Outlook E-book [Ultimate Guide]

Outlook E-book [Ultimate Guide] | Outlook training

You are receiving this Outlook ebook from FastSoftwares. Our aim is to provide you with more information about Outlook, the industry-leading email and personal time management program from Microsoft.

Get Microsoft Outlook at the greatest deal available on the market or from FastSoftwares.

Overview

This ebook provides a comprehensive guide to using Microsoft Outlook for email and personal management, whether you work alone or in a team.

In this course, you will master the fundamentals of Outlook as well as how to carry out everyday activities. We also discuss some advanced features and troubleshooting tips later in the ebook.

After reading our ebook, if you still need help, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at FastSoftwares.

Outlook: What is it?

Outlook from Microsoft allows you to manage your schedule and personal data. Even though its primary function is emailing, it also has other functions, including a calendar, journal, notes, task management, contact management, and web browsing.

Although it can be purchased alone, Outlook is a member of the larger Microsoft Office product family. Outlook works effectively with Microsoft SharePoint Server and Microsoft Exchange Server, which address the requirements of groups and companies that share calendars, inboxes, and other data.

Outlook is one of the most popular email programs and personal management tools worldwide, with over a million active users each month.

How to Configure Outlook

In order to configure Outlook, you need to add an email account. You can add various email accounts such as Exchange, Microsoft 365, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and others.

Please be aware that before you may add your account(s) to Outlook, some third-party email providers, like Gmail and iCloud, require you to make changes on their websites. This allows you to receive support directly from the supplier.

Launch Outlook, then choose File > Add Account.
The steps below will vary based on your Outlook version
1. 1. Click Connect after entering your email address in Outlook 2016 and Microsoft 365.
  2. In Outlook 2010 and 2013, click Next after entering your password, email address, and name.
You may receive a request to reenter your password. After that, select Ok → Finish to finish the setup.

How to Use Outlook to Import and Export Contacts

Outlook Contacts Import

Although it can take some time, organizing involves keeping your contacts imported. Now, let us examine how to import those connections and move toward a cloud-based lifestyle.

To import contacts into Outlook, first create an Excel document with contact details. Then, go to File > Save As and select CSV format to save the file.
Open Outlook and go to File > Open & Export. Choose Import/Export and select Import from another program or file. Click Next to import your contacts.
After choosing Comma Separated Values, press the Browse button. Find your CSV file and click on it. You can now select how duplicate contacts are handled by Outlook:
1. 1. Replace duplicates using imported content.
  2. Permit the creation of duplicates.
  3. Avoid importing duplicate goods.
Click Import a File and choose Contacts. Click the Finish button to end the process. In Outlook, you can examine your imported contacts by choosing People.

Export Outlook Contacts

You may quickly browse your contacts on whatever computer you come across by exporting your list of contacts. You will be able to quickly access your contacts thanks to the simple approach.

Launch Outlook. Navigate to File > Open & Export → Import/Export to import your contacts. Select Export to a file from this menu.
To continue, select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
To export contacts from a specific email account, first select the “Contacts” option under that account.
Select the location to save your contacts-filled .pst. Click Browse and enter the file name before clicking OK.
Click Finish to bring the wizard to an end.
To secure your contacts, enter a password in the Password and Verify Password boxes, double-check it, and click OK.

- - If you want to avoid entering a password, just hit OK and leave the password boxes empty.

How to Use Outlook to Manage Contacts

Include a New Contact

The tutorial aims to show how to add a new contact in Outlook, including adding from a profile card or company directory.

To access your Outlook account on the internet, please sign in.
From the navigation pane, select the People icon located at the bottom. The People page will open as a result. Pick a New contact from the toolbar.
Enter the contact’s information if necessary. Enter any needed details for the contact. To add other details, like a contact’s address or birthday, select the Add More option.
To include the new contact in your list, click Create.

Include Contact in Favorites

You can quickly add contacts to your favorites list by selecting the contact and using the “Add to favorites” option in the toolbar.

When a favorite contact has an email address, it will appear in Mail’s navigation pane so you can view all of their addresses at once. See and Modify Your Contact Details

To view or modify a contact’s information, pick the person in the middle pane on the People page. The tabs and sections that you see here may differ from contact to contact because what you see is a customized version of the profile card
1. 1. Files: View the most recent files that you have been sent by the contact.
  2. Email: View the contact’s latest emails as well as any attachments.
  3. LinkedIn: Information about the contact’s public LinkedIn profile will be displayed here.
Make changes to contact by clicking the ‘Edit contact‘ button next to Contact Information or using the toolbar’s Edit option.

