If you use Outlook on the web, you can install it as an app (a PWA, progressive web app). Outlook then opens in its own window, with its own taskbar icon and notifications, without an address bar or tabs. This works in Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, on Windows, macOS and Linux. Your mail no longer disappears between twenty other tabs.
Why Outlook as an app?
- Its own window: you switch straight to your mail with Alt+Tab or via the taskbar, without hunting through tabs.
- No Office installation needed: handy on a shared PC, a Mac or a Linux laptop. On Linux the same trick also works for other web apps, as described in Microsoft Teams on Ubuntu and Linux.
- Notifications and an unread counter on the icon, depending on your browser and operating system.
- Always the latest version: the app is simply Outlook on the web, so updates arrive automatically.
Install in Microsoft Edge
- Go to outlook.office.com and sign in. You may be redirected to a newer address, such as outlook.cloud.microsoft; that's normal.
- Select the app icon on the right of the address bar, or go to Settings and more (...) > Apps > Install this site as an app.
- Select Install. Then choose whether to pin Outlook to the taskbar or Start menu.
In the window after installation, Edge often also lets you tick that the app should start automatically when you sign in to Windows. You can change that later via edge://apps.
Install in Google Chrome
- Go to outlook.office.com and sign in.
- Select the install icon on the right of the address bar, or go to the menu (⋮) > Cast, save, and share > Install page as app. Menu names can differ slightly between Chrome versions.
- Select Install.
You'll find all your installed web apps in Chrome via chrome://apps. You can use the same method for other web services, for example to install Google Meet as an app.
PWA or the new Outlook for Windows?
On Windows there is also the new Outlook, a separate app based on the same web technology. It looks almost the same, but supports, among other things, multiple accounts in one window. The PWA is lighter and is tied to your browser profile. If you work with one work account and want to keep things simple, the PWA is enough. On your phone, you're better off with the real Outlook app.
Remove the app
Open the Outlook app, select the three dots at the top and choose Uninstall. You can also remove it under Settings > Apps in Windows, or via edge://apps and chrome://apps.
Common problems
- I don't see an install icon. Check that you're really signed in on the Outlook page and not on a sign-in screen. Otherwise use your browser's menu.
- The app opens with the wrong account. A PWA belongs to the browser profile you installed it in. For a second account, use a separate browser profile and install the app there again.
- No notifications. Allow notifications for the site in your browser and in Windows, and turn them on in Outlook itself.
Tip
Turn on desktop notifications in Outlook on the web, so you also see new emails when the window is in the background. Want to reach a website quickly without an app window? Then create a website shortcut with Edge on your desktop or taskbar.
For admins
With the WebAppInstallForceList policy, available for both Edge and Chrome, you install web apps such as Outlook centrally on managed devices, for example via Intune or Group Policy. That way Outlook is ready in the Start menu for new employees from day one.
Nederlandstalige versie: Outlook op het web installeren als app in Edge of Chrome