Microsoft did not pressure users into using the new Outlook application. Then in April 2023, Microsoft added a toggle to the then-default Outlook app for Windows that allowed users to try out the new Outlook app. Microsoft started to test the new Outlook for Windows application in May 2022, when it released it to Microsoft 365 Insiders. Work on a new Outlook app for Windows began several years ago.
When Microsoft launched Windows 11 in late 2021, Mail and Calendar were part of the default application bundle as well. Mail and Calendar were default applications when Microsoft launched Windows 10 in 2015 and they have been essential apps for many users ever since.
