Select any topic link, listed below, for a variety of Outlook Tips & Tricks:

Note: If the phrase "Tips & Tricks" is included in a topic link, there's numerous tips & tricks on that particular topic .
Click on one of the links below to get to tip

 

  •  

Print in Landscape mode

  • Open the "Contacts" folder
  • Select View, Current View, Phone List
  • Select "File", "Print Preview" (to preview the page)
  • Choose "Print"

If you are printing the list on standard letter-size paper, you will need to remove some unnecessary columns first.

If you have deleted every column you can part with, and the list still won't fit across a page (select File, Print Preview to see), another option is to print the list in Landscape mode. 

To do this:

  1. Choose "Print" from "File" menu.
  2. Choose "Page Setup"
  3. Select the "Page" tab
  4. Select "Landscape"
  5. Choose "Print Preview" button to see the result of your change
  6. Assuming everything fits, choose "Print"

      Note: You'll probably still need to delete at least one column or size a few down to fit everything across the page, even in Landscape mode.

Remember, Landscape mode sticks for all print jobs until you change it back to Portrait using the same dialog box.

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Start in Outlook Today

When you open Outlook 98, by default it takes you directly to your Inbox folder. For many people, this is the most desirable option because it allows you to view and read any new messages right away. But if you prefer a global starting view, try Outlook Today.

  1. At the top of your Folder list or Outlook Shortcuts toolbar, select Outlook Today.
  2. Click the Options link.
  3. Select "When starting, go directly to Outlook Today,"
  4. Then click "Back to Outlook Today" at the top of the screen.

From now on, starting Outlook 98 takes you directly to Outlook Today, where you'll see a list of tasks, the number of unread messages in your Inbox, and direct links to your Calendar, Mail, and Tasks. There's even a Find A Contact field so you can jump directly to that person's information.

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Change Outlook's start-up folder

In our last tip, we showed you how to start Outlook in the Outlook Today folder:

  • At the top of your Folder list or Outlook Shortcuts toolbar, select Outlook Today.
  • Click the Options link, select "When starting, go directly to Outlook Today," then click "Back to Outlook Today."

You can also set Outlook to start up a variety of other folders, such as Calendar or Tasks--take your pick.

To choose a start-up folder:

  1. Select Tools, Options, and click the Other tab.
  2. Now click the Advanced Options button.
  3. Under General Settings, click the down arrow and select your start-up folder of choice.
  4. Click OK twice, and from now on anytime you start Outlook, it presents you with that folder's contents.

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Send messages immediately

By default, sent messages land in the Outbox folder and don't actually make their way to the server until you click the Send And Receive button (or until Outlook automatically sends and receives messages, based on the interval you've specified). You can skip right over this middleman with one simple setting change and have Outlook send your messages right away.

To do this:

  1. Select Tools, Options and click the Mail Delivery tab.
  2. Under Mail Account Options, select Send Messages Immediately, then click OK.

From now on, clicking Send is equivalent to clicking Send AND clicking Send and Receive (assuming you're already online).

One word of warning: You'd better be sure that when you click Send, you're really ready to send that message. You won't have any second chances now!

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Close window after deleting or moving message

Ever notice that when you delete or move an open message, Outlook displays the previous message (from your message list) in that same window? Unless you wanted to do something to the previous message, you'll need to close that window manually to get back to your Inbox. To cut out this extra step, ask Outlook to close the message window for you.

  1. Select Tools, Options and click the E-mail Options button.
  2. Next to "After moving or deleting an open item," click the down arrow and select "return to the Inbox."
  3. (Notice you can also opt to display the NEXT message from your message list in the open window--a handy option if you frequently view one message after another in an open window.)

  4. Click OK twice to keep the change.

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Color-code messages

Here's an easy way to track messages to or from a certain person:

Color-code them. For example, you might color all messages from a certain client in fuchsia so they're easy to spot.

To do this:

  1. Switch to your Inbox or Sent Items folder and click the Organize button on the right side of the toolbar.
  2. Under Ways To Organize Inbox (or Ways To Organize Sent Items), click Using Colors, then complete the Color Messages sentence to the right of this option.
  3. For example, yours might read, "Color messages from Joe Public in fuchsia."

