Back in September last year, Microsoft revealed that the company was adding certain features that would work without the Internet. At that time, the company rolled out offline support for email operations and composition. Microsoft seemed to hint at adding more offline features in future updates, saying: "The first set of offline features in the new Outlook for Windows. Mail, calendar events, and contacts will be stored on your device, so you can view them even when you're not connected to the internet."
But somehow, the ability to store mail, calendar events, and contacts locally was delayed until the company finally reiterated it in early June this year. The entries under Microsoft365 (M365) feature ID 178030 are the same. However, Microsoft never actually revealed why the release date was pushed back.
Regardless, fast forward to today and the company is adding more offline capabilities, which is exactly what Microsoft intended. The latest entry in the Microsoft 365 roadmap relates to the launch of the offline Outlook app, which is a welcome addition, especially for those users who still prefer classic Outlook.
The entry reads:
Outlook: Offline app launch
This will introduce the ability to open or restart the new Outlook for Windows when not connected to the internet. Before this, you need to be connected to the Internet to open or restart the new Outlook. Offline access is only supported when the app is already running and offline. Opening and restarting apps while offline will be introduced with this rollout.
The entry is listed under ID414516, and Microsoft states that the feature will begin rolling out this month, October 2024. However, please note that there has been a slight delay given that the feature was originally added on September 3, 2024.
The message was also posted on the Microsoft 365 Admin Center dashboard with number MC907098.