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Show or Hide App Names in Outlook’s Navigation Pane

Use Appearance settings in new Outlook or Outlook on the web to show or hide labels beside navigation icons.
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In new Outlook for Windows, open Settings > General > Appearance, then turn Show app names on or off. The toggle controls whether labels appear beside the app icons in the left navigation pane. A similar setting is documented in Outlook on the web.

Change the setting in new Outlook for Windows

  1. Open new Outlook and select the Settings gear.

  2. Select General, then Appearance.

  3. Find Show app names and switch it on to display labels or off to hide them.

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  4. If Outlook presents a Save button, select it to apply the change.

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The route is documented in third-party guides for new Outlook; Microsoft documentation cited for this topic does not directly confirm the toggle. Menu labels or availability may change. Windows Central’s instructions and The Windows Club’s guide describe the new Outlook setting.

Change it in Outlook on the web

In Outlook on the web, open Settings > General > Appearance and look in the Navigation bar section for Show app names. Switch it on to show the labels or off to hide them, then save if prompted. Ablebits’ Outlook navigation bar guide documents this control for the web app and new Outlook.

Choose labels or icons only

This setting changes the appearance of the navigation pane; it does not turn Outlook apps or services on or off.

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If “Show app names” is missing

Confirm that you are using new Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web, then check Settings > General > Appearance again. The setting is not established by the cited sources for classic Outlook or Outlook mobile, and the available guidance does not identify a universal fix for a missing toggle.

Do not confuse this with classic Outlook’s app option

Classic Outlook search results may mention Show Apps in Outlook. That is described as a navigation-layout or placement option, not the label toggle covered here. For app-name labels, use the new Outlook or web route above. The Windows Central guide to the classic option is available at Windows Central.

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What about Outlook for iPhone or Android?

The cited mobile customization material does not document a matching app-name toggle. The desktop and web steps should not be assumed to apply to Outlook for iOS or Android; see Microsoft’s Outlook mobile navigation customization guidance for the mobile options it covers.

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