Microsoft is discontinuing these productivity apps for Windows 11 at the end of the year

Microsoft has announced that it will end support for Windows Mail, Calendar and People on December 31, 2024. After this date, users will no longer be able to send and receive emails or make changes using these apps. Therefore, Microsoft recommends Windows Mail users to switch to the new Outlook for Windows.

Windows Mail will no longer exist after 2024, image credit: Microsoft.

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The good news is that locally stored emails, events, and other information remain exportable in these three apps. Microsoft provides users with instructions for exporting emails and contacts and importing them into the new Outlook – the you can be read here.

For those wondering, the “new” Outlook is Microsoft's revamped web-based version of its popular and long-standing email platform. It will eventually replace the desktop version of Outlook; However, support there is expected to last at least until 2029.

The new Outlook from Microsoft is also free for all Windows users. It includes “advanced AI” features and capabilities that let you write and manage your inbox and import all of your email accounts into a single place – including third-party accounts like Google, Yahoo!, iCloud, and more. There's also a free Microsoft 365 integration to access apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint online.

Introducing the “new Outlook” was a huge undertaking for Microsoft. It was rolled out gradually, with the option for existing users to sign up and try it out for years. With the company's announcement that it is effectively eliminating Windows Mail, Calendar and People on December 31, 2024, it suggests that the new Outlook is finally ready to replace these existing apps and become Microsoft's only email, contact and and calendar solution.