Microsoft makes Outlook free to make use of for Mac

You now have one other main various to the built-in Mail app in your Mac. Microsoft has made Outlook for Mac free to make use of. You beforehand wanted both a Microsoft 365 subscription or an Workplace buy to make use of the e-mail consumer. It is accessible now by the Mac App Retailer.

Microsoft unsurprisingly pitches this as a superb complement to Outlook for iOS. You’ll be able to hand off an e-mail draft to your iPhone if you have not completed writing it in your Mac, as an illustration. An upcoming Profiles function will tie into macOS’ Focus modes that will help you restrict notifications if you’re concentrating on work. As with all Outlook variations, you should utilize e-mail accounts from varied third-party companies, together with Gmail, iCloud and Yahoo (Engadget’s father or mother firm).

The corporate is not shy about a few of the reasoning behind the transfer. The workforce is “rebuilding” Outlook for Mac with efficiency, reliability and accessibility in thoughts. The free obtain may spur adoption by customers who’d in any other case by no means give it a strive. And naturally, this may spur adoption of Microsoft 365 and Workplace for purchasers who need tight integration between their e-mail software program and productiveness apps.

The addition is likely to be welcome. There aren’t many massive e-mail purchasers for the Mac, with Mozilla’s Thunderbird being essentially the most notable. Some are both paid-only or unlock options with subscriptions. Even when Outlook would not all the time match their options, you now have a simple approach to strive it.