Will Outlook XP Work in Windows 8?

In this excerpt from
Answercast #72 I look at some confusion around moving an email account when
upgrading to Windows 8.

Upgrading XP to Windows 8

Ok. So there’s definitely some misconception here. Let me first start by
clarifying one thing. You’re using “Outlook XP”? Unfortunately, that could mean
a couple of different things.

Outlook Express is gone

If you’re using “Outlook Express,” then, no.

Outlook Express is not available on Windows 8 just like it wasn’t available
on Windows 7. You will need to use a different email program.

Email program vs. Email service

Hotmail, Gmail and Outlook.com: those are not different email programs. They
are different email services.

They give you a different email address.

What you would use instead of Outlook Express, would be an email program:
like Thunderbird, or the Outlook that comes with Microsoft Office, or any of a
number of email programs that you would download and install
on your computer.

Things like Gmail and Outlook.com, those are web mail. They don’t run on
your computer. Those are just websites that you visit.

Yes, it’s possible to have them access your other email accounts; but in
reality, they are all tailored to providing you your email service in addition
to being a place to read your email.

Gmail is always “@gmail.com”

So, for example, if you use Gmail, you’d use a Gmail.com email address. If
you use an email program (like Thunderbird, or Microsoft Office’s Outlook) and
install that on your PC, you would continue using the same email service, and
keep the same email address, that you have today.

So it’s a very important distinction between the two.

I actually have an article on that. It’s called, “What’s
the difference between an email program and an email account?” and I think
that’s something that is very definitely worth revisiting.

Microsoft Outlook on XP

Now, if on the other hand, you mean that you are actually using Microsoft
Office’s Outlook from Microsoft Office XP (in other words, Microsoft
version XP, which I think, is the version immediately prior to Office
2003) then I believe it will work. In other words, I believe it will
work just fine.

You can install Microsoft Office XP on to Windows 8 and it should just work.
I have not confirmed that so I don’t want to say that with any absolute
certainty – but my guess is it will probably work just fine.

Microsoft Office 2010

Now, the next question actually is also part of what led to the confusion
above – because you’re also asking about Office 2010.

Office 2010 should work just fine on Windows 8. It is the current version of
Office if I’m not mistaken. If not, it’s been supplanted by Office 2013. But in
either case, Office 2010? My expectation is that it will work just fine in
Windows 8.

Which version of Windows 8?

Now the last question: “Which version of Windows 8 should I use?” Well, I
don’t know. It really depends on what your expectations of Windows are and how
you’ll use it.

What I recommend you do is that you take a look at the different versions –
Microsoft I think has a comparison table that shows you what is in and out of
each of the specific versions (be it Home or Pro or Ultimate or whatever
they’re calling it this year). That will show you the features that do and
don’t come with each specific version.

In general, when people don’t really have a clue as to what they need (which
is not uncommon, and certainly it is confusing enough to be a very common place
to be) I end up recommending the Pro version.

Typically the Pro version has a couple of more features that I happen to
really like (and I like to have them be available to people) that the Home
versions of Windows typically don’t have. But that’s just a knee-jerk reaction
on my part. Getting the Pro version? Really it’s up to you, and up to your
needs, and up to your budget, as to which version you might actually want to
spend the money on – or which version you need that will meet your
needs.