Breaking Changes: New Outlook Auto-Migration Begins January 2025

Microsoft is done pretending to care about your Outlook automation code.

Starting January 2025, they will begin automatically switching business users to New Outlook–a product that completely eliminates COM and VBA support.

The writing has been on the wall for years.

Microsoft's relationship with COM automation has grown cold, distant. Like a spouse who's checked out of their marriage, Microsoft has been spending more and more time with their new love interests: web technologies, cloud services, and AI.

Now, they're finally ready to move out of the house.

But rather than file the divorce papers themselves, they're orchestrating things so that you look like the unreasonable one for not embracing their "modern" vision. Never mind that this vision includes exactly zero of the capabilities you've relied upon for decades. But hey, at least you get a "simplified design" and "intelligent assisted capabilities" (their words, not mine).

Your organization needs a plan. And–like a good prenuptial agreement–you need it before your users get automatically switched to New Outlook.

Timeline Overview

The automatic migration timeline varies by account type:

• October 2024: Personal Microsoft accounts (Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, etc.)
• January 2025: Small and Medium Business users
• April 2026: Enterprise users with Microsoft 365 licenses

Switch to new Outlook for Windows - Microsoft Support

Microsoft Support

The migration is automatic but not mandatory. Users and IT administrators can take steps to prevent the automatic switch. However, this reprieve is temporary.

Microsoft's long-term strategy is clear: Classic Outlook's days are numbered.

A Tale of Two Cities

Imagine a city where businesses have thrived for decades thanks to an efficient network of bridges connecting them to their customers, suppliers, and workers. The bridges aren't fancy, but they're reliable, well-understood, and they get the job done.

During a routine city council meeting, the police chief floats what she calls an "innovative security proposal."

"I've discovered that criminals are using our bridges to enter the city," she explains. "The solution is simple: we'll close all the vehicle bridges and replace them with beautiful pedestrian footbridges. These modern walkways will make it much easier to spot and catch criminals."

Before anyone can process this suggestion, the Parks and Recreation director practically leaps from his chair. "This is brilliant! Commuters can leave their cars outside the city and enjoy a leisurely stroll to the office. Think of the reduced noise pollution. The improved quality of life!"

"And the maintenance savings!" the Public Works director chimes in, furiously calculating numbers on his tablet. "Do you know how much we spend annually just on repaving those bridges?"

The Environmental Services director beams. "Zero vehicle emissions in the city means we'll hit our carbon reduction targets years ahead of schedule!"

"The marketing potential is incredible," gushes the Tourism director. "These aren't just footbridges—they're Instagram-worthy architectural statements. #ModernCityLiving will be trending in no time."

The City Planner adjusts her glasses excitedly. "This aligns perfectly with our urban walkability initiatives. We can finally implement those pedestrian-first designs I saw at that conference in Copenhagen!"

"And think of the budget implications," adds the Finance director, practically salivating. "We can redirect all that infrastructure spending to more pressing needs. Like updating our logo to something more modern."

The self-congratulatory enthusiasm builds until a quiet voice pipes up from the back of the room.

"Um, excuse me," the chamber of commerce representative ventures nervously, "but has anyone considered how blocking all vehicle traffic might affect the city's economy?"

The room falls silent. Eyes narrow. The temperature seems to drop ten degrees.

After what feels like an eternity, the mayor speaks. "Fine," she says through gritted teeth. "We'll leave one vehicle bridge open. For five years. To help with the transition." Before the chamber rep can respond, she adds, "But we're removing all road signs pointing to it. And we'll never speak of this bridge–or any of its benefits–ever again. Agreed?"

The room nods in unison, already dreaming up press releases about their "transformative vision for modern urban mobility."

And that, dear reader, is exactly how Microsoft is handling the transition to New Outlook. They're so focused on their "modern" vision–and so sure of its righteousness–that they've convinced themselves that breaking every Access application that uses Outlook automation is somehow doing us all a favor.

Impact on Access Applications

The switch to New Outlook severs the COM automation connections that Access developers have relied upon for decades, much like our metaphorical city closing its bridges to vehicle traffic.

Microsoft's pedestrian footbridges–web add-ins–lead to a dead end for most Access developers. These add-ins have significant limitations:

• They only work with Microsoft accounts
• They require an active internet connection
• They run in a restricted sandbox environment
• They cannot move or copy items between accounts
• They lack many features available in COM add-ins

Most importantly, there is currently no direct replacement for Access applications that automate Outlook via COM and VBA.

Why You Shouldn't Panic (Yet)

Despite the ominous timeline, there are several reasons to stay calm and avoid rushing into expensive rewrites.

Like the one remaining bridge in our tale, Classic Outlook will stay open through at least 2029. This "transition period" exists because Microsoft included Classic Outlook in Office 2024 perpetual, which comes with a five-year support commitment.

The Access development team is aware of this critical issue. As an Access MVP, I can share that they are actively exploring solutions and workarounds. While I can't provide specifics, I encourage developers to give Microsoft time to address this challenge before investing significant resources in rewriting existing applications.

The automatic migration can also be deferred. Both users and IT administrators have options to prevent the automatic switch to New Outlook, buying precious time for proper planning and evaluation.

Preparing Your Organization

While we wait for Microsoft to provide more guidance (or admit that footbridges might not serve everyone's needs), there are several steps you should take now.

First, map out which of your applications rely on these soon-to-be-closed automation pathways. You need a clear picture of which business processes will be affected when the bridges close. Include details about specific automation features used, as this will help evaluate potential workarounds.

Next, determine which bucket your users fall into (Consumer, Business, or Enterprise). The automatic migration timeline varies based on account type, so understanding your user base helps prioritize your response.

If you need to prevent the automatic migration, users can disable it through Classic Outlook:

1. Go to File > Options > General > New Outlook options
2. Uncheck "Automatically switch me to new Outlook"*

^{* NOTE: If you don't see this option, it means you're not currently eligible for an automatic switch to new Outlook for Windows at this time.}

IT administrators can also prevent the automatic switch organization-wide using group policy settings.

If you're an Access developer who doesn't control your organization's IT environment, now is the time to reach out to those who do. Schedule a meeting with your IT department to discuss the impact of New Outlook on your business-critical applications.

Keep the tone collaborative and solution-focused. Remind them that:

• Classic Outlook remains fully supported through 2029
• This includes all security updates and patches
• Classic Outlook is not suddenly insecure just because New Outlook exists
• A planned, coordinated migration will be far less disruptive than an automatic one

Warning: Some IT departments may insist on moving to New Outlook as soon as possible, especially if they view Access and VBA development as security risks. Be prepared to justify any delay in migration with concrete business requirements.

^{* NOTE: I will be writing a separate article to help counteract Microsoft's own implicit FUD campaign regarding COM and VBA. Watch for that in the coming days.}

Conclusion

Microsoft's bridge-burning strategy threatens to strand countless Access applications.

The automatic migration to New Outlook is already underway for personal accounts, with business users facing automatic migration starting next month. While Microsoft seems determined to force everyone onto their new pedestrian footbridges, they've given us a five-year window to adapt. Your IT department holds the power to prevent automatic migrations, and proper planning now can help avoid crisis-driven rewrites later.

And who knows? If enough chambers of commerce speak up, maybe Microsoft will build a usable bridge to New Outlook before classic Outlook disappears for good.

Acknowledgements

• Article title generated with the help of Claude-3.5-Sonnet
• Article excerpt generated with the help of Claude-3.5-Sonnet
• Portions of this article's body generated with the help of Claude-3.5-Sonnet
• Cover image generated by FLUX-schnell