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New Outlook Purposefully removes Accept, Decline Button...

Gordon More 15 Reputation points
2025-11-18T22:07:59.8066667+00:00

From the moment I started using Outlook, I could always accept, decline, or tentatively respond to meeting invites sent to my IMAP email accounts. Now I can’t. And Microsoft intentionally removed that functionality in the latest update.

Because they also messed up backwards navigation, I can’t even switch back to Classic Outlook — I’ve got meetings booked until December 2026.

If I have to spend time fighting with this, I might as well move everything to Google Workspace.

Microsoft, please get it together. Stop stripping out basic features in the new Outlook. It’s honestly unprofessional.

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-11-18T22:08:21.2566667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    It seems that you are experiencing issues with the new Outlook where the Accept, Decline, and Tentative response options are not available for meeting invites. This can occur if certain settings or configurations are in place.

    One potential cause for this issue is if the manager is configured with the default delegate setting and is viewing meeting invites in the reading pane. In this case, they will not be able to act on the meeting invite unless they open it in an inspector window. Additionally, if the DisableResponseButtons registry value is set to 1, it will prevent any response options from appearing.

    If you are facing difficulties with the new Outlook and cannot switch back to Classic Outlook, it may be beneficial to check if there are any updates or settings that can be adjusted to restore the functionality you need.

    If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance or to provide feedback regarding the changes in functionality.

    References:

  2. Stefan Blom 323.8K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-11-18T22:33:27.39+00:00

    In the new Outlook, you should be able to find the buttons for Accept etc. at the very top of the e-mail message. You may have to scroll the message if the top of it isn't showing.

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  3. Hornblower409 2,675 Reputation points
    2025-11-20T14:03:34.22+00:00

    @Gordon More

    -- Invite Response

    I just tested sending an invite to an IMAP Account in New Outlook for Windows and I can confirm that there are no response buttons.

    This appears to be a known change/bug in recent New Outlook for Windows releases.

    https://dori-uw-1.kuma-moon.com/en-gb/answers/questions/5606659/acceppt-button-is-now-not-appearing-in-outlook-inv

    -- I can’t even switch back to Classic Outlook

    Can you give us any additional details on this? Is the "New Outlook" toggle switch disabled, or not visible?

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/run-new-outlook-and-classic-outlook-side-by-side-a624c36d-c50f-43bc-9c8b-dd17b5690ffb

    This Slipstick article has some other tips on setting Outlook to always use Classic.
    https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/classic-outlook-not-new-outlook/

  4. Andrew Peltier 0 Reputation points
    2025-12-12T01:08:00.5933333+00:00

    I am having the same issue with the appointment not being able to be accepted/declined/propose new time.

    I also have a "POP" email account and this function is no longer available to select for any responses.

    attached is an example from my screenshot.

    FIX THIS ISSUE ASAP.EMAIL - INVITATION ISSUE IMAP ACCOUNT

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