Eliminate a Contact

Click Delete after selecting one or more contacts.
To finalize the operation, click Delete once more.

How to Include a Formal Signature in an Outlook Email

Maintaining a professional demeanor in the workplace necessitates signing your name on emails in the work environment. To do this, simply a few easy steps need to be followed. You can easily alter it in many ways on your own.

Ways to Make a Custom Email Signature

To create a new email, launch Outlook and select New Emails.
To access the Signature options, navigate to the Signature menu and choose Signatures.
Click New since this is a new signature that you are making. Next, type the name you want to appear at the conclusion of your emails as your signature. Press “OK” after entering it.

How to Personalize Your Electronic Signature

To further personalize your email signature, simply insert your signature and then explore all of the various format choices.

After creating your email, click “New Email” to access it immediately and use it in your next message. Press “OK” once you’ve made your selection.

Outlook: How to Compose and Send Emails

Utilizing Outlook is a lot like using any other web-based email service. Nonetheless, learning every stage of the process for writing and sending emails with it will make you more productive.

First, choose the New Email option from the Home screen to begin configuring a new message.
Click the To, Bcc, or Cc text area and type an email address or contact name.
After that, click in the Subject field and type the subject of your message. When the person receiving your email receives a notification, they will initially see this.
Click on the email body and start typing to start writing your message. Use the many formatting options that Outlook provides you with. Do not be afraid to use them.
Once your message is composed, hit Send.

Outlook: How to Send Attachments

Adding an attachment to your email makes it very simple to send a file along with it. The steps to accomplish this are as follows.

Launch Outlook and choose New Email from the Home menu.
Reply, Reply All, or Forward are your options if you want to send a file along with an already-sent email.
Choose Attach File after navigating to Home. There are multiple alternatives available for selection:
1. 1. Navigate this PC: Look through your files and choose one to open from your local system.
  2. Recently Worked with Files: Look through the list of files you have worked on recently and choose one. These files may be saved locally on a computer, in Group files, or in locations on an internal network.
  3. Outlook Item: You have the option of attaching your email as a text message or an attachment.
  4. Calendar: An email can contain a calendar. You can even add other details and particular date periods to this calendar.
  5. Business Card: This lets you affix an electronic version of your business card to your correspondence.
  6. Browse Web Locations: You can choose files from locations you have previously visited, like OneDrive, Group Files, and SharePoint sites.
  7. Signature: You may sign your message at the conclusion.
Click Attach Item to find your file and choose an attachment to attach. The following should be remembered:
1. 1. If you move your mouse over an attached file, its name and size will appear. Use this to find the File you are looking for.
  2. Click the down arrow and choose Remove Attachment from the list that appears to remove an attached file.

Using Calendars in Outlook: A Guid

You may manage your personal and professional schedule by using the Outlook calendar. With ease, set up meetings, appointments, and other events. Then, invite your contacts to attend.

Method for Adding Events to the Calendar

Navigate to the Home tab after opening Outlook. Choose one of the following options after clicking on the New Items group:
1. 1. Arrangement
  2. Getting Together
  3. All-Day Occasion
  4. Online Gathering
  5. Further Items
Add as much detail as possible to the form, including the event description, start and end times, location, and subject field.
After completing all the necessary fields, select Save & Close. You can now see the event on your calendar.

How to Bring a Calendar in

The Outlook calendar is free to use for you and other users without the concern of losing previously scheduled activities. To import a different calendar into Outlook, simply follow the instructions below.

When using Outlook, go to File, then Open & Export, to select the type of File you’d like to import/export.
Import the chosen iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar (.vcs) File into Outlook. Your Outlook calendar will instantly acquire all of the entries that are present in the external calendar.

How to Look Up Calendar Item Information

Your schedules start to fill up quickly when life gets busy. Recording every event on your calendar is a commendable endeavor. On the other hand, as time passes, it becomes simple to forget where and when specific objects are.

Input a search term in the designated field of the chosen calendar to view highlighted search results. Try entering many keywords at once to help you focus your search.→ To narrow down your search, try typing in multiple keywords at a time.
If you have more than thirty items, select “More to see” at the bottom to view more results.
Including AND, OR, or NOT in your search is another method of focussing it down. Every one of these terms serves a distinct purpose. You can search through your calendar with the aid of their functions.

Please take note that AND, OR, and NOT need to be capitalized. Make sure that when inputting them, you do not use quotation marks.

How Outlook Collaboration Works

One of the best methods to collaborate with people on documents is through Outlook collaboration. You can follow the instructions in this section to learn how to work together in Outlook.