  4. Click the Apply Color button, and a Done message appears.

From now on, all messages that meet those criteria appear in the message list in the color you specified. (Note: The change won't affect existing messages until you close and reopen Outlook.)

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Move messages quickly from one folder to another!

Want a quick way to move a message from one folder to another?

  1. Select the message(s) you want to move, then click the Move To Folder icon (third from the left in the toolbar).
  2. The result is a list of possible destinations.

  3. Select the one you want, and off go the messages--no dialog boxes necessary.

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Shortcut to Inbox using the Keyboard

When you need to switch to your Inbox folder, how do you do it? By selecting Inbox in your Outlook Shortcuts toolbar or your folder list? Sure, these methods work, but reaching for that mouse takes some effort. Instead, try pressing Ctrl-Shift-I. Your fingers never even have to leave the keyboard.

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Keyboard shortcuts to Address Book or to new folder

In our last tip, we pointed out the keyboard shortcut for switching to your Inbox folder: Ctrl-Shift-I. Itching for more ways to avoid that mouse?

The next time you want to open your Address Book, press Ctrl-Shift-B.

And here's one more for the road:

To create a new folder (in the currently active folder), press Ctrl-Shift-E.

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Keyboard shortcuts for composing messages

Over the past two tips, we've pointed out some handy keyboard shortcuts for those of you who like to avoid the mouse:

  • Press Ctrl-Shift-I to switch to your Inbox folder, press Ctrl-Shift-B to open your Address Book, and press Ctrl-Shift-E to create a new folder.

Now here's a couple more:

  1. To compose a new message, press Ctrl-N to open the New Message dialog box.
  2. To reply to the selected message, press Ctrl-R (or press Ctrl-Shift-R to reply to all, or Ctrl-F to forward the message).

As you may remember from a previous tip, when you're finished composing a message, you can send it by pressing Ctrl-Enter.

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Compose message using stationery

Is there a certain mood you'd like to convey in an outgoing message?

Try composing it on stationery. Outlook 98 comes with 24 ready-made designs, such as Baby News, Holiday Letter, Paw Print, and so on. (Of course, you'll only want to use stationery for recipients who can view HTML messages.)

  1. Select Actions, New Message Using, More Stationery.
  2. Select any stationery in the list to preview it, and when you find one that suits your mood, click OK.
  3. Back in the New Message dialog box, just complete the message as usual: Fill in the To and Subject fields, then type your message.
  4. When you're finished, click Send, and off goes your work of art.

By the way, once you've used a stationery type, it appears in the Actions, New Mail Message Using list.

  • Select it here to avoid the Select A Stationery dialog box.

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Need more stationery

In our last tip, we showed you how to send a new mail message using one of Outlook's ready-made stationery options:

  • Select Actions, New Message Using, More Stationery; select a stationery in the list; click OK; then complete the message as usual.

If you can't find one in the list that suits your mood, there are a few more stationery options to choose from online.

  1. Inside the Select A Stationery dialog box, click the Get More Stationery button. Assuming you're online (if not, Outlook attempts to connect now), your browser window opens and takes you to the Outlook Downloads page.
  2. Select any or all of the stationery options you'd like to download, click Go To Basket, then follow the instructions to complete the download.
  3. Assuming you've saved a downloaded stationery to disk, double-click its *.exe file, then select the necessary options to complete the installation.

    Note: If you selected the Run This Program option during the download, the installation starts automatically once the download is complete.

From now on, you can select this stationery from the Select A Stationery dialog box.

Remember, you should only use stationery if a recipient can view HTML messages.

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Change default stationery

In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to send a new mail message using one of Outlook's ready-made stationery options:

  • Select Actions, New Message Using, More Stationery; select a stationery in the list; click OK; then complete the message as usual.

We also pointed out that you can choose from many more stationery options online. Is there one particular stationery design you want to use all the time? Make it the default so you don't have to select it for each new message.

