Microsoft is rolling out an improved People app in Outlook. The updated People app delivers a modern, multi-column contacts experience with faster, more relevant search and a streamlined interface.
As part of this update, the legacy (classic) Contacts experience in Outlook on the web is being retired. Users can no longer opt out and are informed that Outlook is introducing an improved People app.
This rollout affects all users of the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web.
Timeline
- The improved People app should be available in the new Outlook for Windows.
- Outlook on the web should follow by March 2026.
What is changing?
Outlook informs users about the improved People app when they open the People section. A brief, five-step introduction explains the benefits of the new experience. I found no option to reopen this introduction after closing it, but Outlook displays it again after a restart.
The refreshed People app uses a modern, multi-column layout and offers improved search performance. It automatically links duplicate contacts and enriches them with organizational profile data, where available. If this sounds familiar, Microsoft already mentioned the self-updating contacts for enterprise customers in September 2022.
Organizational information is always prioritised on profile cards, including the name field, if a personal contact name differs from the organisation account name.
For example, I created Alex Wilber as a personal contact, but Alex also has an Entra account. Outlook now indicates the contact has multiple sources. The contact photo is also enriched from the organisational account. I can edit my personal contact details, but not the organisational data. I can unlink the contact if the enrichment is incorrect.
If you compare the improved People app with the contacts experience in Teams, the design and behaviour are similar.
Microsoft provides a support article with separate sections for the new Outlook and new Outlook for Insiders. The Insider version shows the improved People app, which should already be available in the new Outlook and is rolling out to Outlook on the web.
Retirement of the classic contacts experience in Outlook on the web
Microsoft announced an improved contacts experience in September 2022, which introduced the concept of the improved People app. At that time, Outlook on the web got an opt-in toggle to enable the improved experience. This toggle is still there today.
Microsoft will remove this opt-in option and enable the improved People app for all users, without an opt-out option.
