Why does the new outlook no longer support my email for calendar invites via email

Hi @Greg Rassier, 

Good day, and I appreciate the clear explanation of your concern.   

A - Explanation of the behavior you’re seeing 

Based on your description, this behavior is expected when an email account is connected to New Outlook using IMAP/POP or another non‑Exchange configuration. In these cases, meeting invitations (such as Teams or Zoom invites) are delivered as regular email messages (often with an .ics attachment), but New Outlook does not display the Accept / Tentative / Decline buttons, and the meetings may not automatically appear on the calendar. 

This is because IMAP/POP protocols only support email synchronization and do not provide a full calendar mailbox. New Outlook relies on a true calendar mailbox to store meeting responses and calendar updates, which is available with Exchange / Microsoft 365 but not with IMAP/POP accounts. As a result, New Outlook cannot fully process meeting RSVPs for those account types. 

Regarding the message under Settings > Calendar > Events from email, this refers to a separate Outlook feature that automatically creates events from certain emails (such as travel or delivery notifications). That feature is limited to Microsoft accounts (Outlook.com or Microsoft 365), so seeing it marked as unsupported is expected depending on the account type and is not directly related to accepting meeting invitations. 

More info here: Feature comparison between new Outlook and classic Outlook - Microsoft Support 

B - Recommended next steps  

Given this situation, you may choose one of the options below that best suits your needs: 

Option 1 - Switch back to Classic Outlook (If applicable)

Classic Outlook continues to support meeting invitations and RSVP buttons more reliably for IMAP/POP and other non‑Exchange accounts. Many users choose this option to quickly restore the Accept/Decline experience. 

You can toggle off the New Outlook button at the top-right corner of the app to return to Classic Outlook. 

Option 2: Accept or decline from the provider’s native calendar 

As a workaround, if your mailbox is hosted elsewhere (for example, Gmail/Google Workspace or another email provider with its own calendar), you can open that provider’s calendar (such as Google Calendar) and respond to the meeting there. This works as a workaround when New Outlook doesn’t display RSVP buttons. 

Option 3 - Use an Exchange / Microsoft 365 mailbox (For long‑term solution) 

If your organization has the option to move the mailbox to Microsoft 365 / Exchange, New Outlook will then have access to a full calendar mailbox. This enables proper meeting invitations, Accept/Decline responses, and end‑to‑end calendar synchronization something IMAP/POP cannot support due to protocol limitations. 

C - Submit feedback to Microsoft 

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Outlook (new) · Community. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.   

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.    

If you are unable to submit feedback from your side, please let me know and I will be happy to submit it on your behalf.       

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the "Accepted Answer". Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it.     

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out.    

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