  1. Select Tools, Options, and click the Mail Format tab.
  2. Under Message Format, click the down arrow and select HTML.
  3. Under Stationery And Fonts, click the down arrow and select your stationery of choice. (Click the Stationery Picker button to preview your choices.)
  4. Click OK, and from now on every time you click the New Mail Message button, that stationery appears in the New Message window.

Remember, you should only use stationery if a recipient can view HTML messages.

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Turn off default stationery

In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to send a new mail message using one of Outlook's ready-made stationery options:

  • Select Actions, New Message Using, More Stationery; select a stationery in the list; click OK; then complete the message as usual.

We also showed you how to make your favorite stationery the default, so you don't have to select it for every new message:

  • Select Tools, Options; click the Mail Format tab; under Message Format, select HTML; under Stationery and Fonts, select a stationery; then click OK.

Of course, composing a stationery-based message assumes that the recipient can view HTML messages. If you're sending a message to someone who can't, you need to turn your default stationery off to spare your recipient a formatting headache.

  1. Assuming you're already inside a New Message dialog box, select Format, Plain Text, then click Yes to confirm. (You may need to delete any text the stationery leaves behind.)
  2. If you haven't started the message yet, select Actions, New Mail Message Using, No Stationery.
  3. Inside the New Message dialog box, you should still choose Format, Plain Text to avoid any and all formatting.

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Using multiple e-mail accounts

Just subscribe to a new ISP? Now you have to decide which account Outlook 98 will manage--the new one or your existing work account--right? Wrong. Outlook can handle both.

  • Just enter all the information for the new account, as you did the first time around, and Outlook 98 sends and receives e-mail through both servers.

Here's how:

  1. Select Tools, Accounts to open the Internet Accounts dialog box.
  2. On the Mail tab, click the Add button, then choose Mail in the pop-out list.
  3. Now just follow along as the Internet Connection Wizard walks you through the process of setting up the new account (enter your e-mail address, server name, and so on).
  4. When you're done, click Finish, and back in the Internet Accounts dialog box you'll see the new account.
  5. Click Close.

From now on, whenever you click Send and Receive (or whenever Outlook 98 automatically sends and receives messages, as defined on the Mail Delivery tab of the Tools, Options dialog box), Outlook checks all accounts for messages.

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Checking single e-mail account

In our last tip, we showed you how to add a second (or third) e-mail account to Outlook 98:

  • Select Tools, Accounts; on the Mail tab, click Add, Mail; follow along to complete the Internet Connection Wizard; then click Close.

We also pointed out that once you have multiple accounts, you can retrieve messages from all accounts by clicking Send And Receive or allowing Outlook 98 to send and receive messages automatically as defined on the Mail Delivery tab of the Tools, Options dialog box. Want to check a single account for messages?

  • Just pull down the Tools menu, select Send And Receive, and in the resulting menu choose the account you want to check.

    Tip: If you plan to check for messages separately all the time, you should disable the "Check for new messages every XX minutes" option on the Mail Delivery tab of the Tools, Options dialog box.

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Disabling Office Assistant

The Office Assistant is an appealing little tool--at first. But after a while, the fascination wears off and everyone seems to want to get rid of the Assistant. We received several letters on the topic this past month. Here's one:

"How can I stop that maddening Office Assistant from popping up whenever I least expect it? I thought this thing was cute for about the first 12 seconds after loading Microsoft Office 97. After that, I got sick of seeing it. Please tell me how to turn it off."

We agree: the leering paper clip wears especially thin with us.

To turn off the Office Assistant:

  1. Run Windows Explorer and go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Actors (where C: is the drive on which Microsoft Office is installed). If your system doesn't use C:, substitute the correct drive letter.
  2. Right-click the Actors folder and choose Rename.
  3. Name the folder Non-Actors and press Enter. The Office Assistant will stop trying to assist you.

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Omit account from Send And Receive operation

In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to add a second (or third) e-mail account to Outlook 98:

  • Select Tools, Accounts; on the Mail tab, click Add, Mail; follow along to complete the Internet Connection Wizard; then click Close.

