Microsoft Outlook 2019 for Mac

Outlook 2019 for Mac, the latest iteration of the email and calendaring app, is a worthwhile upgrade for existing users. But if you don't already use Outlook, the new edition probably won't offer many reasons to switch.

Outlook 2019 keeps all the good features of Outlook 2016 and adds a few new ones:

• One-click fixes for accessibility issues: The updated Accessibility Checker now follows international standards better and gives tips to make your documents easier to access.
• Focused Inbox: This tool splits your inbox into two tabs. It puts important emails in the 'Focused' tab and the rest in the 'Other' tab. This helps you focus on important messages without distractions.
• Add visual impact: You can insert Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) with special effects into your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations to make them look better.
• Listen to your emails: Outlook can read your emails aloud. This is great when you need to multitask.
• Mark emails as read when deleting: Outlook now marks your messages as read automatically when you move them to the Deleted Items folder.
• Never miss a reminder: Reminders can pop up over the window you're working in, or they can flash in the taskbar to grab your attention.
• Email sorting made easy: If you don't use Focused Inbox, there are still plenty of options to sort and filter your messages.
• Know who you'll be meeting with: You can see who has responded to your meeting requests, even if you're not the one who organized the meeting.
• Automatic download of cloud attachments: When you move attachments from OneDrive emails to your computer, Outlook automatically saves a copy for you.

Here are its pros and cons:

Pros

• Resolve meeting conflicts: In Outlook 2016 for Mac, if a meeting invitation conflicts with another one on your calendar, you can propose a new time from your calendar or email inbox.
• View calendars side by side: To coordinate an event, you can view as many as three calendars side by side to schedule a meeting.
• Declutter: Outlook can scan messages and, based on your past actions, move low-priority messages out of your inbox and into a folder called Clutter.
• Message preview: The new message preview feature gives you a glimpse into a message before opening it.
• Cross-platform: Outlook is of course available on Windows as well as through Outlook.com, and you can run Outlook apps on iOS and Android devices.
• Email push: The update adds support for push email, so messages will be transferred quicker than ever before to your inbox.

Cons

• Not for everyone: With so many free or cheaper email offerings available, getting an Office 365 subscription ($6.99 per month or $69 for a year) just for Outlook may not be the best use of your money.

If you depend on Office as part of your computing life, the new version of Outlook offers plenty to like. But with so many compelling email choices for OS X users -- from OS X's Mail client to ever-present Web-based services from Google, Yahoo, and others -- Outlook isn't a necessity.

More Resources

• Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac
• LibreOffice
• Google Drive Apps

• This version may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.