Microsoft new Outlook takes 10 seconds to do what Outlook Classic does instantly

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Microsoft’s new WebView2-based Outlook client is widely criticized for taking several seconds to open emails and consuming far more memory than the classic Win32 version, despite running on modern hardware. Commenters see this as part of a broader trend at Microsoft and in large software vendors: replacing fast, native applications with web or Electron-style shells that add bloat, regress features, and often integrate ads or AI upsells. Many tie the poor experience to organizational incentives, security tooling overhead, and ecosystem lock-in, noting that alternatives like Thunderbird, Fastmail, or even Linux desktops can feel faster and more reliable.

New Outlook vs. Classic Outlook

  • New Outlook (WebView2-based) is widely described as slow and resource‑hungry: seconds to open, ~4× RAM usage vs Classic at idle, visible spinners for trivial actions (notifications, reminders, opening folders).
  • Classic Outlook’s Win32 client is considered faster, more feature‑complete, and highly automatable (COM, VBA, rules, public folders, PST workflows), though some note it was never truly “fast” with huge mailboxes or many shared folders.
  • Some report new Outlook improves handling of large/shared mailboxes and removes some legacy pain (cache mode, PSTs), but lacks feature parity (rules, calendar options, COM add‑ins, IMAP, offline use cases).
  • Outlook search and threading are frequent complaints: lazy‑loaded results that jump around, poor conversation grouping/deduping vs Gmail, and focused inbox hiding important mail.

Web Apps, WebView2, and Performance

  • Debate whether web tech is to blame:
    • One side: “all web apps are slower than native,” with Outlook WebView2, Teams, and other Electron‑style apps cited as proof (high memory, latency).
    • Other side: web isn’t inherently slow; Fastmail and some Tauri/VS Code‑style apps show web UIs can be fast if engineered well. Blame placed on Microsoft’s design/engineering, not the platform.
  • WebView2 is described as “Edge in a control”; lighter than Electron in theory but still incurs significant hidden process/memory overhead.

Windows 10/11 and Core App Slowness

  • Many report basic utilities (Notepad, Calculator, Start menu, File Explorer, search) being noticeably slower than in older Windows versions; sometimes multiple seconds or more.
  • Corporate “security stacks” (Defender, CrowdStrike, app whitelisting, VPN/DNS issues, Purview) are seen as major performance killers, especially for developers, sometimes ignoring exclusions.
  • A minority report Win11 machines where Notepad/Calc are instant, suggesting variability due to configuration and enterprise tooling.

Lock‑In, Alternatives, and Email’s Role

  • People stick with Outlook/Windows mainly due to corporate mandates and tight integration (Exchange, AD, Teams, calendaring, public folders, compliance/retention).
  • Several use the Outlook web app exclusively (often on Linux) and find it faster than the new desktop wrapper, though with some navigation quirks.
  • Alternatives mentioned positively: Thunderbird/Betterbird, Fastmail web, native macOS clients, and Linux desktops; but migration is constrained by OAuth/Graph, calendaring, and organizational policy.

Broader Industry Critique

  • Strong sentiment that Microsoft (and large software orgs generally) have deprioritized UX and performance in favor of bloat, telemetry, security/compliance layers, and AI upsell.
  • Nostalgia for earlier Office/Windows eras when apps felt snappy; concern that modern hardware gains are being squandered by inefficient, rushed, and poorly governed development.