Mail (Windows)

Conflation of two applications developed by Microsoft

For other products, see Windows Live Mail, Windows for Workgroups Mail, and Microsoft Outlook.

Mail

Mail running on Windows 10 with the light theme

Developer(s)| Microsoft
Initial release| November 30, 2006; 18 years ago (2006-11-30)
Stable release|

16005.14326.22342.0 / 9 April 2025; 3 months ago (2025-04-09)[1]

Operating system|

* Windows Vista and later

Predecessor| Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail
Successor| Outlook for Windows
Type| Email client

Mail (later Microsoft Outlook) is a discontinued email client developed by Microsoft and included in Windows Vista and later versions of Windows.[2][3] It was available as the successor to Outlook Express, which was either included with, or released for Internet Explorer 3.0 and later versions of Internet Explorer. It was succeeded by Outlook for Windows.

## Windows Vista

[edit]

A screenshot of Windows Mail displaying a user's Inbox folder

Windows Mail can be traced to a pre-release version of Outlook Express 7 included in early builds of Windows Vista (then known by its codename, "Longhorn"). Outlook Express 7 introduced various changes to the user interface[4] and relied on WinFS for the management and storage of contacts, email, and other data.[5] It supported Post Office Protocol (POP) and Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) email protocols, but no longer supported Microsoft's proprietary mail-over-HTTP scheme,[6] an omission inherited by Windows Mail.[7] IPv6 is fully supported.[8]

Windows Mail was formally announced on September 16, 2005 at Channel 9 and positioned as the successor to Outlook Express.[9] Windows Mail is a fundamentally new application with significant feature additions (many which were previously exclusive to Internet Explorer or Microsoft Outlook) and fundamental revisions to the storage architecture and security mechanisms. Identities in Outlook Express are replaced with Windows user profiles. The storage of items is managed by a Extensible Storage Engine database — the same engine used by Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange — with messages and newsgroups stored as separate `eml` and `nws` files instead of in a single `dbx` file; the database is transactional and periodically creates backups of items to protect against data loss, which eliminates the single point of failure design of Outlook Express. Account configuration information is also no longer stored in the Windows Registry or in a single `dbx` file—instead, Windows Mail relies on XML files stored within a user profile alongside email, making it possible to simply copy an entire email store to another machine. Windows Mail supports the Windows Search platform, allowing communications to be searched directly from within the Windows Shell.[10]

Windows Mail is also intended to be a significantly more secure offering than Outlook Express by including Bayesian spam filtering, email attachment blocking, junk email filtering functionality of Microsoft Exchange, the Phishing Filter of Internet Explorer 7, and top-level domain blocking.[10] All of these features, excluding Internet Explorer Phishing Filter integration, were included in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 as part of Microsoft Office 2003.[11]

Windows Mail has a documented application programming interface (API) based on Component Object Model (COM).[12] Except for Simple MAPI messaging functionality, the API of Outlook Express was undocumented.[13]

## Windows 7

[edit]

Windows Mail is excluded from Windows 7 in favor of Windows Live Mail, part of Windows Essentials. Some files of Windows Mail still exist and there is a way to enable it.[citation needed]

## Windows 8.x

[edit]

Mail in Windows 8 and 8.1 is a completely new application based on the Windows Runtime, designed in accordance with Microsoft's Metro design language philosophy, as a Windows Store app that runs in either full-screen or split-screen viewing modes; many of its features are hidden in the charms or in the app bar (an initially hidden toolbar) at the bottom of the screen that is revealed by right-clicking or by swiping upward. Mail is updated independently from the operating system and is bundled with Calendar and People—it cannot be installed or uninstalled individually.

Preset server configurations for Outlook.com, Gmail, AOL Mail, and Yahoo! Mail are available; Exchange Server or IMAP accounts can be configured,[14] but Mail does not directly support POP3.

## Windows 10 and 11

[edit]

Mail in Windows 10 and 11 has preset server configurations for Outlook.com, Office 365, Gmail, iCloud, and Yahoo! Mail.[15][16][17] AOL Mail, as well as other Exchange Server and IMAP accounts, can still be added, and POP3 support has returned.[15][17][18] Newsgroup/Usenet support remains absent.[19] Mail and Calendar are still Universal Windows apps and are in the same app container, but their third sibling, People, is moved out of this container and is a standalone app by itself.

