How to Install and Use Outlook for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS/24.10

✅ Status: Verified & Updated for Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS (Noble Numbat)

Outlook is a powerful Microsoft tool that manages emails and calendar information. Outlook can integrate with other Microsoft products such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Skype, making it one of the best apps for managing projects.

⚡ Quick Answer

Microsoft doesn’t offer a native Outlook app for Ubuntu, but you can use three proven alternatives: install Prospect Mail (an Electron-based Outlook wrapper via Snap), access Outlook directly through your web browser at outlook.office.com, or add the Owl for Exchange extension to Thunderbird for full Exchange integration. I recommend the web version for simplicity or Owl for Exchange if you’re already a Thunderbird user.

Author’s Note: Validated on Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS with Thunderbird 138 and current Snap packages.

When Windows users first move to Linux, they start looking for the major Microsoft products, including Outlook. Unfortunately, there is no official Outlook app for Ubuntu(or Linux).

Since Microsoft doesn’t provide an official Outlook application for Linux distributions, Ubuntu users need alternative solutions. In my experience, there are three reliable methods to access Outlook on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), 24.10, and other Ubuntu-based distributions. This guide covers all approaches, from browser-based access to native-feeling desktop integration.

Read Also: How to use AnyDesk on Ubuntut

Let’s get started.

3 Alternate Ways of Outlook for Ubuntu

1) Get Prospect Mail for Ubuntu

Prospect Mail is an unofficial Outlook client developed using Electron(a JavaScript framework for making desktop apps). It gives you a clean Outlook interface with which to work.

First, you need to install Prospect Mail on your Ubuntu device. You can use the terminal or download the deb package for Ubuntu. We’ll cover both methods, so stay with us.

Install Prospect Mail using the terminal.

Using the terminal, you can install Prospect Mail directly from the snapcraft store. Since this guide assumes you’re using the latest version of Ubuntu, you don’t need to install snap. If you’re using an older Ubuntu version, you must install snap first.

Use these commands to install Prospect Mail. Use the sudo apt install snapd command only if you’re using a version older than Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) or your Linux distro hasn’t pre-installed snap.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd
sudo snap install prospect-mail

Modern Ubuntu versions (16.04 LTS and later, including the current Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS) come with Snap pre-installed, so you can skip the sudo apt install snapd command unless you’re using an older or minimal installation.

Even if you’re not using Ubuntu but a distro based on Ubuntu, you can use these same commands to install Prospect Mail on your desktop.

Install Prospect Mail from the Ubuntu software center

Go to the software center. It has an orange-colored icon with an A on it.

Tap the search icon. Now, start typing Prospect Mail into the search bar. The app will appear below. Click on the Prospect Mail icon.

Now tap the Install button to start the installation process.

Launch Prospect Mail

You can launch Prospect Mail through the terminal or from the Applications section. If you want to launch from the terminal, just type prospect-mail and hit ENTER.

After launching Prospect Mail, you will be asked to sign in using your Microsoft account.

Type in the email or phone number that you registered with. Now, type your password. You will get a “Stay signed-in?” prompt. Click Yes or No based on your choice. You will be taken to the Prospect Mail interface if everything goes well.

It really feels like using Outlook. Start navigating all the features to see if it fits all your needs.

Pros

• Gives a native Office 365 feel
• Access mail, calendar, and other Microsoft apps right from your desktop
• Sound notification when you receive new messages

Cons

• It is not a smooth experience.
• Doesn’t connect to other Exchange servers except for Outlook.com

2) Use the web version of Outlook

Although Prospect Mail is the wrapped-up version of Outlook on the web, it’s understandable if you don’t like installing unofficial stuff. Reasons may include the app being buggy, not maintained for years, or not being tailored for your needs.

No matter what the reason, you can still use Outlook for Linux ( or Ubuntu and any other distro) from your web browser.

According to Microsoft’s official documentation, Outlook on the web provides full access to email, calendar, contacts, and tasks through any modern browser, with identical functionality across all operating systems.

Go to the official Outlook website.

Sign in using your email (or phone number) and password. You will get the “Stay signed in?” prompt. Pick Yes or No. You will be taken to the Outlook web.

Pros

• No installation needed
• Officially developed and maintained by Microsoft
• Get help from the community when you face a problem

Cons

• Your browser needs to be compatible with Outlook
• Poor internet connection may cause hassles

3) Use Owl Add-on with Thunderbird

Thunderbird continues to be actively developed (currently at version 138), making it an excellent foundation for the Owl add-on. Owl supports modern authentication methods, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), which is increasingly required by organizations.

Thunderbird happens to be one of the most popular email clients for Linux users. Adding a simple Add-on will allow you to use your Exchange and Outlook email with Thunderbird.

Owl for Exchange is a paid add-on that enables you to connect your Exchange email to Thunderbird seamlessly. If you already love Thunderbird and use it regularly, this is the best solution for you.

How to get Owl for Exchange

First, make sure you have Thunderbird installed. In case you don’t use these commands to install Thunderbird,

Sudo apt update
sudo snap install thunderbird

Now open Thunderbird. If you haven’t set up Thunderbird before, you need to do so. Enter your name and email, and create a password to finish the setup.

Although Owl is a paid add-on (approximately €10-12 per year—less than the cost of two coffees), they offer a 1-month free trial so you can test the waters. In my experience, this is incredibly affordable for the seamless Exchange integration it provides.

Download Owl from here.

Launch Thunderbird. Go to Account Settings.

On the left panel, tap on Add-ons and themes. Type in Owl in the search bar and hit ENTER.

Press the Add to Thunderbird button to add Owl for Exchange to your Thunderbird application.

To see if you successfully added Owl to Thunderbird, go back to the Add-ons Manager tab. Then go to Extensions. See if Owl for Exchange is there on the list.

If you’ve followed all the steps properly, you should see Owl on the list. And if you do, you now have the Owl add-on on Thunderbird.

Pros

• If you’re a Thunderbird user, this makes it possibly the best way to use Outlook
• No need to install any apps(unless you don’t have Thunderbird pre-installed)
• 30-day free trial available

Cons

• It’s paid(although very cheap)
• Thunderbird doesn’t have the best interface

Conclusion

This article shows various ways to install Microsoft Outlook on your Ubuntu desktop or laptop. Since Microsoft doesn’t support its apps natively on Linux, you can only use workarounds like these to obtain Outlook for Ubuntu.

Do you know any better ways? Let us know in the comments.