Opening or Attaching a File in Outlook

You must first attach a document to an Outlook email that includes all of your collaborators in order to start working together on a single project.

Before you begin working on the paper, make sure the Attachment is uploaded to OneDrive and shared with all team members. As an alternative, open the Attachment to start working if you have received an email including an attachment from someone you are working with.

A single drive

For everyone to view the File, the Attachment needs to be kept in OneDrive. Just check to see if the Attachment has a cloud icon to determine whether it has already been saved on OneDrive or not. If not, you can save it to OneDrive and continue working on it from there.

Conferences

You can arrange and participate in meetings with other members to ensure appropriate collaboration on the Attachment. Additionally, Outlook offers the ability to host Skype meetings, enabling group document editing, note-taking on the same document, and simple communication.

How to Schedule Meetings in Outlook

Outlook makes scheduling meetings easier than it has ever been. Your team colleagues can join the video conference with only a few clicks once you have set up the meeting. For additional meeting features, Outlook has a direct link to Skype.

In Outlook, click the New Items icon located under the Home tab.
Choose “Meeting” from the option that drops down. It is necessary for you to choose Join Skype Meeting in the Meeting window.
Include any information that you would like to share, such as the meeting’s location and topic.
Enter contact information to extend an invitation to attend the conference.

Using the Scheduling tab in Outlook, you can see when the people you have invited are free. With the help of this tool, you can choose the ideal time to have your meeting.

Once the ideal moment has been chosen, invite your team members and get to work.

Learn how to create tasks and to-do lists in Microsoft Outlook.

When using Microsoft Outlook, creating tasks and to-do lists is a breeze. Listing out your daily errands or goals can help you see everything you need to accomplish and manage your time better. Here are the steps to follow:

Select “New Items” → “Task” or press the “Ctrl + Shift + K” keyboard shortcut.
In the “Subject” box, enter a name for the task. It’s recommended to keep the task name short and add more details in the description box.
If you have particular dates in mind for starting or completing a task, you can specify a “Start date” and/or a “Due date” and even set a reminder to help you stay on track.
If needed, set the task’s priority level by using the “Priority” selection.
When you’re done setting up the task, click on “Task” → “Save & Close.”

That’s it! Now, you know how to create tasks and to-do lists in Microsoft Outlook.

How to Create Filters in Outlook

Even if your mailbox is well-organized, it can be challenging to find a particular email when you have a large number of them. In such situations, using the search function with filters is the most efficient way to quickly locate the email you need.

To start, locate the search bar above the list of conversations. Click on it to begin your search.
Please input the subject, addresses, or specific phrases that are included in the email you are trying to locate.
Choose where to search: All Mailboxes, Current Mailbox, Current Folder, Subfolder, or All Outlook Items.
You can use the Refine section to choose specific criteria that will narrow down your search. The available categories can be summarized as follows:
1. 1. If you want to refine your email search and find messages specifically from one person, you can use the filtering option.
  2. Please note that only results related to the subject will be displayed.
  3. Show only results with attachments.
  4. Results are displayed based on specific categories. Only the results that fall into the selected category are shown.
  5. This week, you can filter search results based on when they were received. Options include Today, Yesterday, This Week, Last Week, This Month, Last Month, This Year, or Last Year.
  6. Messages displayed here were not directly sent to you or were sent to another recipient.
  7. Displayed results are only those that have not been marked as read yet.
  8. Only the messages that you have flagged will be visible.
  9. Please note that only messages that have been marked as important will be displayed.
  10. To access more advanced criteria like Cc and sensitivity, click on “More.”
After selecting your criteria, click on Recent Searches to rerun the search. Note that only queries are saved, not results.

Learn how to create categories, flags, and colors in Outlook for better organization and management of your emails and tasks.

Outlook provides the flexibility to create custom categories for personal, financial, business, and other areas of life. With Outlook, you can remain organized and keep up-to-date with every aspect of your life.

Discover how to categorize an email effectively.

To categorize a message, right-click and select “Categorize.”
Create categories to organize emails. Assign multiple categories to an item.

Here’s a guide on how to create color categories

When you begin using Outlook, you will observe that the categories are identified by generic colors and presented in a table view similar to your inbox. However, you can enhance the organization and identification of all the data you have saved in Outlook by assigning a distinct name and color to each category. This will help you manage the information more effectively.

To access Categories in Outlook, go to Home and click Categorize. Then select All Categories.
To proceed, first choose the color category and then click on the Rename option.
Type a title and choose a color for the category.
Once you have completed the task, kindly click on the ‘OK‘ button to confirm.

How to Create Flags

It’s possible to categorize your emails and set flags for reminders.