Then in our last tip, we showed you how to check a single account for messages:

  • Select Tools, Send And Receive; then select the account you want to check.

Now let's look at another scenario:

Is there one account you want Outlook 98 to send and receive messages from all the time, and another you use rarely? You can remove any account from Outlook 98's Send And Receive operation without actually removing the account from the system. From then on, the account remains inactive until you designate it otherwise.

  1. Select Tools, Accounts to open the Internet Accounts dialog box.
  2. Select the account you want to deactivate, click the Properties button, and deselect "Include this account when doing a full Send and Receive."
  3. Click OK, then click Close.

From now on, clicking the Send And Receive button sends and receives mail from all accounts but this one.

      Tip: If and when you do want to send and receive mail from this account again, just select Tools, Send and Receive, then choose the account name.

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Sort incoming mail by account

A user asks:

"I download e-mail from various accounts, but have trouble figuring out which account each e-mail is from. I previously used MS Outlook Express to set rules that check the e-mail as they come in. The rule moves messages to specific folders depending on the account from which they are downloaded. Can I do this from MS Outlook 98, and if so, how?"

You can accomplish this same sorting using Outlook 98's Rules Wizard.

Just tell Outlook where to move incoming messages based on the address to which they were sent. Just tell Outlook where to move incoming messages based on the address to which they were sent.

  1. First make sure each of your e-mail addresses--one for each account--appears as a separate Address Book entry.
  2. Next select Tools, Rules Wizard and click the New button.
  3. Select "Check messages when they arrive" and click Next.
  4. Select "Sent to people or distribution list."
  5. Then click "People or distribution list" under Rules Description, select the appropriate Address Book entry for the account you have in mind, and click OK.
  6. Click Next and select "Move it to the specified folder."
  7. Under Rules Description, select Specified and select the folder to which you would like to move messages.
  8. Click OK, Finish, OK.

From now on, Outlook moves any messages sent to that e-mail address to the specified folder. Repeat these steps for any other accounts you'd like to redirect.

      Tip: Assuming you want mail from one account to end up in your in-box, don't follow these steps for that account.

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Backing up Outlook 98 folders

Do you save lots of e-mail messages in your Outlook 98 folders? Want to be sure you don't lose them all should disaster strike (for example, if your computer crashes)? Back up these folders on a regular basis.

The messages in every Outlook 98 folder are stored in two files--*.idx and *.mbx--on your system.

To back up a folder:

  1. Simply create a copy of the corresponding *.mbx file (for example, Inbox.mbx or Sent Items.mbx) in a convenient location, such as on a floppy disk.
  2. Exit Outlook 98 and select Start, Find, Files Or Folders.
  3. On the Named line type *.mbx and on the Look In line select your hard drive.
  4. Click Find Now, and Windows locates all the *.mbx files on your system.
  5. Hold down Ctrl as you click each one you want to back up (or press Ctrl-A to select them all).
  6. Assuming you want to copy the files to a floppy disk, right-click the selection and choose Send To, 3 1/2 Floppy A.

      Note: If the total size of the files is over 1.44MB, you'll need to split the files into smaller groups or compress them using a utility such as WinZip.

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Restoring backed-up Outlook 98 folders

In our last tip, we showed you how to back up your Outlook 98 message folders: Select Start, Find, Files or Folders; locate all the *.mbx files on your system; then copy them to a safe location, such as a floppy disk. Now we'll show you how to restore this information to Outlook 98 in the event of a disaster.

Exit Outlook 98 and in an Explorer window, navigate your way to the folder that contains your Outlook 98 *.mbx files. (If you aren't sure, use Find to search them out.) Rename the *.idx and *.mbx files that correspond to the folders you're about to restore. (For example, if you plan to restore the Inbox folder, rename Inbox.idx and Inbox.mbx.)

Copy the backed-up *.mbx files to the Mail folder, then delete the file folders.nch from the Mail folder.

That's all there is to it. Launch Outlook 98, and your messages should appear right back where they belong. Feel free to delete the renamed *.idx and *.mbx files once you're sure the operation was a success.

