I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Microsoft. The keyword there is had. There’s no love left in me for the company, and certainly none for its email service or client. Today, I’m writing to shed some light — and to let my fellow Outlook users know that they deserve better.
I’ve used Outlook for over a decade. I’ve also used the Outlook app (including the old Windows Mail app) for just as long. And I’m telling you: you deserve better.
Outlook is clunky
The app forgot how to feel native
Let’s start with the app itself. Outlook was my go-to email client for years. I had it on my computer, my Surface, and — foolishly — on my Android phone. It wasn’t by choice. I never picked Outlook; it was just there. Windows Mail came preinstalled, and I got used to it. I suspect that’s true for most Outlook users today.
To be fair, Windows Mail was a good app. It was lightweight and did exactly what you expected: send and receive email. Then, Microsoft retired Windows Mail in favor of Outlook. At first, that was fine, too. It was fast enough, worked reliably, and basically did everything Windows Mail did. Microsoft had just decided to unify its branding — its mail app and email service would both be called Outlook, like Gmail. Reasonable.
But then came the new Outlook, and that’s where it all fell apart. The older version was rebranded “Outlook Classic,” and the new one inherited every problem currently plaguing Microsoft software. If you’re fed up with Windows 11’s Settings app like me, you already know what I mean.
Outlook suffers from the same design and performance issues that have infected nearly every Microsoft app. Gone are the days when you could expect Microsoft — the company behind Windows — to make great Windows software. Now, nearly every Microsoft app feels bloated, slow, and clunky. Nothing happens instantly. You click something and then wait, forever unsure whether the click actually registered.
I doubt this is a technical limitation. My theory is simpler: Outlook’s slowness isn’t due to bad engineering — it’s due to over-engineering. Just as Chrome drains battery life on iPhones because it runs extra processes in the background, Outlook is likely doing far more than meets the eye. It’s probably logging, tracking, and sending data back to Microsoft constantly.
So that lag you feel, that delay when switching folders or clicking Send, it’s performance overhead you never asked for — caused by background behavior you’d probably prefer didn’t exist. And I refuse to put up with that. You shouldn’t either.
Outlook has ads
Because apparently your inbox wasn’t monetized enough
One of the biggest turn-offs with the new Outlook is the ads. I can’t even write that without asking: why? Why did Microsoft decide to inject ads into Outlook? Why are they designed to look exactly like unread emails, just to trick users into clicking them? And even if you accidentally click one, why does it have to open in your browser instead of an email-like preview?
Receiving spam is one thing. Having the client itself inject fake emails into your inbox is another. This isn’t just sleazy and borders on malware behavior.
I could understand if this were a free website funded by ad revenue. But Outlook isn’t that. Microsoft is one of the wealthiest companies on the planet. If small independent developers can build clean, ad-free mail clients, why can’t Microsoft? The answer is simple: greed.
Microsoft has terrible service
Security theater and support nightmare
Let’s move from the client to the service itself. Outlook’s email service is infamous for its paranoia. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to re-enter my password or verify with two-factor authentication just to sync my inbox. Supposedly, it’s for security. But I have accounts from four other providers in the same client, and none of them harass me this much.
And that’s just the beginning. I once lost an important Outlook inbox entirely due to Microsoft’s overzealous security system and its nonexistent customer support. Take this as a warning: if you ever get locked out of your account, you’re on your own. You’ll spend hours trying to reach a human through AI chatbots, and if you finally get through, the agent will be useless. You’ll lose access forever. I did. And I’m still bitter about it.
Outlook feels too much like Microsoft
Corporate personality in app form
Outlook feels like a microcosm of everything wrong with Microsoft today. It The app serves you ads disguised as emails. It lags and stutters on powerful hardware. It interrupts you with pop-ups about new features you never asked for. And if you decide you prefer the old Outlook, you’ll be hounded with prompts to “try the new Outlook” until you give in.
Even if you resist entirely, you’re still not free. Uninstall Outlook, and it will quietly reinstall itself with the next Windows update. Disable it, and Microsoft will sync your settings from the cloud and turn it back on. Outlook’s a manifestation of the Microsoft’s worst habits: constant nudging, endless telemetry, and an assumption that the company knows what’s best for you. The same attitude that bloats Windows has now infected your inbox.
Although I’m on Windows — and therefore tethered to Microsoft’s ecosystem — I’ll resist it wherever I can. I don’t need a daily reminder that I’m tolerating bad software out of necessity. So if there’s one area where I still have a choice, it’s my email client, and it won’t be Outlook. Not when the alternatives are faster, cleaner, and simply better.
There are better alternatives
You don’t have to live like this
I genuinely believe most people who still use Outlook never chose to. It came with Windows, or they assumed their @outlook.com address would work best with the Outlook client (it doesn’t), or they’re already paying for a Microsoft 365 subscription. But none of these are good reasons to stay trapped in a bad app.
The Outlook problem is a complete trilogy of failure: the service (Outlook.com), the client (Outlook), and the company behind both (Microsoft). None of them stand up to the competition.
I ditched Outlook a while ago and switched to web clients for a while — that’s how much I disliked using it. Eventually, I found better desktop options.
If you’re on Android, just use Gmail. It’s faster and more stable. If you’re on Apple devices, use Apple Mail. It’s native, clean, and efficient. And if you’re on Windows like me, don’t worry. You have options.
Thunderbird, from Mozilla, is free, open-source, and highly reliable. If you prefer something more modern-looking, try Mailspring — it’s also free, open-source, and visually polished. I settled on Mailspring after a year of frustration, and it’s been the best email experience I’ve had on Windows.
But even if Mailspring doesn’t click with you, you’re not out of luck. There are other great mail clients that respect your time and your privacy. As for the email service itself, you can switch to Gmail or , even better, ProtonMail. Don’t let Microsoft convince you that Outlook is your only choice. It’s not. You deserve an email experience that’s fast, clean, and free from manipulation. Microsoft’s Outlook simply isn’t that anymore.
