Seriously, how is the performance of Microsoft Outlook for Mac?

[katewes]

Note: question for people who have used Outlook for Mac.

Ever since I transitioned from PC to Mac years ago, I've never taken any interest in Microsoft Outlook for Mac, since Apple Mail has met all my needs. Virtually all (it seems like 100%) of comments on these forums about Microsoft Outlook for Mac seem disparaging.

Recently, however, I am having to give input on which cloud service to use for a new professional services firm, and we're inclined to go with Microsoft 365 which comes with Outlook email client. It is possible that Outlook will access IMAP emails from an Exchange server, or cloud-based IMAP.

The practice has about 10 professionals plus support staff. The decision is whether to go all cloud, or use an exchange server.

I'd like to hear from Outlook-Mac users:

-- were there any problems?

-- Did you find Outlook-Mac stable enough for a professional practice (i.e. where you don't want things to go wrong)?

-- Any advice or warnings about using Outlook-Mac for professional work?

-- Given that the practice will use both PCs and Macs, if you're not keen on Outlook, what other email clients would you recommend?

 

[Intell]

Outlook 2011 for Mac is fine. It's UI is rather poorly done though. The new Outlook for Mac that is only for some Office 365 users looks really nice, but I can't common on how well it works.

 

[katewes]

The new Outlook for Mac that is only for some Office 365 users looks really nice ...

I was going to ask, who gets the new Outlook, but I found the answer with a search.

 

[Cassady]

I was loathe to pop something up, since my memory is hazy - it being a long time ago... But figured different perspectives might trigger some more feedback!

At the time that I made the conversion - Outlook was also my single biggest concern.

At work, I'm all PC-bound. I use Outlook and a series of categories extensively. It's integration with OneNote also used to be a killer - although, I've worked around that since. The meeting requests/calendar etc., for work purposes, had me convinced I simply had to take the plunge and buy the complete MSOffice package, which (this side) is significantly more expensive that MSOffice without Outlook.

Long story short - 3 years later, and it's no longer an issue for me. I am quite comfortable using Apple Mail to keep track of what is happening in my Outlook when not at the office, and simply do the heavy-lifting when I am.

That being said >> why my post?

I tried Outlook for Mac (2011) for the 30-day(?) trial period. And it was the main reason I never took the plunge and purchased the upgrade...

My experience was that it was a heavy system-user - with far more beachballs happening than when it was not being used/opened. Granted, that was before I maxed my mid-2012 MBP out with extra RAM and SSD etc., but (again) my experience was that it was quite the resource-hog...

Things might have changed significantly since then - so who knows. But I would recommend you try and activate the trial version 1st - or even consider running it natively through a VM or Bootcamp approach. Again - YMMV, but it's something I would check before jumping in and purchasing what is an expensive software upgrade.

My 2 pence/cents.

 

[chrfr]

I was going to ask, who gets the new Outlook, but I found the answer with a search.

The new Outlook looks more "modern" and might be a bit faster but features are as limited as they are in Outlook 2011.

 

[BrianBaughn]

I have an Office 365 email account and find that the Mac apps suit me better than Outlook.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Used Mac Outlook in the office. No problems. It is stable. One thing it does do is have an import for Windows PST files. That is huge if you are migrating from Windows to a Mac.

I am trying both now Outlook and Mail for about 2 months. Using Exchange and I feel Mac Mail beats Outlook hands down with speed, smooth scrolling, and cleaner interface, nothing to install. One of the best features is searching using Mac Mail is much better such as finding emails from last week for a person and the search help that comes up. Having said that, the newer Outlook under the 365 subscription is much better than the old one.