New Microsoft Outlook for Windows: Calendar notifications in the background

Good news for users of the new Microsoft Outlook for Windows – you can now receive Calendar notifications on your desktop even when Outlook is not launched. This feature will be available by default to all new Outlook for Windows users. To enable this feature, users can go to the new Outlook settings, search for Notifications, expand the Notifications in Outlook section, and enable Send notifications when Outlook is closed. In the Notify me about section, expand Calendar and select Desktop.

Additionally, users can go to Windows 11 Settings, select System, Notifications, and then select Outlook (new) to enable Show notification banners. To ensure that the app runs in the background, users can search for Installed apps in Windows 11 Settings, select Outlook (new), and then choose Advanced options. From there, they can select Let this app run in the background and then select Always.

This feature will be rolled out automatically by the specified date, with no admin action required before the rollout. The rollout is targeted to begin in late November 2024 for Targeted Release and early January 2025 for General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD).

If you're a new Outlook for Windows user, you don't need to do anything to prepare for this feature. However, you might want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation. Overall, this feature promises to make it easier to stay on top of your appointments and meetings even when you're not actively using Outlook.

The post New Microsoft Outlook for Windows: Calendar notifications in the background originally appeared on M365 Admin.