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OFF TO THE RIGHT START

How to start Outlook in the Outlook Today folder:

  1. At the top of your Folder list or Outlook Shortcuts toolbar, select Outlook Today.
  2. Click the Options link
  3. Select "When starting, go directly to Outlook Today"
  4. Then click "Back to Outlook Today."

You can also set Outlook to start up a variety of other folders, such as Calendar or Tasks--take your pick.

  1. To choose a start-up folder, select Tools, Options, and click the Other tab.
  2. Now click the Advanced Options button.
  3. Under General Settings, click the down arrow and select your start-up folder of choice.
  4. Click OK twice.

From now on anytime you start Outlook, it presents you with that folder's contents.

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OFFLINE PHONE LIST ACCESS
Print phone list

Need a handy phone list of all your contacts? Print one out to keep next to your phone, so you can access it whether your computer is on or not.

  1. Open the Contacts folder, then select View, Current View, Phone List.
    If there are columns you don't want to print, such as File As, you can remove them (they won't all fit across a standard page anyway). To do this...
  2. Right-click an unwanted column's heading and select Remove This Column.
  3. For a quick preview of your phone list, select File, Print Preview.  Look good?
  4. Click Print and wait by the printer.

Note:  To put a column back...

  1. Select View, Current View, Customize Current View
  2. Click the Fields button
  3. Select the field you want to add on the left
  4. Click Add
  5. Use the Move Up button to position it
  6. Then click OK twice.

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Creating AutoSignatures 

You can create your own unique or customized signature that will automatically appear when you create, reply to or forward your email messages.

  1. Select Inbox.
  2. Click Tools Red_Arrow62D2.gif (101 bytes) AutoSignature.
  3. Type the text you want to include in the AutoSignature or you can also paste or drag text to the AutoSignature dialog box from another document.
  4. Click Font button to customize the text options.
  5. Then click OK.
  6. Click Paragraph to align the text or add bullets.
  7. Check the Add this signature to the end of new messages box.
  8. Do not check the Don't add this signature to replies or forwarded messages  box.
  9. Click OK.

The next time that you create, reply to or forward an email message, your custom Autosignature will automatically appear in the body of your message.

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Public folder - Where are you? 

Are you frustrated after having scrolled down an endless list of folders and  sub-folders before finally locating the Public Folder that you need? You can put an end to that madness by simply creating a shortcut to a Public Folder on the Outlook bar:

  1. Click on the "Public Folder"
  2. Then drag and drop it right into your Outlook Bar

That's it.  So, the next time that you want to reference that Public Folder, simply click on the shortcut in your Outlook Bar. 

 


Calendar

Adding Holidays

If you open up Calendar and start searching for Halloween, you won't find it.   Why?  Because people form all over the world use Outlook and many of them celebrate a different set of holidays. 

  • Inside the Calendar folder, select Tools, Options.
  • Click the Calendar Options button.
  • Click the Add Holidays button.
  • Click the check box next to each holidays set you'd like to include on your calendar.
  • Click OK, wait a few seconds, then click OK twice more to close all open dialog boxes.
  • Check your calendar for all the new additions. 
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Expanding Work Week View

If you view your Calendar using Work Week, you'll find that your appointment description get cut off to fit inside those narrow columns.  If you'd like to see more at a glance, consider enlarging those columns to fill the screen.

  • Hold your mouse pointer over the dividing line between your schedule and the TaskPad
  • When the mouse pointer changes to a double-pointed arrow, click and drag all the way over to the right edge of the screen. 
  • Let go, and your schedule fills the screen. 
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Important  Appointments

Are certain appointments in your Calendar more important than others?  Attach reminders to those appointments you can't afford to miss.

  • Double-click on any existing appointment.
  • Select the check box next to Reminder.
  • Click the down arrow next to 15 Minutes.
  • Select the amount of advanced warning you'd like.
  • Click Save and Close.

