[2025-10-22] Finalized Simplified Chinese localization
Although Simplified Chinese was already present in the program, it had never been fully finalized, with many parts remaining untranslated. This work has now been fully completed. We're happy to finally provide a complete experience for OE Classic users in China.
[2025-10-22] Folder message counts now update correctly when synchronizing via the Send/Receive function
In the previous updates, the only way to check unread message counts for IMAP folders was to click each folder individually. Now, these counts are automatically updated when you use the Send/Receive function, allowing you to immediately see which folders have unread messages.
[2025-10-22] Improved POP error logging
[2025-10-10] Speed optimization when refreshing folder message counts
Bug fixes
[2025-10-10] Improved error handling for downloading spell-check dictionaries in the event of a server error
Are you switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and are worried that OE Classic will no longer work on it?
Well, worry no more, because OE Classic is already fully compatible!
October 14th, 2025, marks the official end of Windows 10 support by Microsoft. Since many users will be upgrading to Windows 11, we want to reassure everyone that OE Classic has been fully prepared for this change well in advance.
Our initial work began even before the release of Windows 11 back in 2021.
We then did another round of compatibility improvements in version 4.5.0 (released in 2023), adding support for the "Edge Chromium" (WebView2) engine.
Finally, support and compatibility improvements have been continually updated since then.
As a result, OE Classic runs smoothly and efficiently on the latest Windows 11, just as you would expect. At the same time, OE Classic remains compatible with previous versions of Windows as well, just to make that clear (XP and newer).
Also, if you're considering upgrading to Windows 11, you're not even the first one. Thousands are already using OE Classic on Windows 11, so rest assured that OE Classic will be waiting for you on the other side, ready to continue providing the same reliable, familiar, and efficient email experience you trust.
If you are worried that you won't be able to transfer your email history, address book, accounts, settings, and other data, it is also possible. All that is needed is to locate the "User" folder on the old computer, install OE Classic on the new one, locate the blank "User" folder on the new computer, and replace it. OE Classic will look exactly as you had it set on your old computer. Of course, if you need a more detailed guide, we're ready to help you using our support channels (contact form).
We remain committed to ensuring OE Classic stays compatible with the latest Windows technologies while preserving the classic look and functionality our users love.
Your email. Your way. On Windows 11, with OE Classic.
Starting September 1st, 2025, OE Classic will no longer support Windows 2000. This decision comes 25 years after the release of Windows 2000 and 15 years after Microsoft officially discontinued it.
This change has been a long time coming and should not be surprising. The compatibility layer that allowed OE Classic to run on Windows 2000 will no longer be maintained, allowing us to focus on more relevant features.
Usage statistics show that only a handful of users are still on Windows 2000 (possibly even bots), and we have received very few support inquiries about it. In fact, the compatibility layer has been broken for several versions without most users noticing it. For this reason, we believe it's the right time to officially end support.
Support for Windows XP (including XP 64-bit) and all newer versions of Windows will continue. Today, the vast majority of our users are on Windows 10 and Windows 11, so most would not even notice this change.
[2025-08-14] "Compact All" now works for the entire store folder instead of only the currently logged-in identity
When you run File » Folder » Compact All, the operation will now process every profile or identity stored in the store folder, ensuring that all message databases are optimized in a single operation. This removes the need to switch between identities to compact each one, saving time, and helping improve overall performance and storage efficiency, especially in case of database format upgrades. The operation skips any files which don't need compacting. It is recommended to Compact All at least once per month.
[2025-06-25] Improved error messages for failed connections and Google IMAP/POP account login failures
The previously enhanced IMAP error reporting has now been extended to POP accounts and standard email connection failures, providing more detailed information for troubleshooting.
Bug fixes
[2025-07-01] The "SMTP:" prefix (case-insensitive) is now removed, if present, to improve compatibility with some MAPI programs for the "Send to Mail Recipient" feature
[2025-06-22] Fixed access violation error in the update notification system
[2025-06-01] Improved logging provides more detail when errors occur, making troubleshooting easier
The updated logging provides more details to help you interpret it.
[2025-06-01] Communication error messages are now clearer and include a list of common causes and suggested solutions to help you resolve login problems faster
Servers may produce a variety of error messages in case of login issues, some of which are hard to interpret. We've used our expertise to identify and address the most frequent ones, providing you with helpful fixes.
Here are some examples:
Server Connection Issues: Authentication Failed. No response from server... (1) Network issues (check your Internet), (2) Server timeout (server may be busy - try again later), or (3) Security software interference (antivirus/firewall may be blocking OE Classic - unblock it).
OAuth2 Authentication Problems: Authentication Failed. Your credentials are invalid or the access token has expired... Reauthenticate in Account Properties.
General Email Authentication Issues: Authentication Failed. Your email account could not be authenticated... (1) Incorrect username or password, (2) IMAP access is disabled in your account settings, (3) Your server requires an "App password" instead of your regular password, (4) A temporary server issue - please try again later.
Bug fixes
[2025-06-01] Updated internal communication components to resolve several bugs and improve security
[2025-03-24] Added a "None" theme option (default value), allowing to revert to the original unthemed appearance
A small portion of users have had trouble with Themes feature, so we added an option to switch back to the old, theme-free look.
