Microsoft Outlook testing new notifications pane among Insiders on Windows
Office Insiders can test out a new notifications pane that supports customization.
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What you need to know
Microsoft Outlook is bringing another great feature from the web to Outlook for Windows. Right now, the company is testing a new notifications pane among Insiders that allows users to customize which types of notifications appear. For example, a person could set Outlook to notify them of @mentions and travel updates but not about emails.
This setup is already available for Outlook on the web and is currently in testing among Insiders who are enterprise customers. Specifically, Microsoft is rolling out the new notifications pane to Office Insiders running Windows Beta Channel Version 2208 (Build 15408.10000) or later.
“The Notifications pane allows you to stay connected, delivering notifications that are relevant to you in the context of your regular email,“explains Microsoft. “The pane gives you the ability to customize the types of notifications you wish to receive, including email and document @mentions, travel updates, deliveries, and more.”
The feature is relatively straightforward, but Microsoft has a step-by-step guide to set it up:
Clicking on an @mention notifications card will open the corresponding item, such as an email or Word comment. At the moment, notifications cards will open Word documents on the web rather than Word for Windows, but Microsoft is looking to fix this in the future.
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Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