As long as Outlook is running, a reminder will appear onscreen the specified number of minutes(or hours) before our appointment.  Not quite ready to go?   Click Snooze and you've got five minutes to warp things up before the reminder appears again. 

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Rescheduling Meeting

Need to reschedule a meeting you've already entered in your Calendar?  Whether you need to adjust the date, time, or duration, changing it is a snap.

  • To change only the date of the meeting:
    • Click and drag the appointment from your schedule--Day, Work, Week, or Week View--over to the Date Navigator(the calendar in the top-right area of the window).
    • Drop it on the correct day. 
  • To change the time of the meeting:
    • Switch to Day View.
    • Click and drag the appointment up or down to the correct time.
    • Let go, and it slides into place.
  • To change the duration of the meeting:
    • Switch to Day View.
    • Hold your mouse pointer over the appointment's top or bottom edge.
    • When the mouse pointer changes to a double-pointed arrow,
    • Click and drag up or down.
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Contacts

Restore Deleted Contacts

If you delete an entry from your Address Book by mistake, you can get them back.  As long as you're in the current work session(or at any time, if you haven't instructed Outlook to empty the Deleted Items folder upon existing), you can retrieve deleted contacts from the Deleted Items folder.

  • Switch to the Deleted Items folder.
  • Scroll down the list until you find the deleted contact(s) you want to restore(the icon resembles an ID card).
  • Hold down the CTRL key and select the Contacts to be restored.
  • Right-click the selection.
  • Choose Move To Folder.
  • Select  the Contact Folder.
  • Click OK.  
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Keyboard Shortcuts for Calendar

Function

Keyboard Shortcuts

Move Forward or Back One Day: -Press the RIGHT or LEFT cursor keys on your mouse or laptop.
Jump Forward or Back One Week: -Press the ALTPAGE UP or PAGE DOWN keys.
Jump to the First Day of the Current Week: -Press the ALT+ HOME keys.*

*NOTE:  ALT+ HOME keystroke defaults to  Sunday as the first day of the week.   

  • To change the first day of the week to Monday rather than Sunday:
    • Select Tools, Options, and click the Calendar Options button.
    • Next to First Day of Week, click the down arrow and select Monday.
    • Click OK.
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Keyboard Shortcuts for Messages

Function

Keyboard Shortcuts

Create Message: -Press the CTRL+keys.
Forward Message: -Press the CTRL+ F keys.
Go to Inbox: -Press the CTRL+SHIFT+ I keys.
Reply: -Press the CTRL+ R keys.
Reply to All: -Press the CTRL+SHIFT + R keys.
Send Message: -Press the CTRL+ ENTER keys.
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Messages

Blind Copy

Want to CC someone on a message without letting the message recipient know?  For example, suppose you're planned a surprise party for a fellow employees, and you send that employee an email telling them what time to meet you for lunch.  BCC(blind carbon copy)everyone invited to the celebration, and they'll know the plan without spoiling the surprise.  With BCC, only you and the BCC recipients know they received the message.

  • When addressing the message:
  • Click the To or CC button to open the Select Names dialog box.
  • For each person, you want to BCC, select his or her name on the left, then click the BCC button.
  • Now send the message.
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Drag & Drop Names To & From Address Fields

  • When Replying To All in response to an email that has number names in the To: and CC: boxes,  and you want to move all CC: recipients into the To: box:
  • Highlight the name(s) and drag it into the To: field.  
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File Attachments

Did you know that you can send an attached file while having the file opened in any MS Office application, which includes MS Excel, MS Internet Explorer, MS PowerPoint, and MS Word.   

For example,  if you're currently in a MS Word file and need to send this file ASAP.

  • Go to the File drop down menu
  • Select Send To, Mail Recipient.
  • An email message will appear with the specific filename in the subject area and the file attached in the body of the email message.
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Maintenance

Did you know that you can  re-edit a mail message  and delete   unnecessary text and attachments to make more space available in your mailbox.    If an attachment has been saved on your C: or I: drive, you should delete the attachment in the  original mail message.  Attachments can take up allot of space in your mailbox. 

