New Outlook vs Classic Outlook: What Changes for Saving Emails to SharePoint?
Microsoft’s New Outlook is steadily becoming part of more Microsoft 365 environments. It offers a cleaner interface, closer alignment with Outlook on the web and a more consistent experience across devices. However, the change is not only visual.
New Outlook is built on a different technical framework from Classic Outlook. This affects how add-ins work and, importantly, how users save emails and attachments to SharePoint.
For organisations that rely on Outlook as the starting point for records management, this is an important detail. An email-filing process that works in Classic Outlook may not work in the same way after users switch to New Outlook.
This article explains what changes and what organisations should check before moving their Outlook-to-SharePoint workflow.
The main difference is how Outlook add-ins work
Classic Outlook is the traditional Windows desktop application. It supports both modern web add-ins and older COM or VSTO add-ins installed directly on a user’s computer.
New Outlook uses a web-based architecture. Microsoft supports Office web add-ins in New Outlook, but it does not support COM add-ins. This is one of the most important differences for organisations using third-party tools to connect Outlook with SharePoint.
If your current email-filing solution depends on a COM add-in, its buttons, sidebar or drag-and-drop functions may not appear when a user moves to New Outlook. The SharePoint library itself has not changed. The issue is that the integration used to move content from Outlook into SharePoint is no longer supported in the same form.
Modern web add-ins are designed to work within Microsoft’s current add-in framework. Depending on the product, they can operate across New Outlook, Classic Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook for Mac, giving organisations a more consistent filing experience.
What changes when saving emails to SharePoint?
Outlook does not provide a complete, structured email-to-SharePoint records process on its own. Users may be able to download an email or attachment and upload it manually, but this adds steps and may not preserve the information needed for classification and retrieval.
The move to New Outlook can affect several parts of an established filing workflow.
Existing add-ins may no longer load
Traditional desktop add-ins developed for Classic Outlook will not automatically work in New Outlook. If employees switch without checking compatibility, they may lose the familiar option they use to save emails to SharePoint.
This can lead users back to manual methods such as downloading an email, saving it locally and uploading it to a library. The process takes longer and creates more opportunities to choose the wrong location, filename or format.
The location of add-in controls changes
In Classic Outlook, an add-in may appear as a dedicated ribbon tab or permanently visible desktop panel. In New Outlook, web add-ins are generally accessed through the ribbon, the Apps option or the message action bar. Frequently used add-ins can be pinned to make them easier to reach.
The workflow can still remain inside Outlook, but users may need brief guidance on where to find the filing tool after the change.
Drag-and-drop behaviour may differ
Many Classic Outlook users are familiar with dragging an email from Outlook to a desktop folder, browser window or connected application. New Outlook has been expanding its drag-and-drop support, but Microsoft’s feature matrix still shows differences for certain actions involving other applications.
Organisations should therefore test their exact workflow rather than assume that every desktop drag-and-drop action will behave in the same way. A purpose-built web add-in can offer a more controlled way to save the email directly to the selected SharePoint location.
The goal is not simply to place an email file in SharePoint. A useful email record should retain properties such as:
- From
- To and CC
- Subject
- Sent or received date
- Conversation or message identifiers
- Relevant client, project, matter or document type
When users follow a manual download-and-upload process, this information is not necessarily added to SharePoint columns. The email may be stored, but it can still be difficult to search, filter, classify or apply the right records-management process.
A compatible Outlook-to-SharePoint add-in can capture email properties and map them to SharePoint metadata as part of the save process.
Classic Outlook and New Outlook compared for email filing
The right choice is not simply Classic versus New Outlook. The more useful question is whether your email-management process is compatible with the Outlook environment your organisation plans to use.
Can organisations continue using Classic Outlook?
Microsoft’s current feature comparison shows that Classic Outlook and New Outlook continue to operate side by side, with some capabilities available in both and others still different or developing. Organisations do not need to move every user immediately simply because New Outlook is available.
If a business-critical records or document-management add-in works only in Classic Outlook, keeping affected users on Classic may be a sensible temporary option. However, it should be treated as part of a planned transition rather than a permanent assumption.
Microsoft is directing add-in developers and customers towards web add-ins for New Outlook. Organisations should use this period to identify legacy dependencies and test supported alternatives.
What should IT and records teams check before switching?
Before enabling New Outlook across the organisation, review the full email-filing process from the user’s inbox to the final SharePoint record.
Start by identifying the Outlook add-in currently used to save emails and attachments. Confirm whether it is a COM/VSTO add-in, a modern web add-in or a combination of both. Do not rely only on the product name, as some vendors offer separate versions for different Outlook environments.
Next, test the workflow in New Outlook using representative users and libraries. Check whether users can:
- Save an email and its attachments to the correct SharePoint location
- Work with shared mailbox emails where required
- Add or confirm metadata during filing
- Preserve the original email format and important properties
- Find previously used or suggested save locations
- File sent emails as well as received messages
- Continue a conversation record when later replies arrive
It is also worth checking how the add-in is deployed, how users sign in and whether permissions, sensitivity labels, retention settings and audit requirements continue to apply once the record reaches SharePoint.
Finally, give users short, practical instructions. Even when the underlying workflow remains simple, the add-in button may appear in a different place in New Outlook. A small amount of training can prevent users from returning to inbox folders, local drives or manual uploads.
How Konnect eMail supports both Outlook environments
Konnect eMail Central is available in Classic and New versions to support different Outlook and Microsoft 365 environments.
Konnect eMail Central Classic is designed for organisations using the traditional Windows desktop version of Outlook. It provides a native ribbon and side panel and brings detailed SharePoint document-management functions into Outlook, including email and attachment filing, metadata handling, version history and property management.
Konnect eMail Central New is a modern web-based Outlook add-in. It allows users to save emails and attachments to SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive while capturing email properties as metadata. It is designed for organisations adopting New Outlook or requiring a more consistent experience across supported Windows, web and Mac environments. Features such as save suggestions, conversation tracking and save on send can also help reduce missed or inconsistent filing.
Some organisations may use both versions during the transition. For example, records teams that need deeper desktop document controls may remain on Classic, while the wider workforce uses the New add-in across a mixed-device Microsoft 365 environment.
Plan the workflow, not just the Outlook upgrade
Moving from Classic Outlook to New Outlook is more than an interface update. It changes the add-in framework behind many Outlook integrations.
For organisations saving business emails to SharePoint, the priority should be continuity. Users must still be able to file emails quickly, preserve the right context, capture useful metadata and place records in the correct governed location.
Before rolling out New Outlook, confirm that your current Outlook-to-SharePoint solution supports it and test the complete process with real users. If the existing tool relies on a traditional COM add-in, consider moving to a modern web add-in built for the New Outlook environment.
Request a Konnect eMail demo to explore the right Outlook-to-SharePoint setup for your Microsoft 365 environment.
