This Microsoft Outlook update will bring back some much-loved retro visuals

Outlook
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Users of Microsoft Outlook will soon be able to customize their interface with a nod to the past thanks to a new update.

The email service will soon support two new types of "ribbons" - the menu bar where options and tools are displayed.

The two new ribbon types are named "simplified" and "classic", and look to offer users a more personalized, but also familiar view of their email inboxes and folders.

Outlook ribbons

The new additions give a nod to the past, and may be familiar to those who have used Outlook for some time. In its entry on the Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company notes that the new ribbons are modeled after their counterparts on the classic Outlook for Windows platforms, in order "to provide a more familiar experience across apps".

The new ribbons will be launching to all Outlook Web users soon, with the roadmap page noting that although the new additions are still "in development", they have an expected general availability date of September 2022, so users won't have too long to wait.

Microsoft has been hard at work tweaking and updating its email platform in recent months as it looks to ensure users get the best possible experience.

The company unveiled its new “One Outlook” platform recently, with the upgraded service offering a clean, minimalist aesthetic in line with the Windows 11 design philosophy, whilst also housing related apps like Calendar and Contacts.

Microsoft also recently alerted users that Outlook on the web will be changing the location of some of its message composing options soon.

The changes include the "Send", "Discard", and formatting options. The post doesn't mention exactly where the options are moving too, but it should be very similar to the existing layout on the desktop version of Outlook, as Microsoft says that the change, "brings the experience in web closer to the classic and new Outlook for Windows."

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

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