How to Set Up and Use the Microsoft Outlook App on Your Phone

Microsoft Outlook is an email app made by Microsoft. It is the same Outlook that many offices use on computers, now available as a free app on your phone. You can use it to check your email, send messages, and view your calendar — all in one place.

Outlook is not just for Microsoft email addresses. You can add Gmail, Yahoo Mail, iCloud, and most other email accounts to Outlook and manage them all from the same app. This makes it convenient if you have multiple email addresses — you can check everything in one place instead of switching between different apps.

One thing that makes Outlook stand out from the iPhone or Android built-in mail apps is its Focused Inbox feature. Outlook uses a filter to separate your most important emails (from people you communicate with often, or work emails) from lower-priority emails like newsletters and automated messages. Important emails go into the Focused tab; everything else goes into Other. This helps reduce inbox clutter.

Outlook's built-in calendar connects to your email — so if someone sends you a meeting invitation or a confirmation email with an event date, Outlook can automatically add it to your calendar. You can view your schedule, add appointments, and set reminders, all inside the same app.

Microsoft offers Outlook free for personal use. The free version covers everything most people need. If your employer provides a Microsoft 365 account (formerly called Office 365), your work email is likely already configured for Outlook and your IT department may have instructions for connecting it.