[2025-03-24] Added "Copy to Folder", "Move to Folder", and "Forward as Attachment" menu options to the Message Viewer window
Bug fixes
[2025-03-24] Removed the "Windows 10" theme due to unexpected behavior
[2025-03-24] Right-clicking "Save Image As" in the Preview Pane and Message Viewer no longer triggers the "Downloads" window (Edge Chromium engine only)
[2025-02-15] Theme support with light/dark mode, including automatic light/dark mode selection matching the Windows system setting
In this update, we've introduced support for 25 new themes, including light, grey, and dark options. To select a theme, go to the Main Menu » View » Themes.
The "Match Windows Theme" option will automatically align with your Windows control panel app mode selection (light or dark). If you're using the light app mode, OE Classic will appear as it did in previous versions. If you're using the dark app mode, it will automatically use the "Graphite Blue" (dark) theme on Windows 10 or "Windows11 Office Dark Blue" on Windows 11.
However, if you don't prefer that, you can also manually choose any of the 25 available themes by selecting from the list below this option, overriding the automatic selection.
[2024-10-30] The Address Book now fetches all Google Contacts, whereas previously only 100 contacts were synced
In the previous version, OE Classic lacked support for the Google Contacts paging mechanism, which limited contact syncing to only the first 100 contacts, regardless of the actual total. This update addresses the issue by adding paging support, allowing all contacts to sync completely.
Bug fixes
[2024-11-01] Resolved at least 13 known issues (and possibly even more) occurring when starting the program after it was previously minimized to the system tray
It is incredible how one little bug can cause so much trouble in different areas of the program. For a long time there was a misbehavior with the Minimize to system tray option which was particularly difficult to pinpoint and fix. What we did is - we recorded all the misbehavior trying to identify a pattern which caused them. That took a while.
In this update we've finally succeeded and based on user-reports, the following known subsequent issues were all reported as a consequence of this particular bug, which is now fixed:
Error message "Could not obtain OLE control window handle" appeared when closing the program with Minimize to system tray (General options) and IE7 (legacy) or IE-Edge (legacy) (Advanced options) enabled
Folder and message selections incorrectly showed as grey (inactive) instead of blue (active)
Program could only be minimized once; further attempts failed
Arrow key shortcuts for navigating messages stopped working
Paperclip icon indicating attachments disappeared from the Preview Pane header when selecting messages with attachments
Message and Source tabs at the bottom of the Preview Pane would vanish unexpectedly
Right-clicking on contacts triggered actions for the message list instead, such as showing message properties instead of contact properties
Attempting to rename a folder caused the entire folder list to disappear (but only visually, program restart would restore them again)
Drag-and-drop functionality between items in the program stopped working
The TAB key no longer switched focus between items as expected
Selecting a message for standard actions, like Delete, was no longer possible after the message selection would show up as grey
Clicking OK in the Options window caused toolbar icons to disappear
Attempting to sort messages by clicking column headers triggered a "Cannot focus a disabled or invisible window" error after toolbar icons disappeared
All of the above issues are now fixed with this one bug fix, which makes this update a very important one!
It was easy to reproduce most of the issues above (in the old version) once we figured out what was causing them. All that was needed was to start the program with Minimize to system tray option checked, then minimize it, and then start it again, but using the desktop (or taskbar) icon.
The issues didn't happen with the Minimize to system tray being unchecked so that was the workaround we have offered until now. As of now though, you can fully use Minimize to system tray option, if that is your preferred way of using OE Classic.
Minimize to system tray checkbox in Options (General).
[2024-10-19] Find/Search is now available for IMAP accounts and folders (search by message content only available if message is fully downloaded)
In previous versions, the Find/Search feature was limited to Local Folders. From this version onwards, messages in IMAP folders or accounts can also be searched. However, since IMAP messages don't always need to be downloaded, searching the "Message" field will only show downloaded messages. To search the body content of IMAP messages, ensure they don't have the "cloud" icon.
Bug fixes
[2024-10-19] Attached .EML files are encoded as "message/rfc822" content type (used to be "application/octet-stream") which helps some third party email apps to properly show them
Some other email apps prevent opening .EML attachments if the content type isn't "message/rfc822". This change will make OE Classic more compatible with these email clients.
Microsoft has announced that they will be discontinuing the support for Basic Authentication and that they will only allow applications using Modern Authentication (which is considered more secure) to access their platform which includes Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, MSN.com and other national domains like Outlook.de, Outlook.fr and so on.
This of course means that some older email applications will stop working completely when they disable the support for the Basic Authentication.
However, OE Classic already supports what they call the Modern Authentication for over 2 years now. In OE Classic we simply call it Microsoft account or sometimes OAUTH2 in our support (an umbrella term for all such accounts).
While you can do this right away or when the change comes, you can simply run the account wizard (main menu » Tools » Accounts » Add...) and from the initial Account Wizard window select the Microsoft option.
The wizard then asks you if you want to add an IMAP or a POP account, and after selecting one and clicking the Next button, it opens a web browser for you to log in. After successful log in, you can return back to OE Classic and click Finish to add the account.
We have described this in a video, which is linked below:
The video shows the older icon named "Outlook/Microsoft" but the process remains the same. In the most recent versions of OE Classic it is only called "Microsoft" account. However, the rest of the authentication flow remains the same and shown in the video.
If you don't already have the latest version of OE Classic which supports this, you can update as usual using the built-in updater (main menu » Help » Check for updates) or from our "User" web page - https://www.oeclassic.com/user
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