outlook on the web, Microsoft states:

Planning your schedule can be tough—so we’ve made improvements to Calendar to help you manage both your work and personal life. One of these improvements is a five-day weather forecast included right in your calendar. Icons next to each day give you a quick look at the forecast; simply click one to see a more detailed view. Never be without your umbrella again!

In addition to the traditional color-coding approach, Calendar now supports charms—icons you can apply to Calendar items as visual cues that help you quickly identify specific types of events. Add an airplane charm to an upcoming flight, a knife and fork for a business dinner, or a music note for a piano class. There are a number of charms to choose from, and once added, each charm appears in the lower right corner of the calendar event.

Calendar now includes a five-day weather forecast and charms.

In addition to weather and charms, additional features in the Calendar experience include:

• Email reminders—You can create email reminders for any Calendar event. You can specify the recipient list, include a quick message, and set the day and time you want the email reminder to be sent. This is a great feature to keep everyone updated on important items and deliverables.
• Birthday and Holiday calendars—We created Birthday and Holiday calendars to help you easily manage your work and personal life. These calendars can be overlaid across your work calendar or viewed separately.

And for all the mobile users, Microsoft is also making improvements to the mobile experience for Outlook on the Web — the latest update brings improved navigation and UI improvements, as well as some other features:

• Updates to closer resemble the UI look of Outlook apps on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
• Improved navigation for switching between Mail, Calendar and People.
• More prominent search command.
• Ability to switch between emails without returning to the message list.
• Time strip updated to show the full week within the calendar.
• Improved UI for creating new events and using the scheduling assistant in Calendar.

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So when will the latest update be available to users? Microsoft says that if you’re part of its First Release program, you’ll will begin seeing these updates today, and if you’re not part of the program, you will begin receiving these updates the first week of September. Until then, tell us what you think of the latest updates for Outlook on the Web in the comment section below.

Source: Microsoft