Users can set Mail to use the system theme or choose a custom accent color, background image, and light/dark preference. It has multi-window support and can open email messages in a new window.[20] Emails are listed in Mail's jumplist. Mail uses a settings panel, email sorting tools in the second pane, and a toolbar in the viewing pane. Like the Vista version of Mail, this version's important controls are readily visible. Accounts can be grouped and relabeled, and custom folders can be created, edited, or deleted within the app.[21] It is possible to use Outlook.com aliases and @mentions with Mail.

Like Microsoft Outlook, Mail allows users to set up Quick Actions, such as Delete, Set Flag, and Archive, to respond to messages from system notifications and swipe gestures.[22]

In December 2019, Mail added non-removable advertisements for the Microsoft Outlook mobile app.[23]

In 2023, Microsoft announced that beginning in 2024, new Windows 11 devices would be shipped with the new Outlook for Windows, and that the default Windows Mail and Calendar applications would be replaced by the end of 2024.[24]

Support for Windows Mail ended on December 31, 2024.[25]

## Heritage

[edit]

As with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, Mail uses `Ctrl`+`E` to invoke the search. All other Microsoft products use `Ctrl`+`F`.

## See also

[edit]

* Comparison of email clients
* Comparison of Usenet newsreaders
* List of Microsoft Windows components

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Mail and Calendar". Microsoft Apps. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
2. ^ Branscombe, Mary (3 July 2013). "Mail in Windows 8.1: how Microsoft is finally giving it some power". TechRadar. Future US. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
3. ^ Warren, Thomas "Tom" (22 April 2015). "Windows 10 preview now includes new Outlook mail app and theme tweaks". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
4. ^ Thurrott, Paul (October 6, 2010). "Windows Longhorn Build 4051 Gallery 3". Supersite for Windows. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
5. ^ Jennings, Roger (February 1, 2004). "Get a Grip on Longhorn". MVP Magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
6. ^ Lee, Wei-Meng (May 18, 2004). "A First Look at Longhorn". WindowsDevCenter.com. O'Reilly Media. Archived from the original on 26 August 2004. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
7. ^ Microsoft. "Windows Mail: Setting up an account from start to finish". Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
8. ^ "Guidance for configuring IPv6 in Windows for advanced users". Microsoft. September 8, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
9. ^ "The new Outlook Express: Windows Mail demoed". Channel 9. Microsoft. September 16, 2005. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
10. ^ a b Piltzecker, Tony (April 11, 2007). "Vista Mail vs. Outlook Express". Datamation. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
11. ^ "Microsoft Office 2003 Editions Product Guide". Microsoft. September 2003. Archived from the original (DOC) on November 4, 2005. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
12. ^ "Windows Mail Programmability". Msdn2.microsoft.com. 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
13. ^ "Developer Support Limitations with Outlook Express". Support.microsoft.com. 2005-06-25. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
14. ^ "Set up iCloud mail account on the Windows 8 mail app". 19 June 2013.
15. ^ a b "Set up email in Mail for Windows 10". Office.com. Microsoft. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
16. ^ Casey, Henry T. (10 February 2016). "How to Set Up iCloud Email and Calendars on Windows 10". LAPTOP.
17. ^ a b "A closer look at the new Mail app on Windows 10". MSPoweruser. 7 April 2015.
18. ^ Stobing, Chris (14 August 2015). "How to Configure a POP3 Email Account in Windows 10". How-To Geek.
19. ^ "Windows 10 Mail + Newsgroups". Microsoft.
20. ^ Foley, Mary Jo (25 October 2016). "Newest Windows 10 'Redstone 2' test build adds new Outlook Mail features". ZDNet. CBS Interactive.
21. ^ "How do I add or remove folders in Mail for Windows 10? - Outlook".
22. ^ "What's new in Mail and Calendar for Windows 10".
23. ^ "Ads are back in Windows 10 Mail and Calendar Desktop app (and there are no way to remove them)". MSPowerUser. December 14, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
24. ^ "Outlook for Windows: The Future of Mail, Calendar and People on Windows 11". Microsoft Support.
25. ^ "Outlook for Windows: The Future of Mail, Calendar, and People on Windows 11 - Microsoft Support". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.

