To those who have already used a version of Outlook in the past, the Windows Mail app will come across as a lightweight variant with some features omitted from the experience. The main difference between Outlook and the Mail app is the target audience.
The bundled app with Windows is meant to cater to consumers and those who check their emails on a daily basis. Outlook on-the-other-hand is for business and professionals who rely on email. But just because the Windows Mail app is more basic than Outlook, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a worse experience. The app itself is a solid client for email, and the accompanying calendar app will handle events, subscriptions to cloud-based calendars just fine. A neat feature of the Mail and Calendar apps is the design language, which fits in comfortably with Windows 10. Various accounts can be added to Windows Mail, including Outlook.com, Exchange (Office 365), Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, iCloud, as well as usual POP and IMAP accounts.
Using Microsoft's hosted email services like Outlook.com will ensure everything is configured and synchronized without much effort. Simply enter your account credentials, and the app will handle everything else. Other service providers may require additional steps. Thanks to its free, basic feature set, the Windows Mail app has been designed and developed to take full advantage of touch support on tablets and laptops. It's possible to utilize the on-screen keyboard and use the app to filter through messages and reply to contacts. One issue I continue to experience, as well as other Mail app users, is the problem with mail synchronization.
Use the Mail app to compose, reply to, and sort email on your Mac. You can also add and mark up attachments. So suggestions get better the more you file your messages. To delete a message, select a message, then press the Delete key. To automatically move messages to specific mailboxes, use rules. Learn more about Mail for Mac.
Attempting to synchronize all accounts can result in errors, which is not only irritating but requires troubleshooting. Contact integration from connected profiles isn't perfect either, but again this is a more streamlined app and it's possible to hit up contacts when creating (or replying to) emails. I also dislike the fact you need to switch between apps for mail and calendar appointments. But it is free, so there's that huge plus, and not everyone shares my view. Outlook is Microsoft's premium email client and is regarded as one of the best in the business. There's a good reason for this as the suite has been around for many years as part of Microsoft Office.
The company has had time to invest in developing improvements to take the experience to the next level and increase productivity. While the Windows Mail app may just do the job for daily or weekly email checking, Outlook is for those who rely on email. As well as the powerful email client, Microsoft has packed in calendar, contacts and task support.
Simply switch between tabs and everything is loaded up. Office integration is also present, as one would expect from a more connected suite of productivity tools.
Then there's the Ribbon system that hides away the countless buttons and features that do pretty much everything one would require. Take a look at some of the feature discrepancies to see if there's anything you require that cannot be done in the Windows Mail app. More information and comparison between the two apps can be found on. There are downsides to Microsoft's more advanced email program. The first being the plethora of features that may never be used. Do you really need to categorize messages?
That and the new Ribbon UI system that Microsoft has implemented into the new Office suite isn't to everyone's liking. It can also feel rather bloated when tasked to handle thousands upon thousands of emails from multiple accounts, but that's a case of not effectively managing clutter. And don't get me started on some of the account setup issues.
I've experienced the following a few times before it starts magically working for some reason. Outlook just can't seem to connect and log in when initially setting up some accounts that require manual labor, asking you to re-enter credentials a few times before finally accepting defeat and connecting everything up. That said, it makes sense for Microsoft to offer more features in the Outlook suite to entice businesses and consumers to upgrade and pay the Office subscription, but if you don't need many of the more advanced features the Mail app will do just fine.
Note: If you are not using an Office 365 or other Exchange-based email, see. For more information, see In this article Apple computer access You can use a web browser or an email program on your computer to connect to your email account. Web browser access You connect your Apple computer to your email account by using a web browser in the same way that you connect a Windows computer. For instructions, go to. Learn more about our. Email program access You can connect to your account automatically, or you can connect by using IMAP or POP. Connecting automatically There are three programs you can use to connect to your email account by entering your email address and password:.
Outlook for Mac 2011. Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition. Mail (the email application included with Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard and Mac OS 10.7 Lion) Connecting to your email account by using Outlook for Mac 2011 or Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition provides a more complete email experience than connecting to your email by using IMAP or POP.
For example, if you connect using Outlook for Mac 2011 or Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition, you'll be able to synchronize Notes, Tasks, Calendar items, or Categories between Outlook Web App and Outlook for Mac 2011 or Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition. Note: If you're running Entourage 2008, you must install Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition, a free update for Entourage 2008 users. If you're running Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, you can use the Mail program that's included with Snow Leopard to connect to your account without using IMAP or POP.
As with Outlook for Mac 2011 and Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition, the steps for connecting to your account with Mac Mail for Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard only require you to enter your email address and password. For more information about how to use these email programs to connect to your account, follow the steps in one of these topics: Connecting using IMAP or POP There are many email programs that you can use to connect to your email account on your Apple computer using IMAP or POP.