Windows Mail

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called mail and calendar, windows mail app, hxoutlook

Microsoft CorporationProductivity

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

Minimum system requirements
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.

Installed processes
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

Common Windows Mail 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.

Official contacts
Download	apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfhvqm Official installer or vendor page
Help	support.microsoft.com/windows/mail-and-calendar Vendor support
Official site	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

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

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Windows Mail official site · Vendor product page
Windows Mail help · Vendor support
Microsoft Support: Mail and Calendar · In-box Mail help
New vs classic Outlook · Where Microsoft is steering consumers
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

Was this article useful?

A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note.