Where to Find Mail Tips in New Outlook After Leaving Classic Outlook

When you switch from Classic Outlook to the new Outlook for Windows, many familiar features move to different locations or change names. Mail Tips, which warn you about potential issues before sending an email, are one such feature. In Classic Outlook, Mail Tips appeared automatically based on Exchange server policies. In the new Outlook, the functionality is still present but accessed through a different interface called Policy Tips. This article explains exactly where to find Mail Tips in the new Outlook and how to configure them.

Why Mail Tips Changed in the New Outlook

Mail Tips were a feature in Classic Outlook that displayed warnings at the top of a new email message. These warnings could alert you to large attachments, external recipients, or replies sent to a large distribution group. The feature relied on the Exchange server to evaluate each message against predefined policies and return a tip to the client.

In the new Outlook for Windows, the underlying codebase was rebuilt to match Outlook on the web. This redesign replaced the old Mail Tips system with a newer feature called Policy Tips. Policy Tips function identically: they check your message against server-side policies and display warnings before you send. The difference is the name and the settings location. Many users searching for Mail Tips in the new Outlook actually need to look for Policy Tips.

The change also affects where administrators configure these tips. In Classic Outlook, Mail Tips were configured in the Exchange Admin Center under Mail Flow > Mail Tips. That location remains valid for the server-side configuration, but the client-side toggle moved to Settings > Mail > Compose and Reply > Policy Tips. If you cannot find Mail Tips in the new Outlook, you are likely looking in the old menu path File > Options > Mail, which no longer exists in the new Outlook.

Steps to Enable or Disable Policy Tips in the New Outlook

1. Open the new Outlook
   Launch the new Outlook for Windows app. Ensure you are signed in with your Microsoft 365 work or school account. Policy Tips only work with Exchange Online or Exchange 2019 and later on-premises.
2. Go to Settings
   Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the window. A settings pane opens on the right side of the screen. If you do not see the gear icon, press Ctrl+Comma to open Settings directly.
3. Navigate to Mail > Compose and Reply
   In the Settings pane, click the Mail category on the left. Then scroll down or click the Compose and Reply section. This section controls behavior when writing new messages and replies.
4. Find the Policy Tips toggle
   Scroll down to the bottom of the Compose and Reply settings. Look for the heading Policy Tips. Below it, you see two options: Show Policy Tips and Show Policy Tips when I am the recipient of a message. Both are toggles you can switch on or off.
5. Adjust the toggles as needed
   Turn on Show Policy Tips to see warnings before sending messages that violate server policies. Turn on the second toggle to see Policy Tips when you are the recipient of a message that has policy violations. Click Save at the bottom of the Settings pane to apply changes.

After saving, compose a new message that triggers a known policy, such as sending to an external domain or attaching a large file. The Policy Tip appears as a yellow or red bar below the subject line, just like Mail Tips did in Classic Outlook.

Configuring Mail Tips on the Exchange Server

If you are an administrator and need to create or modify the actual Mail Tips that appear to users, use the Exchange Admin Center. The server-side configuration has not changed between Classic Outlook and the new Outlook.

1. Open the Exchange Admin Center
   Go to admin.exchange.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft 365 admin credentials. For Exchange on-premises, use the on-premises Exchange Admin Center URL.
2. Navigate to Mail Flow > Mail Tips
   In the left navigation pane, click Mail Flow, then select Mail Tips from the submenu. A list of existing Mail Tips appears. If the list is empty, no custom Mail Tips are configured.
3. Add a new Mail Tip
   Click the plus icon to create a new Mail Tip. Enter a name for the tip, select the recipient scope (distribution group, mail user, or mail contact), and type the tip text. The text appears to users when they address a message to the selected recipient. Click Save.
4. Set the priority and apply
   You can set a priority level for the tip. Higher priority tips appear first. After saving, the Mail Tip is active and will appear in the new Outlook as a Policy Tip for all users who have Policy Tips enabled in their settings.

Changes made in the Exchange Admin Center take effect within a few minutes. Users do not need to restart Outlook to see updated Policy Tips. The tips appear automatically the next time they compose a message to the affected recipient.

If Policy Tips Still Do Not Appear in the New Outlook

Policy Tips are turned off in user settings

The most common reason Policy Tips do not appear is that the Show Policy Tips toggle is disabled. Follow the steps in the previous section to enable it. This setting is per-user and per-device. If a user signs in on a different computer, they must enable it again.

No Mail Tips configured on the server

If no Mail Tips exist in the Exchange Admin Center, nothing appears regardless of the client setting. Check the Mail Tips list in the Exchange Admin Center. If it is empty, create at least one Mail Tip for a test distribution group to verify the feature works.

Using an unsupported account type

Policy Tips only work with Microsoft 365 work or school accounts and Exchange 2019 or later on-premises accounts. They do not work with Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo, or IMAP accounts. If you are using a personal email account in the new Outlook, Policy Tips are not available. Switch to a supported account type to use this feature.

New Outlook version is outdated

The new Outlook receives updates through the Microsoft 365 Click-to-Run channel. If your version is significantly behind, Policy Tips may not work correctly. Go to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now to install the latest version. Restart Outlook after updating.

Policy Tips vs Classic Mail Tips: Key Differences

Item	Policy Tips (New Outlook)	Mail Tips (Classic Outlook)
Settings location	Settings > Mail > Compose and Reply > Policy Tips	File > Options > Mail > Mail Tips
Server configuration	Exchange Admin Center > Mail Flow > Mail Tips	Exchange Admin Center > Mail Flow > Mail Tips
Account support	Microsoft 365 work/school, Exchange 2019+	Microsoft 365 work/school, Exchange 2013+
Appearance in message	Yellow or red bar below subject line	Yellow or red bar below the ribbon
Custom text support	Yes, via Exchange Admin Center	Yes, via Exchange Admin Center

The core functionality remains identical. The only changes are the client-side settings location and the feature name in the user interface. Server-side configuration and behavior are unchanged.

You can now locate and enable Policy Tips in the new Outlook by navigating to Settings > Mail > Compose and Reply. If you administer an Exchange server, continue using the Exchange Admin Center under Mail Flow > Mail Tips to create and manage the actual tips. To verify the feature is working, compose a test message to a distribution group that has a Mail Tip configured and confirm the warning appears before you send.