New Outlook: What will change for your newsletters?
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Microsoft is consistently pushing ahead with the transition to the new Outlook. This brings technical advantages for you – especially in terms of modern layouts.
At the same time, Outlook Classic remains widely used in the B2B environment. This creates a transition phase in which both versions must be taken into account in parallel.
What does this mean specifically for your newsletter templates?
More design freedom in the new Outlook
The new Outlook is more closely aligned with web standards. This has clear advantages for newsletter design:
Stable support for CSS functions
- Rounded buttons (border radius) are displayed cleanly
- Web fonts are loaded correctly more often
- CSS background images work without special Outlook solutions
- Layouts can therefore be implemented closer to the original design – with fewer workarounds and less client-specific code.
Tip: Our design expert Sarah shows you what a technically clean and modern implementation can look like in this blog post.
More focus on accessibility & dark mode
In addition to design aspects, the new Outlook also improves the technical interpretation of accessible structures:
- Heading hierarchies are recognised more accurately
- Alt texts are displayed more reliably
- Improved screen reader compatibility
- Colours are processed more consistently in Dark Mode
- Fewer unwanted colour distortions
- Buttons and texts remain more legible
Important: Dark mode settings and accessibility must still be actively taken into account.
Proper implementation requires targeted testing and, if necessary, optimisations in the individual template.
Tip: Further information on designing accessible newsletters and our accessibility checklist can be found here.
Please note: Technically more advanced, but not entirely consistent
The new Outlook enables more modern and flexible newsletter designs.
At the same time, our tests show that
- Different versions and rollout statuses can lead to different displays
- System environments influence the display
- Even within the new Outlook, the results are not yet completely consistent
- A completely identical display across all Outlook versions cannot be technically guaranteed.
What does this mean for your individual newsletter template?
Outlook Classic remains the limiting factor in design at present. Therefore, the following still applies:
- Templates should continue to be developed according to ‘Outlook Classic standards’.
- Modern CSS techniques are only used with suitable fallback solutions.
- Compatibility and stability have top priority.
When creating your individual newsletter template, comprehensive testing is an integral part of our service. We check the display in the relevant email clients – especially in Outlook Classic and the new Outlook.
This ensures that your newsletters:
- Are displayed correctly and attractively
- Remain readable in all relevant environments
- Are implemented in line with your brand
Conclusion
The new Outlook is a step towards modern, web-based email display. This opens up more technical possibilities for designing newsletter templates. However, there are still limitations due to existing client structures.
Especially in the transition phase from the classic to the new Outlook, clean technical implementation and consistent testing are of great importance. This is the only way to ensure the high quality of your mailings.
Have your template checked now
Would you like to know how well your current newsletter template is equipped for the new Outlook?
Our service team will be happy to analyse your existing template and identify specific areas for optimisation.
Arrange your free newsletter check now to ensure your mailings are future-proof.