Microsoft yesterday made an announcement that will delight many Mac users. The tech giant has made its email client, Outlook for Mac, available for free on the Mac App Store. Previously, you needed to have a Microsoft 365 subscription or purchase Office to use the application. This move is part of Microsoft’s initiative to rebuild Outlook for Mac, with a focus on performance, reliability, and accessibility.

Outlook for Mac is a popular email client that provides a range of features to its users, including email accounts from third-party services such as Gmail, iCloud, and Yahoo. In addition, the application is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and Office, allowing for seamless productivity and collaboration.

One significant advantage of using Outlook for Mac is the handoff feature, which allows you to transfer an email draft to your iPhone if you haven’t finished writing it on your Mac. This feature is especially useful for individuals who use multiple devices throughout the day and want to have a seamless email experience.

The upcoming Profiles feature is another exciting addition to Outlook for Mac, which will tie into macOS‘ Focus modes. This feature will allow you to limit notifications when you’re concentrating on work, helping to reduce distractions and improve productivity.

With this move, Microsoft hopes to encourage more users to adopt Outlook for Mac and potentially convert them into Microsoft 365 or Office customers. This initiative will provide an easy way for users to try out the email client, even if they were previously hesitant to do so.

The addition of Outlook for Mac to the Mac App Store is a welcome development, considering the limited options available to Mac users. While Mozilla’s Thunderbird remains the most notable email client, many others are either paid-only or unlock features with subscriptions. With the availability of Outlook for Mac for free, users can now have access to a high-quality email client without having to pay a subscription fee.