Remove App Search Bar in Outlook - workarounds until February 13th update

So, the search bar appearing above the message listing in Outlook has been causing some frustration for users. Fortunately, Microsoft has acknowledged that this is a bug and will be releasing an update on February 13th to address it. However, if you don't want to wait until then, there are a couple of workarounds you can try.

Firstly, you can set the reading pane to the bottom by clicking on "View" and selecting "Reading Pane Bottom" or "Reading Pane Off". This will move the search bar out of sight and allow you to focus on your messages without any distractions.

Alternatively, you can revert your Office M365 Click-to-Run installation to version 2312. This workaround is a bit more technical and requires running some command-line text as an administrator. Reverting to the previous build should resolve the issue, but please note that you will need to disable updates temporarily. Remember to re-enable updates once the official update is released on February 13th.

Here are the steps for the second workaround in a nutshell:

1. Open a command prompt as an administrator.
2. Run the necessary command-line text to revert the installation to version 2312.
3. Disable updates temporarily.
4. Await the official update on February 13th.
5. Re-enable updates.

These workarounds should help you remove the app search bar in Outlook until the official fix is available. It's always great to see Microsoft acknowledging and addressing bugs promptly. Stay tuned for the update on February 13th, which should resolve the issue for good.