Outlook Today missing in Outlook for Office 365’s new interface?
I’ve enabled the Coming Soon option in Outlook for Office 365 to test the new interface with a Single Line Ribbon and various changes to the Navigation Pane.
I used to be able to click on my mailbox folder (above Inbox) to open up Outlook Today but this seems no longer possible.
Has the Outlook Today feature been removed from Outlook?
Outlook Today hasn’t been removed from Outlook for Office 365 but it is quite a bit more hidden now.
The Outlook Today feature has had the “deprecated” status for over 10 years now. This means that the Outlook Team is no longer investing in this feature and could remove the feature in a future release.
Part of the Outlook Today removal process is to “de-emphasize” the feature so that the “modern alternatives” stand out more.
Although the Outlook Today feature is a bit more hidden now, there are still 4 easy methods to get to use it but there are also replacement features available which I’ve discussed before in; Outlook Today, meet Favorites, Peeks and the To-Do Bar.
Update:
The redesigned Navigation Pane has been pulled from the “Coming Soon” feature in Outlook. Instead, there have been smaller incremental changes with a new redesign possibly at a later stage. In other words; You should no longer need any of the workarounds listed below to access the Outlook Today folder. However, the Outlook Today feature might still get phased out or removed completely.
Method 1: CTRL+Click on Folders in Mail Navigation
The top level folder of your mailbox is now simply called “Folders”. When you are in the Mail Navigation, clicking on “Folders” will collapse or expand your mail folders list instead of displaying Outlook Today.
To still be able to see Outlook Today, hold the CTRL button while clicking on Folders.
Method 2: Normal click on Folders in Folders Navigation
When you are using the Folder Navigation in Outlook, not much has changed really when it comes to accessing Outlook Today.
The top level folder of your mailbox is now called “Folders” and clicking on it will still display Outlook Today.
To quickly switch to the Folders Navigation, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+6.
Method 3: Shortcut in Shortcuts Navigation
By default, you’ll also find a link to Outlook Today in the Shortcuts Navigation (keyboard shortcut CTRL+7).
If this link is missing, right click on the Shortcuts group and choose; New Shortcut. From the folder list that opens, select the top level folder of your default mailbox and press OK.
To rename the shortcut to Outlook Today, right click on the just added shortcut and select; Rename.
Method 4: Add Outlook Today to the QAT or Ribbon
Yet another method to access Outlook Today is to add a command for it on the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) or Ribbon. This is useful for when you still frequently use the feature as all other methods involve additional clicks.
You’ll find the command by going to;
- File-> Options-> Customize Ribbon / Quick Access Toolbar
- Set the “Choose” commands from dropdown list at the top to: All Commands
- Scroll down to; Outlook Today
For more information about customizing the Ribbon see; Adding commands to the Home or Message tab of the Ribbon.
