Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can now set Outlook.com as their default email app. This new update is perfect for workplace users looking to find better ways to separate work from everything else, especially on their computers in work-from-home setups.
Find out how you can make Outlook.com your default email client.
Waiting for Windows 11
First announced last June 24, the Windows 11 release is just around the corner and the tech giant is set to finalize development plans in the coming weeks, Windows Report said. A few features and applications have received facelifts as its general operating system received a drastic makeover, ushering a new era for Microsoft.
According to Windows Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, "the team has obsessed over every detail" of it, per The Verge. What were once design elements from the since-scrapped Windows 10X were repurposed to fit and improve Windows 11.
This new phase for Microsoft is entirely focused on creation and collaboration. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella mentioned, tech won't be an independent industry, rather, all industries will be integrating tech. He also enumerated the various platforms offered by Microsoft and how its partners and developers have created and produced systems and programs that have improved and streamlined workflow and creation.
The most standard way of disseminating communications in the workplace and across industries is through email. Microsoft's native platform Outlook naturally receives a few facelifts as well to keep in line with Microsoft's goals for its users.
How to Make Outlook.com Your Default Email Client Now
The latest Chrome 92 and Microsft Edge updates allow users to set Outlook.com as their default email handler when installing the official PWA in the browser, Softpedia explained. This allows for a smoother user experience when switching or installing web apps.
Currently, the feature works both on Windows 10 and Windows 11 running on an up-to-date browser. Only some users will be able to make the change with Outlook.com, just for Microsoft to test out the waters before they roll out the feature at a wider scale.
Making the switch is easy. "Your browser supports setting Outlook.com as the default email handler" the banner would read, providing the option to users to try it out now, ask again later, or to not show the alert again, Tech Radar said.
This new update is one of the many Microsoft plans to change regarding its platform to make the email service a more appealing choice as it competes with other email platforms like Gmail and other competing offerings.
Other new features to be released for Outlook include the "Tone Detection" tool, which scans what the user has written and offers rewritten suggestions that can improve the tone of that email. Aside from providing real-time advice on how to better word office communications, it goes through punctuation conventions, sensitive geopolitical references, and general formality, Tech Radar reported.
Microsoft's Windows 11 is set to launch within the next few weeks, the biggest release made by the company in years.
