[Trainer-Talk] Bringing Back the Classic Outlook

Mon Sep 21 17:15:41 UTC 2026

Hi All:

I agree with Yadiel, Curtis et al on the overall comparison between Outlook Classic and the new Outlook. Microsoft seems to have basically taken the Office 365 web interface, overlayed it onto a desktop application and called it an email client. From my perspective Outlook is now where Gmail was when Basic HTML was phased out—the version that was preferred nearly universally by blind users for its efficiency and ease of use because it "just worked" was gone, and in its place was an interface that was technically workable, but certainly not a pleasant user experience. Fortunately, Gmail has introduced many shortcut keys as "standard view" has been updated, which is helpful since students and professionals who work in the Google environment but aren't able to import their email accounts into another client because of a school or work-imposed firewall have no choice but to use Gmail. If Microsoft continues to do likewise, until the new Outlook includes the necessary accessibility, even i the interface looks different, I will likely be more open to adjusting. Until then, I simply rely on my email too much for too many things to settle for second best.

Interestingly, I might add that this issue seems to not be unique to blind people. Since one of the companies I contract with uses Microsoft Office for all their communication and I have an email account through them, I've noticed that several of the people there still use Outlook Classic, both blind and sighted. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that, when I downloaded Office on my new computer last week, both versions of Outlook were automatically installed. So there appears to be a clear enough demand for the more accessible option among all users. We can only hope that Microsoft will improve the "latest and greatest" product before we are left with no choice.
Chris Nusbaum
CAN Access Solutions
(443) 487-6262
cnusbaum at canaccessat.com
Schedule a meeting with me: https://fantastical.app/cnusbaum/cas

> On Sep 21, 2026, at 12:47 PM, Sotomayor, Yadiel (DBVI) via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Showe:
> 
> Yes, while you can do a lot of basic things on the new Outlook, its just not eficient. Curtis mentioned some basic things that the new outlook fails at, but there are so many others. I personally hate the classic outlook and would like nothing more than to switch to soemthing build using interfaces and ttechnologies from this decade. But I won't until I, and my students, can be as efficient as before. Personally, I think Microsoft had a great email client on their hands with the Mail app from windows 10. I would have loved if they continued expanding it.
> 
> 
> Yadiel J. Sotomayor, MA, NCATB, NOMCT, NCRTB, NCUEB
> Pronouns:  Him/He/His
> Access Technology Instructor
> Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind & Vision Impaired
> Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired
> 401 Azalea Ave, Richmond, VA 23227
> Office:  804-371-3400
> Fax:  804-371-3092
> Email Address:  yadiel.sotomayor at dbvi.virginia.gov
> Facebook | LinkedIn | Website
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Curtis Chong via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 21, 2026 12:31 PM
> To: 'List for teachers and trainers of adaptive technology' <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Curtis Chong <chong.curtis at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Trainer-Talk] Bringing Back the Classic Outlook
> 
> Showe:
> 
> The New Outlook is a huge drain on productivity and efficiency, and it does lack many features that the Classic Outlook already possesses. Have you tried spell checking a message with the F7 key? Try figuring out what word is being misspelled.
> 
> Try jumping to a specific date in the calendar that is more than a week into the future or the past. You can't just hit Control G, type in a date, and get there.
> 
> Try using the copy/paste method to detach files from a message you have received. That method doesn't work.
> 
> Try explaining to your students when the screen reader virtual cursor should be on or off at certain points of the email procedure.
> 
> Try telling your student what to do when, after pressing escape, all of the New Outlook screens go away!
> 
> Need I go on?
> 
> Cordially,
> 
> Curtis Chong
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Showe Trela via Trainer-Talk
> Sent: Monday, September 21, 2026 8:17 AM
> To: trainer-talk at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Showe Trela <myshowe86 at gmail.com>; trainer-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Trainer-Talk] Bringing Back the Classic Outlook
> 
> Can someone tell me what is actually so bad about the new Outlook? I'm using it and I am not having that much trouble with it. There's a lot of F6-ing maybe? I always get my Inbox to refocus when I press ctrl+shft+I and I am able to do a lot of what I need. I especially love how my Gmail calendar syncs without a problem whereas in classic, it won't. Gross! lol I am so curious what is wrong with modern Outlook because I am teaching it just fine. Thanks for the info.
> 
> Showe
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Sep 21, 2026, at 7:59 AM, Sotomayor, Yadiel (DBVI) via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> New Outlook is terrible. I'm usually one for jumping into the latest and greatest, but new Outlook is just a mess. Especially if you use NVDA as your primary screen reader. With JAWS is a little better, but not by much. If you want instructions on how to install the classic outlook, Microsoft Help Desk has a great article. I recommend bookmarking this page, since search engines like Google are deprioritizing it.
>> 
>> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/install-or-reinstall-class
>> ic-outlook-on-a-windows-pc
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Yadiel J. Sotomayor, MA, NCATB, NOMCT, NCRTB, NCUEB
>> Pronouns:  Him/He/His
>> Access Technology Instructor
>> Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind & Vision Impaired
>> Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired
>> 401 Azalea Ave, Richmond, VA 23227
>> Office:  804-371-3400
>> Fax:  804-371-3092
>> Email Address:  yadiel.sotomayor at dbvi.virginia.gov
>> Facebook | LinkedIn | Website
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Christopher Murphy via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2026 6:51 PM
>> To: 'List for teachers and trainers of adaptive technology'
>> <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Christopher Murphy <cjohnmurph at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Trainer-Talk] Bringing Back the Classic Outlook
>> 
>> Thanks for confirming that.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Christopher Murphy
>> Email:
>> cjohnmurph at gmail.com
>> 
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>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Matt
>> Diemert via Trainer-Talk
>> Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2026 5:47 PM
>> To: trainer-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Matt Diemert <mcdiemert at gmail.com>; trainer-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [Trainer-Talk] Bringing Back the Classic Outlook
>> 
>> It was office home and business, and as I understand it, outlook is included in that as well as word, PowerPoint, and excel.
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>>> On Sep 20, 2026, at 5:26 PM, Brian Vogel via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Matt McDiemert wrote, in part: " I have seen it often in an install
>>> of Office 2024 I just setup a brand new system on Friday and after
>>> Office install there is no classic, . . ."
>>> 
>>> The question is which Office 2024 edition did you use?  The edition
>>> you use will determine whether Outlook is included or not.
>>> 
>>> Any Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer will have Outlook for Windows,
>>> which shares the same user interface with New Outlook in the various
>>> paid iterations.  That free version gets overlayed, for lack of a
>>> better way of putting it, with the paid version if a paid version of
>>> modern Outlook is installed.
>>> 
>>> I'll let Copilot lay out the M365 versus Office 2024 differences:  If
>>> installed today, September 20, 2026, does Micro | Shared Copilot Chat
>>> <https://copilot.cloud.microsoft/chat/share/eyJzaGFyZUlkIjoiMjYwZDUyM
>>> 2
>>> YtMjJiOC00Njc1LTkxYzEtYTc4ODMxNzJmMTA4IiwiY29udmVyc2F0aW9uSWQiOiI2MGQ
>>> w OGY0Yy1hZmM0LTQ4NzItYTIyZi1hOWQ0M2FhNzQ1ZjcifQ%3D%3D>
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