Select the email you want to flag using Follow-up flags only for actionable items.
Click on the flag icon to turn it red. A follow-up message will appear in the email header.
To remove the flag from an email, right-click on it and choose “Mark Complete” from the “Follow Up” drop-down menu.

How to Use Reminders in Outlook

Outlook will send reminders for events you scheduled on your calendar.

Learn how to set a reminder for messages.

Please navigate to your message list.
Please choose the Message that you would like to receive a reminder for.
Click Follow Up → Add Reminder from the toolbar.
When creating a reminder, you have the option to include details such as the date, time, and description.
Once you have finished setting up the Reminder, please click the OK button to confirm.
Once the reminder is sent, an alarm icon will appear on the Message.
To adjust the time of your Reminder, simply click on Follow Up, then click Reminder and make the necessary changes. Once done, click OK to save the updated details.

Here’s a guide on how to set reminders for tasks

Choose Tasks from the bottom of the screen or go to Home > To-Do List.
Please select the task from the list that you would like to receive a reminder for. Let me know which task you want me to remind you of.
Set a deadline by choosing a task and time frame in the follow-up group. Save the Reminder by clicking OK.
If you want to remove a task reminder, you can go to the Manage Task group and select “Remove from List.”

How to Dismiss Reminders From Past Events

To access the Advanced options, go to File, then click on Options, and finally select Advanced.
Make sure that the “Automatically dismiss reminders for past events” option is enabled in the Reminders section.

How to Ignore Conversations in Outlook

Organize your mailbox with email conversations, which are group-related emails by subject and chronology. Eliminate clutter by deleting irrelevant conversations.

If you encounter an irrelevant conversation, you can simply disregard or mute it.

To ignore a conversation or any email in the thread, simply select it.
To disregard or dismiss, kindly click on the “Ignore” button.
To complete the process, select “Ignore conversation“.→If you previously checked the Don’t Show this message again box, the pop-up won’t appear. Simply uncheck it to view the Message.
If you want to receive updates on a conversation you previously muted, all you need to do is uncheck the box. This will allow you to keep track of the conversation without missing anything important.

If you’re looking for tips on how to organize and declutter your Outlook inbox, I can provide some helpful suggestions.

If you don’t regularly clean your inbox, old messages that are no longer relevant to your life will accumulate and cause clutter.

Start by selecting a conversation that you want to delete. Make sure that it does not contain any important information that you want to keep.
To clean up your conversation, click on “Clean Up” and then select “Clean Up Conversation.”
Once the pop-up box appears on your screen, select “Clean Up” again to complete the process of cleaning up.

How to Turn Off Auto Archive in Outlook

It is crucial to archive emails to maintain credibility and organization. However, Outlook has a feature that automatically archives your data and reduces file size by storing older emails in a separate file. It is recommended to turn off this feature as soon as possible to avoid the risk of losing important data.

After starting Outlook, select File → Options → Advanced.
Click AutoArchive Settings under the AutoArchive section.
Verify that the box labeled “Run AutoArchive every n days” is not ticked. This will guarantee that your email inbox is spared from the automatic archival process.

How to Use Outlook’s Rule Management

Make a Regulation

You may click on Rules by right-clicking on any message in your inbox or by selecting an email folder.
Pick a solution that works for you. Keep in mind that Outlook always advises building a rule depending on the Sender and receiver. To view additional options, choose Create Rule.
When you create a rule, select one or more conditions from the “When I receive an email with all of the selected conditions” section.
You can choose under the “Do the following” section
1. 1. To transfer a message to a folder, set a rule.
  2. Play a chosen sound.
  3. Show in the newly created Item Alert Window.
To save your rule, click OK.

Use the Rules Wizard to Create Rules

Generally, the Rules Wizard allows you to create three types of rules.

The “Stay Organized” rule facilitates message filtering and follow-up.
Stay Current Rule: This rule notifies you when a message meets certain requirements.
Rules that are not based on templates are called custom rules.

Follow these steps to establish a rule in Outlook using the Rules Wizard:

1. Give your rule a name on the last page of the Rules Wizard.
2. Check the box labeled Run this rule now on messages already in “Inbox” if you wish the rule to apply to the messages you have already received.
3. Keep in mind that the rule is always checked by default. If you would like the rule not to be implemented, you can uncheck the box.
4. To activate the rule and save it, click Finish.

