How to download and install Microsoft Outlook on Mac

Before you download

Outlook for Mac needs no subscription for personal email: a free Outlook.com (Hotmail, Live, MSN) account works, and so do Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo and other IMAP accounts. A Microsoft 365 subscription removes the ads. A work account needs a license from your organization.

• One file for every Mac. Outlook works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
• macOS 14 Sonoma or later. On older macOS, Outlook already installed keeps working but gets no more updates.
• The Mac App Store or Microsoft. Both give the same Outlook. It is also part of the Microsoft Office suite.

Microsoft’s installer is a .pkg that runs with administrator rights, so download it only from microsoft.com.

How to install Outlook

From the Mac App Store:

1. Open the App Store and search for Microsoft Outlook.

2. Click Get, then Install, and confirm with your Apple Account password or Touch ID.
3. When the download finishes, open Outlook from Applications or Launchpad.

With Microsoft’s installer, the file on this page:

1. Open Microsoft_Outlook_…_Installer.pkg in your Downloads folder.
2. Click Continue, then Continue and Agree for the license, then Install.
3. Enter your Mac password, click Install Software and then Close when it is done.

What to set up after the first launch

• Your accounts. On first launch, Outlook asks for your email address. Gmail and Outlook.com open their own sign-in page. ICloud asks for an app-specific password, made in your Apple Account settings. More accounts can be added later in Outlook’s settings, under accounts.
• Notifications. To see new mail, allow notifications when Outlook asks, or turn them on in System Settings › Notifications › Microsoft Outlook.
• Your default mail app. To open email links in Outlook, choose it in Apple Mail under Mail › Settings › General › Default email reader.
• Disk space. Outlook keeps a local copy of your mail, and it grows with your mailbox.
• The installer. If you used Microsoft’s .pkg, move it from Downloads to the Trash once Outlook runs: it takes over a gigabyte.

If Outlook won’t install or open

• The installer stops with an error. Download the .pkg again from Microsoft and make sure you are signed in to macOS as an administrator.
• An account won’t add. Check the address and password in the provider’s web mail first. Accounts with two-step verification sign in through the provider’s page or need an app-specific password.
• Outlook won’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS in About This Mac: current versions need macOS 14 or later.
• Outlook keeps crashing. Remove it completely, with its settings and mail cache, and install it again: see how to uninstall Microsoft Office on Mac.

Alternatives to Microsoft Outlook

• ThunderbirdFree mail and calendar, works with any provider.
• SparkMail with a smart inbox and shared drafts.