## External links

[edit]

* Set up email and calendar
* Mail and Calendar in Microsoft Store

* v
* t
* e

Email clients

Free software|

| Current|

* Alpine
* Balsa
* Citadel/UX
* Claws Mail
* Cleancode eMail
* Evolution
* fetchmail
* fdm
* Geary
* getmail
* GNUMail
* Gnus
* Gnuzilla
* IMP
* K-9 Mail
* KMail
* Mahogany
* Mailpile
* Mailx
* Mailx (Heirloom Project)
* Modest
* Mozilla Thunderbird
* Mulberry
* Mutt
* nmh / MH
* OfflineIMAP
* Roundcube
* SeaMonkey
* SquirrelMail
* Sylpheed
* Trojitá
* YAM
* Zimbra

|

Discontinued|

* Arachne
* Beonex Communicator
* BlitzMail
* Classilla
* Columbia MM
* Elm
* FossaMail
* Hula
* Mailody
* Mozilla Mail & Newsgroups
* Nylas N1

Proprietary|

| Freeware/Freemium|

* eM Client
* EmailTray
* Foxmail
* i.Scribe
* Mailbird
* Spark
* Spike
* TouchMail
* Vivaldi Mail

|

Retail|

* Hiri
* Bloomba/WordPerfect Mail
* Newton
* HCL Domino
* InScribe
* Apple Mail
* Mail (Windows)
* Microsoft Outlook
* Outlook for Windows
* Novell GroupWise
* Airmail
* Postbox

Shareware|

* Becky!
* Forté Agent
* GyazMail
* The Bat!
* Samsung Email

Donationware|

* Pegasus Mail

Discontinued|

* cc:Mail
* Claris Emailer
* Courier
* Cyberdog
* Cyberjack
* Embrowser
* Eudora
* Mailbox
* Microsoft Entourage
* Microsoft Internet Mail and News
* Microsoft Mail
* MINUET
* Netscape Mail
* Netscape Messenger 9
* NeXTMail
* Outlook Express
* Pine
* Pocomail
* POPmail
* Sparrow
* Turnpike
* WebSpyder
* Windows Live Mail
* Windows Messaging

Related technologies|

* SMTP
* IMAP
* JMAP
* LMTP
* POP
* Push-IMAP
* SMAP
* UUCP

Related topics|

* Email
* Unicode and email

* Category
* Comparison

* v
* t
* e

Digital calendars

Standards|

* iCalendar
* CalDAV
* DAViCal
* Web Calendar Access Protocol
* Webcal
* Related standards:
* SyncML
* vCard
* WebDav

Current implementations|

* 30 Boxes
* Any.do
* Artist Growth
* Cal (command)
* Calendar (Apple)
* Calendar (Windows)
* Cozi Central
* DAViCal
* Hiri
* EM Client
* EProductivity
* Evolution
* GNOME Calendar
* Google Calendar
* Holiline Reminder
* Ical (Unix)
* Kontact
* Lanyrd
* Mail (Windows)
* Meeting Maker
* Microsoft Outlook
* Web
* Outlook.com
* Lightning
* Sunbird
* Rainlendar
* Remember the Milk
* SabreDAV
* Sun Java System Calendar Server
* Oracle Communications Unified Communications Suite
* Upcoming
* Yahoo! Calendar
* Windows Live Mail
* wmCalClock

Discontinued|

* Chandler
* Ecco Pro
* HotJava Views
* Microsoft Entourage
* MobileMe
* Mozilla Calendar Project
* Now Up-to-Date
* Plan
* Sunrise Calendar
* Tempo
* Windows Mobile Device Center

* v
* t
* e

Microsoft Windows components

* APIs
* Architecture
* 9x
* NT
* Booting process
* Games

Management
tools|

* App Installer
* Command Prompt
* Control Panel
* Device Manager
* DirectX Diagnostic Tool
* Disk Cleanup
* Drive Optimizer
* Driver Verifier
* Event Viewer
* IExpress
* Management Console
* Netsh
* Performance Monitor
* PowerShell
* Recovery Console
* Resource Monitor
* Settings
* Sysprep
* System Configuration
* System File Checker
* System Information
* System Policy Editor
* System Restore
* Task Manager
* Windows Error Reporting
* Windows Ink
* Windows Installer
* Windows Update
* Windows Insider
* WinRE
* WMI

Apps|

* 3D Viewer
* Calculator
* Calendar
* Camera
* Character Map
* City Art Search
* Clipchamp
* Clock
* Company Portal
* Copilot
* Edge
* Fax and Scan
* Feedback Hub
* Get Help
* Magnifier
* Mail
* Media Player
* 2022
* Mesh
* Messaging
* Mobility Center
* Money
* Movies & TV
* Narrator
* News
* Notepad
* OneDrive
* OneNote
* Paint
* PC Manager
* People
* Phone Link
* Photos
* Quick Assist
* Remote Desktop Connection
* Snipping Tool
* Speech Recognition
* Sticky Notes
* Store
* Terminal
* Tips
* To Do
* Voice Recorder
* Weather
* Whiteboard
* Windows App
* Xbox

