Outlook’s classic yellow icon is back… at least unofficially

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Microsoft is currently developing fresh icons for various apps. Earlier this year, they reached out to some users with a questionnaire, seeking opinions on proposed icon layouts.

In an email from April, it was stated that at Microsoft, they are constantly working towards enhancing their products and delivering a user experience tailored to you. Now, we’re thrilled to extend an invitation for your participation in a short 15-minute survey. This will assist us in gaining insights into your preferences and opinions regarding the various icon designs we are considering for Microsoft 365.

The survey featured proposed fresh symbols for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, OneNote, and Defender. If you’re fond of these new designs, you have the option, though it’s not officially endorsed, to download and employ them.

Reddit user Thunder_Ruler0 took low-quality, leaked images and enhanced them to produce clear, high-resolution icons. Remarkably, these icons look sharp despite being derived from blurry initial resources, and the artist managed to create these polished versions in just a few hours.

Thunder_Ruler0 shared a Google Drive folder with the icons in their Reddit post.

I find appeal in the fresh designs of all the new icons, but it’s likely that the Outlook icon will draw the most notice due to its contemporary style and distinctly yellow color. This is a throwback to its original design as the Outlook icon was transformed from yellow to blue about a decade back.

It appears that the recently introduced yellow Outlook icon is merely a design concept created by Thunder_Ruler0, as the survey conducted by Microsoft last month revealed a blue Outlook symbol instead.

As a researcher studying software branding, I’ve observed an intriguing evolution in the identity of Outlook. Previously, Outlook was recognized by its distinct yellow logo, setting it apart from other Microsoft services. However, with the introduction of Outlook 2013, this changed significantly as the app adopted a new, striking blue logo, signifying a substantial shift from its earlier versions.

In the year 2025, Word, OneDrive, Yammer, Defender, and Outlook all display blue logos. Although Microsoft’s icons vary in shape, I find myself wishing for a greater range of colors within the Microsoft software collection.

If you like the updated Outlook icon in blue better, you can find it as well in the Google Drive folder named “Thunder_Ruler0“.

Instead of using the yellow Outlook icon directly, you might find it easier to utilize the classic version of Outlook by switching to that option. The latest Outlook is a store app, which makes personalizing its icon somewhat challenging. You can establish a desktop shortcut for the application and modify its icon through Properties; however, I haven’t been successful in making the custom icon show up on the Start menu.

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2025-05-20 16:09