# Windows Mail

Application: Microsoft Corporation

Also called mail and calendar, windows mail app, hxoutlook

Microsoft Corporation, Productivity

The Windows 10 Mail and Calendar app. The process is HxOutlook.exe. Windows 11 often pushes New Outlook. It is not classic Outlook.

## What you need to know

Windows Mail is HxOutlook.exe. Classic Outlook is OUTLOOK.EXE. New Outlook is olk.exe.

The Windows 10 Mail and Calendar package is not Office Outlook. Windows 11 often invites you to New Outlook instead. Repairing Microsoft 365 Apps will not restore this Store tile.

- **What is it?**: Windows 10 Mail and Calendar

  **Same as Outlook?**: No. Classic Outlook is OUTLOOK.EXE

  **Windows 11?**: Often replaced by New Outlook

Feex says

If the process is HxOutlook.exe, that is Windows Mail, not classic Outlook. I would not run outlook.exe /safe to fix this Store app. New Outlook is olk.exe.

## What is Windows Mail?

Windows Mail is the Mail and Calendar Store package. HxOutlook.exe is the process. Classic Outlook is OUTLOOK.EXE. New Outlook is olk.exe. This article is the older Store Mail app.

## If you have never used it

If a Windows 10 PC has a Mail tile next to Calendar, this is HxOutlook.exe, not classic Outlook. You do not install WINWORD to get it. Windows 11 often replaces this tile with New Outlook (olk.exe). OUTLOOK.EXE is the Office desktop client. Those three are different apps.

## What is it used for?

**Simple Microsoft and IMAP mail**

A light Store client. Classic Outlook holds PST and COM add-ins this app does not.

**Calendar next to Mail**

The paired Calendar app in the same package. olk.exe is New Outlook's combined window.

**Windows 10 leftover**

Still present on many Windows 10 PCs. Windows 11 setup may push you off this tile.

## Who is it for?

- Windows 10 users who still open Mail
- People Windows 11 is migrating to New Outlook
- Anyone who should not look for Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE to explain HxOutlook.exe

## Current status

Microsoft is moving consumers toward New Outlook. Mail and Calendar may still be installed. This article is HxOutlook.exe, not classic Outlook.

## How old is it?

Mail and Calendar shipped as Store apps in the Windows 8 / Windows 10 era (TSV year 2012). Classic Outlook dates to 1997. New Outlook arrived in 2022. Microsoft is retiring the Mail app path for many consumers in favor of New Outlook.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Mail and Calendar (HxOutlook)

New Outlook (replacement path)

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.          |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app

  **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| HxOutlook.exe | Mail and Calendar (Windows Communications Apps) |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |

## Startup components

Mail can start for notifications. That is the Store app, not OUTLOOK.EXE.

## File locations

| Typical install | C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps\_\*\\ |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |

## File formats

mail in the Store app cache

## Common problems

### Windows 11 switched the tile to New Outlook

That is olk.exe. This article is the older Mail app. Use the New Outlook page if that is what opened.

### People hunt for PST support

Classic Outlook opens PST files. HxOutlook.exe does not replace that.

## Getting unstuck

### Open file location on HxOutlook.exe

The Windows Communications Apps package is this product. Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE is classic Outlook. olk.exe is New Outlook.

### Reinstall Mail and Calendar from the Store listing 9WZDNCRFHVQM if the tile is gone on Windows 10

Do not download a "Windows Mail" exe from a filename site.

### If Windows 11 already moved you, read the New Outlook article

Toggling Mail back is limited. Classic Outlook is a third, Office-based choice.

## Alternatives

Classic Outlook, New Outlook, and Thunderbird overlap. Classic Outlook is the Office sibling this article is not.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Download      | [apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfhvqm ](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfhvqm)Official installer or vendor page |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Help          | [support.microsoft.com/windows/mail-and-calendar ](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/mail-and-calendar)Vendor support  |
| Official site | [apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfhvqm ](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfhvqm)Start here, not a random exe host |

## Related hardware

A Store mail app. A large IMAP cache wants disk.

## Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[Microsoft Outlook: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-outlook)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Windows Mail official site ](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfhvqm)· Vendor product page
- [Windows Mail help ](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/mail-and-calendar)· Vendor support
- [Microsoft Support: Mail and Calendar ](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/mail-and-calendar)· In-box Mail help
- [New vs classic Outlook ](https://support.microsoft.com/office/feature-comparison-between-new-outlook-and-classic-outlook-de453583-1e76-48bf-975a-2e9cd2ee16dd)· Where Microsoft is steering consumers
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

## Was this article useful?

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Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Microsoft Corporation

  **Category**: Mail app

  **Process**: HxOutlook.exe

  **License**: In-box Store app on Windows 10. Windows 11 steers many PCs to New Outlook

  **First released**: 2012

  **Official site**: [Microsoft Store Mail and Calendar](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfhvqm)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/windows-mail/)

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