How to Prevent Windows Mail from Being Replaced by Outlook

Question

Windows 10/11 came with a default Mail app, which became my preferred email client on Windows due to its simplicity and allowing me to connect to various email accounts. However, even without toggling the "Try the new Outlook" button, it was eventually forcefully replaced by Outlook when I tried to launch it.

Inspired by a forum answer, I uninstalled Outlook, but the Mail app still wasn't launching, it would just quit. Then I found the Mail and Calendar app on the Microsoft store which told me that it was already installed but it had an update, so I updated it. Then on the second launch attempt after that, I got the Mail app back!

However, it's already warning me again that it will soon be replaced by Outlook once more:

Has anyone found a way to prevent this from happening and permanently keep the Mail app, even without updates? Note that I only care about the Mail app, not Calendar. Thank you!

Note: I already managed to restore the Mail app, not asking for that. What I need is a way to make it permanent, i.e. to prevent it from automatically switching to Outlook, with no return. Thanks.

Answer 1

This has become a bigger problem in the last few days. Previously you were able to opt out, but that's no longer the case. So, until I decide which 3rd party email client I want to commit to, I've came up with a work around.

The premise is if the new Outlook client isn't installed then Mail will launch normally. So, I created a batch script that uninstalls the new Outlook before it launches Mail.

POWERSHELL -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Name -Like '*OutlookForWindows*'} | Remove-AppxPackage"
explorer.exe shell:appsFolder\microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.windowslive.mail

There's no way to know how long this will work... I expect Microsoft's next step will be to remove/blacklist the Mail app altogether.

Additional Details Requested...

I'm running Windows 10, YMMV.

The other method finally stopped working for me, probably due to a Windows update.

The two lines above are the entire contents of the .bat file. I prefer to see the CMD window popup, as it gives a quick notification about the uninstallation, but then exits automatically after the exploere.exe (Mail) process is started.

The batch script, Open Mail.bat is saved in %homepath%.

I then created a shortcut, Right Click > Send To > Desktop (create shortcut) and moved the resulting .lnk file to %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

(Additionally, I changed the icon for the shortcut in it's properties.)

The shortcut, Open Mail, is now visible in my Start Menu so I'm able to Pin to Start, and put it where I normally pin the Mail shortcut.

This script does the Outlook uninstall and Mail launch... so it is run to launch Mail, instead of clicking the Mail shortcut directly (doing so will result in opening Outlook, in my case.)

Because the *-AppxPackage commands in the script omit the -AllUsers option, it only applies to the current user and elevated privileges are not required (i.e. Run as administrator is not needed).

...Then Outlook will be reinstalled automatically, Mail will present the "Dismiss" message at the top... and the next time I need to run Mail I click on Open Mail again.

Answer 2

I can't use the Outlook Desktop App because it doesn't support Exchange ActiveSync.

I've had to do the following several times. (Every time Windows updates it re-installs Outlook) and eventually this workaround won't work (End of year). This is the simplest way I've found to get Windows Mail working again:

• Go to Settings -> Apps -> Installed Apps.
• Find and uninstall Outlook.

At this point if you try to use Windows Mail it will still just shut down as soon as you open it.

• While still in Installed Apps, scroll up to Mail and Calendar.

• Click on the three dots and choose advanced options.

• Scroll down and choose reset (not repair)

• After it finishes resetting, close Settings and open Windows Mail and wait a few seconds.

• A box will pop up "Allow Mail to access your calendar"? Choose YES.

• Then another box "Allow Mail to access your contacts" Choose YES.

• Then another box "Allow Mail to access and send emails? Choose YES.

  (These three boxes have been in random order on some resets. Just answer YES to all three.)

• Then you'll get a message "Outlook is replacing Mail and Calendar" Choose "Not Now"

I've done this several times and each time, my email account reappeared in Windows Mail with no information missing. This avoids having to download and re-install the Windows Mail App, AND having to add your email account back into the App.

Answer 3

There is no way to permanently keep the Mail app, as Microsoft has pulled the plug. It will finally stop working by the end of 2024. Microsoft has decreed that Mail will be replaced by the new Outlook, and that seems final.

What you can try, which if successful will give you time until end 2024 to either find a replacement mail app or get used to Outlook:

• After Outlook has started, click to turn off the "New Outlook" experience. From then on, you might be able to start the Windows Mail app.

• From the Microsoft Store, download the old Mail client, which might still serve during all of 2024. (See link.)

Answer 4

There are two additional ways that might be potentially easier.

Go to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps and find this folder, there might be more of them. The newest (highest number) is the one.

Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_1.2024.<nnnn>.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

e.g.

Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_1.2024.1107.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_1.2024.1023.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_1.2024.1017.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

• A) Replace the relaunchNativeHost.exe executable with an empty file.

  1. Create an empty text file relaunchNativeHost.txt
  2. Delete original relaunchNativeHost.exe
  3. Rename the text file to relaunchNativeHost.exe (not relaunchNativeHost.exe.txt or *.txt.exe, you might need to enable extensions)
  4. Repeat this when they release new version

  

• B) Remove access rights from everyone but you

  1. Right click and open Properties
  2. Open Security tab, there at the bottom choose Advanced
  3. Then click Disable inheritance and choose Remove all inherited permissions from this object.
  4. Click Add, Select a principal and type in your username (e.g. Qwerty) and press Check Names, OK and then assume Full control.
  5. OK to close "Permission Entry for ..." window
  6. OK to close "Advanced Security for ..." window
  7. OK to close "Microssoft.OutlookFor..." Properties window
  8. Repeat this when they release new version