After years of silence around bringing more functionality to the Windows 11, Microsoft have quietly announced a new Calendar app for Windows 11.
This doesn’t replace the Calendar Fly out but is instead the latest Microsoft 365 “Companion app” and joins the recently launched People and File Search apps.
It’s only availble for Commercial customers with a Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise License.
What does the new Calendar app do?
The goal of the new Calendar companion is to essentially bring back the show your day and schedule at a glance with a simple flyout the opens up right above the Windows taskbar as shown in the screenshot below.
It also provides more interactivity allowing you to accept and even join meetings directly from the calendar without having to go to Outlook or Teams.
This is quite slick and simple to use and not only provides much needed and quick access to common calendar related things, but also provides more use than the Windows 10 Calendar Fly out and significantly more than what is native on the Windows 11 calendar.
Microsoft says on their blog that:
“The Calendar companion app lets users quickly view their Microsoft 365 calendar directly from the Windows taskbar, eliminating the need to switch between apps and lose context. View upcoming events, join meetings, and search for appointments to stay on top of your schedule. “
When can I get the new Calendar App?
The new Calendar app is currently available to Microsoft 365 Insiders in the Beta Channel but will roll out to other channels over the next few weeks based on customer feedback.