To re-edit and delete text or an attachment in an existing mail message:

  • Re-open the mail message.
  • Highlight the text and/or the attachment to be deleted.
  • Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
  • Exit out of the mail message window.
  • The following message will appear "Do you want to save changes".
  • Choose Yes.

To save time and space, you can automatically empty all items in your Deleted Items Folder when exiting out of Outlook.

  • Choose Tools - Options.
  • Select the General tab.
  • Under General Settings, select Empty the Deleted Items Folder upon exiting.
  • Choose OK.
  • Every time you exit out of Outlook, the following message will appear:
  • Are you sure you want to permanently delete all the items and subfolders in the "Deleted Items" folder?
  • Choose Yes.
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Private Messages

A Private message is locked and can not be re-edited if forwarded from anyone who received your original message.

  • Choose Tools - Options.
  • Select the Sending tab.
  • Click the arrow at the right side of the Set Sensitivity list box.
  • Select Private form the list.
  • Click OK to close the dialog box and save your changes.
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Recovering a Deleted Message

Now let's see....select the message, click Delete and......you didn't mean to delete that message.  No need to panic.  In any give work session, you can retrieve any deleted messages.  By default, Outlook stores deleted messages in the Deleted Items folder, until you empty the folder manually or until you exit Outlook(if you've set the option to empty the Deleted Items folder automatically upon exiting).

  • Switch to the Deleted Items folder and locate the message you deleted by mistake.
  • Right-click, select Move To Folder.
  • Choose the destination folder.
  • Choose OK.
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Out of Office Assistant

Going on vacation?  Let Outlook's Out of Office Assistant reply to all your incoming messages notifying users that you're out of the office.

  • On the Tools menu, select Out of Office Assistant.
  • Select I am currently Out of the Office.
  • In the AutoReply only once to each sender with the following text   box, type a reply message.
  • For example:  "I will be out the office on Monday, August 2nd and returning on Monday, August 9th."
  • Choose OK.

Remember to turn this feature off when returning to the office.   Follow the above instructions and select I am currently in the Office.

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Task Requests

Creating a Task Request

The Tasks feature makes it easy to assign tasks through Outlook.   To create a Task:

  • Select File - New- Task Request.
  • Enter the recipient's address on the To line.
  • Enter a subject, if necessary, select a due date, start date, status, priority, etc.
  • Enter any additional instructions or comments.
  • Choose Send.
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Reassigning a Task Request

You can always assign a Task Request to someone else. 

  • Open the message containing the task.
  • Select Actions -  Assign Task.
  • Enter the address of the desired recipient on the To line.
  • Choose Send.
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Receiving a Task Request

When receiving a Task Request, you have two choices:  Accept it or Reject it.

  • Open the message containing the task.
  • Select either Accept or Decline.
  • Choose Send the Response Now, and choose Send.
  • If you have something to say about this task, choose Edit The Response Before Sending.
  • Type your message and choose Send.
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To Do List

Using Outlook's To Do List

Outlook is the perfect tool to create a To Do list of tasks to perform each day. 

  • Select the Task Folder.
  • The task view appears with a  table format showing subject and date columns.
  • Select Click here to enter a new task  to enter your specific task.
  • If necessary, enter a  due date.

If you want to set an alarm to a specific task:

  • Double-click on the task.
  • The task will appear full screen.
  • Select the Reminder check box, located on the left side of the task window.
  • If necessary, select the drop-down arrows for the date and time.
  • Select the Alarm button.
  • The Reminder Sound dialog box appears.
  • Choose OK.
  • Exit out of the Task window.
  • Select Yes to update the task with the alarm.
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Toolbars

Advanced Toolbar

The Advanced toolbar is a row of buttons that turn many menu driven commands into one click operations. 

  • Select View, Toolbars, Advanced.
  • A new row of buttons will appear just below the menus. 
  • Hold down your mouse pointer over each button to see what it does.  
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Larger Toolbar Buttons

Do you find it difficult to select those tiny buttons on Outlook's toolbars?

  • Select View, Toolbars, Customize.
  • Go to the Options tab and select Large icons.
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