Shell|

* Action Center
* Aero
* AutoPlay
* AutoRun
* ClearType
* Explorer
* Search
* IFilter
* Indexing Service
* Namespace
* Saved search
* Special folder
* Start menu
* Task View
* Taskbar
* Windows Spotlight
* Windows XP visual styles

Services|

* BITS
* CLFS
* Error Reporting
* Multimedia Class Scheduler
* Service Control Manager
* Shadow Copy
* Task Scheduler
* Wireless Zero Configuration

File systems|

* CDFS
* DFS
* exFAT
* FAT
* IFS
* NTFS
* EFS
* Hard link
* links
* Mount Point
* Reparse point
* TxF
* ReFS
* UDF

Server|

* Active Directory
* Active DRM Services
* DFS Replication
* Distributed Transaction Coordinator
* DNS
* Domains
* Folder redirection
* Group Policy
* Hyper-V
* IIS
* MSMQ
* Network Access Protection
* Print Services for UNIX
* PWS
* Remote Desktop Services
* Remote Differential Compression
* Remote Installation Services
* Roaming user profiles
* Server Core
* SharePoint
* System Resource Manager
* Windows Deployment Services
* Windows Media Services
* WSUS

Architecture|

* Boot Manager
* Console
* CSRSS
* Desktop Window Manager
* Enhanced Write Filter
* Graphics Device Interface
* Hardware Abstraction Layer
* I/O request packet
* Imaging Format
* Kernel Transaction Manager
* Library files
* Logical Disk Manager
* LSASS
* MinWin
* NTLDR
* Ntoskrnl.exe
* Object Manager
* Open XML Paper Specification
* Portable Executable
* DLL
* EXE
* Registry
* Resource Protection
* Security Account Manager
* Server Message Block
* Shadow Copy
* SMSS
* System Idle Process
* USER
* WHEA
* Winlogon
* WinUSB

Security|

* Security and Maintenance
* AppLocker
* BitLocker
* Credential Guard
* Data Execution Prevention
* Defender
* Family features
* Kernel Patch Protection
* Mandatory Integrity Control
* Protected Media Path
* User Account Control
* User Interface Privilege Isolation
* Windows Firewall

Compatibility|

* COMMAND.COM
* Windows Subsystem for Linux
* WoW64

API|

* Active Scripting
* JScript
* VBScript
* WSH
* COM
* ActiveX
* ActiveX Document
* COM Structured storage
* DCOM
* OLE
* OLE Automation
* Transaction Server
* DirectX
* Native
* .NET
* Universal Windows Platform
* WinAPI
* Windows Mixed Reality
* Windows Runtime
* WinUSB

Games|

* Solitaire Collection
* Surf

Discontinued|

| Games|

* 3D Pinball
* Chess Titans
* FreeCell
* Hearts
* Hold 'Em
* InkBall
* Purble Place
* Solitaire
* Spider Solitaire
* Tinker

|

Apps|

* ActiveMovie
* Address Book
* Anytime Upgrade
* Backup and Restore
* Cardfile
* CardSpace
* CD Player
* Chat
* Contacts
* Cortana
* Desktop Gadgets
* Diagnostics
* DriveSpace
* DVD Maker
* Easy Transfer
* Edge Legacy
* Fax
* Food & Drink
* Groove Music
* Health & Fitness
* Help and Support Center
* HyperTerminal
* Imaging
* Internet Explorer
* Journal
* Make Compatible
* Maps
* Media Center
* Meeting Space
* Messaging
* Messenger
* Mobile Device Center
* Movie Maker
* MSN Dial-Up
* NetMeeting
* NTBackup
* Outlook Express
* Paint 3D
* Pay
* Phone Companion
* Photo Gallery
* Photo Viewer
* Program Manager
* Skype
* Sports
* Start
* Steps Recorder
* Syskey
* Travel
* WinHelp
* WordPad
* Write

Others|

* Desktop Cleanup Wizard
* File Protection
* Games for Windows
* HPFS
* Interix
* Media Control Interface
* MS-DOS 7
* Next-Generation Secure Computing Base
* POSIX subsystem
* ScanDisk
* Video for Windows
* Virtual DOS machine
* Windows on Windows
* Windows Services for UNIX
* Windows SideShow
* Windows System Assessment Tool
* Windows To Go
* WinFS

Spun off to
Microsoft Store|

* DVD Player
* File Manager
* Hover!
* Mahjong
* Minesweeper

* Category
* List

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