Execute Rules by Hand

1. To manage rules and alerts, pick the File tab.
2. Next, choose Run Rules Now from the Email Rules menu.
3. Select the rules you wish to execute in the Select Rules to Run section of the Execute Rules Now dialog box.
4. By choosing Browse, choosing the folder, then clicking OK, you can choose a different folder in the Run in Folder box.
5. Accept all of the messages in the Apply rules to list as they are. Additionally, you have the option to peruse unread messages.
6. Lastly, press the “Run Now” button.

Remove a Regulation

Rules are constantly made to facilitate organization and labor. To keep your slate structured, it is worthwhile to remove a rule if it becomes unnecessary.

To remove a rule from Outlook, take the following actions:

Choose Manage Rules & Alerts from the File tab after it opens.
To delete a rule, navigate to the Email Rules tab in the Rules & Alerts dialog box and select the desired rule.
After selecting the Delete option, click OK.

How to Configure Outlook’s “Out of Office”

When you are away from your computer for an extended amount of time, Out of Office automatically replies to incoming emails. That way, folks will know when to get in touch with you or the reason behind your non-response to communications.

Click File → Automatic Replies (Out of Office) after opening Outlook.→ In the event that this option is not visible to you, your Exchange account is not logged in.
Choose the option to send automated responses.
To schedule an automated response, specify the date range in the “Only transmit within this time period” field. Remember to turn it off manually later.
In the tabs labeled “Inside My Organization” and “Outside My Organization,” type your automated responses. If you would like not to send automated communications to individuals who are in or out of your organization, you can leave one of the tabs empty.→ Note: Selecting My Contacts only is advised to prevent responding to spam.
Press the OK button to store your configuration.

How to Set Up an Outlook Email Schedule

There are moments when you wish to hold off on sending communications. Use the procedures below to schedule or postpone an email

Write the Message. Choose the More options arrow from the Tags group in the Ribbon before sending it as an email.
Select the “Do not deliver before” option and manually adjust the delivery time and date.
Press the Close button.
You can either hit Send or keep writing your Message. This email will be automatically stored by Outlook and sent to the recipients at the time and date you specify.

How to Use Outlook to Block a Sender

Would you like to be removed from someone if you put them in your Block List, which is easy to do? They cannot get in touch with you via Outlook. Message list? They can not contact you through Outlook if you add them to your Block List, which is simple to do. Emails from senders on your blacklist will be automatically redirected to the Junk mailbox so that your focused inboxes remain uncluttered.

From the message list, select any message from the Sender you want to ban.
From the Outlook menu bar, select Message → Junk Mail → Block Sender.
Outlook immediately adds the Sender’s email address to your blacklisted Sender’s list and stores it. Remember that senders are banned per account. Thus, this will only affect the account you are now using.

How to Solve Microsoft Outlook Issues on Mobile

There are a few main issues that users of Outlook Mobile run with. We will talk about some of the most common ones and what has to be done to fix them.

There is a bug with the Outlook app.

If you have crashes when opening the Outlook app on your smartphone, try cleaning the browser’s cache:
- How can I clear the browser cache on my Android device? (Google)
- How can I clear the browser cache on my iOS device? (Apple)
After completely clearing the cache in your browser, remove and reinstall the Outlook application from your device.

Unable to Access the Outlook Application

Verify your email address and password to make sure you are entering your login information correctly. Try to reset your password if necessary.
It is essential to check if your email account is compatible with Outlook before adding it. Our email service is compatible with a number of email accounts, So there are quite a few email services out there, like Exchange Server, Office 365, Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Exchange Online, and iCloud. Are all email services that people commonly use? Please make sure to verify the compatibility of your email account before attempting to add Outlook.
If you are not sure what type of email you are using, find out from your email provider, Internet service provider (ISP), or the support personnel at your place of work.
If you are having trouble logging into an account you have already created, remove it and add it to the Outlook app again.

Cannot Install the Outlook Application

It will take a few moments to install the Outlook mobile app on your device.

It’s important to check the specific requirements listed on the installation page of the Google Play Store or App Store before installing the program. Please make sure to check your mobile device to ensure a successful outcome.
The Outlook program must be able to occupy the available storage space and maintain its size.
To download Outlook, you will need a working internet connection, like Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Not syncing contacts and calendar

If you have configured your email account as a POP or IMAP account, your calendar and contacts may not synchronize. To prevent this from happening, set up an Exchange ActiveSync account instead. Additionally, ensure that your email application has the necessary permissions to access your contacts and calendar.

If you are able to access your email on your computer without any issues but are facing problems with your email application, it is suggested that you contact the app’s support team. For example, if you are experiencing difficulties with the iOS mail app, you should reach out to Apple support for assistance in identifying and resolving the issue.

For better management of your contacts and calendar, it is advisable to download and install the Outlook Mobile app.

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