Microsoft makes Outlook free for Mac
MacOS users can now use Microsoft Outlook for free without needing a 365 subscription or Office licence, the company announced in a blog post.
The program is now free to download from Apple’s App Store. However, the download page does specify that Microsoft Outlook for Mac offers in-app purchases.
While it lets users buy a Microsoft 365 licence, it isn’t a requirement to use the app.
The in-app purchases include:
- Microsoft 365 Personal — $69.99 (R1,276)
- Microsoft 365 Family — $99.99 (R1,823)
- Microsoft 365 Personal (monthly) — $6.99 (R127)
- Microsoft 365 Family (monthly) — $9.99 (R182)
Outlook for Mac supports Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, and any email accounts for which the provider has Internet message access protocol (IMAP) support.
The app for Mac is optimised for the M1 and M2 chips and has a widget for calendar entries and native notification centre support.
“To help you stay on top of your email and calendar while using other apps, you can view your agenda using a widget and see reminders in the Notification Center,” said partner product group manager for Outlook, Michael Palermiti.
“We are also creating a peek of upcoming calendar events in the Menu Bar (coming soon).”
According to The Verge, the change for Outlook for Mac comes as the company revamps the Outlook app for Windows.
The revamp will likely see Microsoft combine the Windows Mail and Outlook apps into a single email client for Windows.
The company has been testing a web-powered version of Outlook since May 2022, and it will likely also be free for Windows users.
The “One Outlook” app for Windows is effectively Outlook.com in the form of a progressive web app (PWA). Microsoft confirmed that it has no intention of updating Outlook for Mac to a PWA.
“The new Outlook for Mac is a native macOS app. Microsoft plans to continue building and maintaining best-in-class native apps on macOS and iOS. No Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are planned for Mac Outlook,” Palermiti said.
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