Microsoft is in the process of rolling out a new Outlook experience for all Outlook users.
New Outlook mainly focuses on the browser-based version of Outlook. Smokeball has developed a the New Outlook add-in to help firms with transitioning to New Outlook, as Microsoft plans to sunset Classic Outlook by 2029. Learn how to install and use the New Outlook add-in.
Any new enhancements to the Outlook and Smokeball experience will be developed solely for New Outlook moving forward, so switch to New Outlook to access the latest features as they roll out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the differences between the Smokeball New Outlook and Classic Outlook integrations?
The table below outlines the features available in the New Outlook and Classic Outlook integrations:
| Feature | Available in Classic Outlook? | Available in New Outlook? |
| Associate email to a matter | Yes | Yes |
| Save attachments from an email to a matter | Yes | Yes |
| Create a new email from Smokeball | Yes | Yes |
| Right-click on a document to send via email | Yes | Yes |
| Send a precedent via body text | Yes | Yes |
| AutoTime/Activity Tracking on email drafting and composing | Yes | Yes |
| AutoTime/Activity Tracking on reviewing/viewing emails and email attachments | Yes | Yes |
| Auto file replies when Outlook is closed | No | Yes |
| Create Smokeball tasks from Outlook | No | Yes |
| Use Archie email drafting tools in Outlook | No | Yes |
| Compatible with M365 accounts hosted by GoDaddy | No | Yes |
Does everyone in my firm have to be on the same Outlook integration?
There’s no need for everyone in your team to switch at once. You can have some team members stay on classic Outlook while others use new Outlook with the latest add-in.
How do I switch back to Classic Outlook?
If you have enabled New Outlook, you can follow the steps mentioned in Microsoft's article to switch back to Classic Outlook and continue using the Smokeball Classic Outlook Add-in.
Does CoPilot work in Classic Outlook?
Yes, Copilot is available in Classic Outlook. You do not have to switch to New Outlook in order to access Copilot.
Does the New Outlook integration impact my calendar sync?
The New Outlook integration should not impact the calendar sync, as the settings are different.
Email Time Tracking: Classic Outlook vs. New Outlook
Smokeball tracks time spent reading emails a little differently depending on which version of Outlook you're using. Here's what to expect:
Classic Outlook logs reading time in a way that reflects your overall engagement with an email across the day. It checks periodically and records time once you've moved on from an email, with a 10-second minimum before anything is logged. This makes it well-suited as an end-of-day summary of your activity rather than a live, real-time tracker.
New Outlook works a bit differently. Because of how the new platform is built, it can't always tell whether you're still actively reading an email or have stepped away. To account for this, every time you open an email and view it for 10+ seconds, it logs a 1-minute entry. If you click away and return to the same email later, that counts as a new viewing instance and adds another minute — even if your actual reading time was brief. So opening the same email multiple times throughout the day can result in more logged minutes than the time you actually spent reading it.
What this means for you: if you're using New Outlook, your logged reading/viewing time may run higher than in Classic Outlook, since it's counting distinct "views" rather than continuous reading time. We're actively exploring improvements to make this more precise in a future update.
The good news: drafting time (time spent writing or editing emails) is tracked consistently the same way in both Classic and New Outlook, so that activity type is unaffected.
If you have questions about how your logged time appears for a specific email, feel free to reach out to your Smokeball support contact.