Classic Outlook vs. New Outlook: Which Version Am I Using?

💻 Classic Outlook vs. New Outlook: Which Version Am I Using?
Three ways to reach your NEO email, and how to tell them apart.
✅ Before You Begin
  • You need an active NEO A&M College account with SSO access
  • Nothing to install — this article only helps you identify what you already have
  • 🕐 Estimated time: 2 minutes

⚡ The Quickest Test 🕐 ~30 seconds  |  Look at your ribbon
Look along the row of tabs at the top of the Outlook window.
  1. If you see a Send / Receive tab, you are using classic Outlook for Windows.
    • Classic shows Home, Send / Receive, View, and Help. You may see extra tabs added by other software.
  2. If there is no Send / Receive tab, you are using New Outlook or Outlook on the web.
    • Both show only Home, View, and Help.
  3. To separate those two: if Outlook is a tab inside your browser, it is the web. If it is its own window, it is New Outlook.
    • In a browser the address bar shows outlook.office.com or outlook.cloud.microsoft.
⚠️ Note: A File tab is not a reliable way to tell these apart. Current versions of New Outlook have one too, so look for the Send / Receive tab instead.

📊 Side by Side Reference  |  No action needed
Each row below was checked on both Windows versions of Outlook on a NEO computer.
What you see Classic Outlook New Outlook
A Send / Receive tab on the ribbon ✔ Yes ✘ No
A Try the new Outlook button ✔ Yes ✘ No
A column of icons down the far-left edge (Mail, Calendar, To Do) ✘ No ✔ Yes
A File tab ✔ Yes ✔ Yes
Same layout as Outlook on the web ✘ No ✔ Yes
💡 Tip: New Outlook and Outlook on the web are the same design in two different frames. If you can follow a guide in one, you can follow it in the other.

📋 Which Instructions Apply to You Reference  |  No action needed
NEO guides are written for the web and New Outlook, because those two behave the same way. Where classic Outlook differs, the article has a section called In Classic Outlook.
  1. Using Outlook on the web or New Outlook? Follow the main steps in each article.
  2. Using classic Outlook? Look for an In Classic Outlook section, and follow that instead.
  3. If an article has no classic section, the task works much the same way in all three.
⚠️ Note: Your mail, calendar, and contacts are stored on your account, not in any one app. Switching between these versions does not move, copy, or lose anything.

📞 Still Need Help?
If you encounter any issues not covered in this guide, please contact the NEO A&M College IT Help Desk:

🌐 Helpdesk Portal: support.neo.edu
📞 Phone: (918) 540-6099
📧 Email: neosupport@neo.edu
📍 Walk-in: I.T. Services, Library/Administration Building, 2nd Floor, Room 216
🕐 Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
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