Microsoft Outlook for Imac free version

Hi Terry Davies,  

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

I understand you would like to confirm whether the free version of Microsoft Outlook for Mac allows emails to be saved to Drafts manually, especially without relying on any AI features.

The existing Q&A Assist response already outlines the expected draft behavior correctly. If you have not done so yet, it would be helpful to try the guidance provided there first, as it reflects how draft saving works in the current Outlook experience for macOS.

I would like to add a bit of clarification that may help avoid confusion:

• The ability to automatically and manually save drafts applies specifically to New Outlook for Mac, which is the current experience Microsoft is moving toward. If you are using Legacy Outlook for Mac, the interface and options may look different.
• Draft saving is a core email function and works independently of Copilot or any AI features. Avoiding AI does not limit your ability to compose, save, or edit draft messages.
• This behavior is not restricted by subscription level. The free version and paid Microsoft 365 subscriptions use the same draft‑saving mechanism in New Outlook for Mac.
• The Drafts folder location and sync behavior may vary slightly depending on the email account type (for example, Outlook.com versus other providers), but the save capability itself remains available.

I hope this additional context helps clarify how draft saving works in Outlook for Mac. Please feel free to share what you observe after trying the steps already suggested or let me know if you are seeing something different on your side.

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Yes. In the new Outlook for Mac (including the free version), saving mail drafts is supported and works both automatically and manually.

Key points:

1. Automatic draft saving
   • Outlook automatically saves unsent messages to the Drafts folder.
   • Drafts are saved periodically while composing.
2. Manual draft saving
   • Outlook for Mac supports Save and auto save mail draft, so a draft can be saved manually while composing.
   • After saving, the message appears in the Drafts folder and can be reopened and edited later.

Copilot or any AI features are not required for draft saving; drafts work independently of Copilot.

References:

• Outlook for Mac features
• Save an Outlook message as a .eml file, a PDF file, or as a draft