How to Use Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is an email client bundled with Microsoft Office for Windows-based computers. The latest versions of Outlook allow you to send, reply, and forward emails, add file attachments, make appointments, and much more.

Method 1
Method 1 of 10:

Creating a New Outlook Account

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    Launch Outlook and click “Next” when prompted to configure an email account. The Microsoft Outlook Startup wizard will guide you through creating a new Outlook account if this is your first time using Outlook.
    • Follow the steps outlined in Method Two if your goal is to add an additional email account to Outlook.
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    Select “Yes” to confirm you want to create a new Outlook account, then click “Next.”
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    Enter your name and preferred email address.
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    Type a password for your email account, then click “Next.” Outlook will take a few moments to create and configure your email account.
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    Click on “Finish.” Your new Outlook account is now created.[1]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 10:

Adding an Outlook Account

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    Click on “File” and select “Info.”
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    Click on “Add Account” under the Account Information section.
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    Enter your name and preferred email address.
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    Type a password for your email account, then click “Next.” Outlook will take a few moments to create and configure your email account.
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    Click on “Finish.” Your additional Outlook account is now created.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 10:

Creating an Email

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    Click on the “Home” tab at the top of Outlook.
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    Click on “New Email.” This opens a new, blank email.
    • Alternately, press CTRL + Shift + M on your keyboard to open a new, blank email.
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    Type the subject or title of your message into the “Subject” field.
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    Type the recipient’s email address into the “To” box. If sending to multiple recipients, separate each recipient’s name with a semicolon.
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    Type your message into the body of the email, then click “Send.” Your email has now been sent to the recipient.[2]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 10:

Replying and Forwarding

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    Open the email to which you want to reply or forward.
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    Click on the “Home” tab and select “Reply,” “Reply All,” or “Forward.” Selecting “Reply” allows you to reply to just the sender, whereas “Reply All” sends a reply to all parties copied on the email. The “Forward” option allows you to forward the entire contents of the email to one or more recipients.
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    Type your message into the body of the email.
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    Confirm that the email’s “To” field contains the names of intended recipients.
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    Click on “Send.” The email has now been sent or forwarded to the recipient.[3]
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Method 5
Method 5 of 10:

Adding an Attachment

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    Open the email message to which you want to add an attachment.
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    Click on the “Message” tab and select “Attach File.” File Explorer will open and display on-screen.
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    Navigate to and select the file you want attached to the email. You can attach file types of any kind, including photos, videos, spreadsheets, and more.
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    Click on “Insert” after selecting the file. The file will now be attached to your email message.[4]
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Method 6
Method 6 of 10:

Adding an Email Signature

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    Click on the “Message” tab and select “Signature.”
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    Select “Signatures,” then select “New.”
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    Type a name for your signature, then click “OK.”
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    Type the message you want included with your signature into the “Edit signature” box. For example, type your name, title, and company.
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    Click “OK,” then click on “Choose default signature.”
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    Select your email account, then select the signature you just created. Going forward, your signature will be added to all outgoing emails.[5]
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Method 7
Method 7 of 10:

Scheduling Calendar Appointments

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    Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Appointment.” Alternately, press CTRL + Shift + A on your keyboard, or right-click a time block in your calendar grid and select “New Appointment.”
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    Type a description of your appointment into the “Subject” box.
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    Type the location of your appointment into the “Location” box.
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    Enter the start and end times for your appointment, then click “OK.” Outlook will automatically remind you about your appointment 15 minutes before the appointment’s start time.
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    Click on the “Appointment” tab, then click “Save and close.” Your appointment is now saved to Outlook.[6]
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Method 8
Method 8 of 10:

Creating and Adding Contacts

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    Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Contact.” Alternately, press CTRL + Shift + C on your keyboard.
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    Enter the contact’s name and any other important information about your contact.
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    Click on “Save and close.” If adding another contact to your list, select “Save and New.” The contact is now added to Outlook.
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Method 9
Method 9 of 10:

Creating Notes

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    Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Note.” Alternately, press CTRL + Shift + N on your keyboard. A blank note will open and display on-screen.
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    Start typing text in the note. The note will save automatically and stay open so you can take additional notes or refer to them as you work.
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    Drag and drop the note anywhere on your desktop as desired for easier viewing.
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    Close the note when finished. All notes are saved to the Notes folder in Outlook by default.[7]
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Method 10
Method 10 of 10:

Printing Items

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    Open the email or item you want printed from Outlook.
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    Click on “File” and select “Print.”
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    Select your print settings as desired. You can change the font style, heading, or adjust page margins.
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    Click on “Print” again. The email you selected will now be printed.[8]
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Add-or-remove-an-email-account-5a74e3be-7e11-4d9b-99f7-08ec25e9d072
  2. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Create-an-email-message-83eb5c08-15e1-4936-8bf9-f476d38a5182
  3. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Reply-to-or-forward-an-email-message-2d7a77e7-b55d-4921-9c8a-d04b4c70c5a7
  4. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Attach-a-file-message-contact-or-task-to-an-email-message-477e3f61-5564-41e3-aa95-bb4737ad8cbb?ui=en-US&rs=en-MY&ad=MY
  5. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Create-and-add-an-email-message-signature-Outlook-2010-95cce669-d370-43fe-afbe-4e79361dfc12?ui=en-US&rs=en-MY&ad=MY
  6. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Schedule-an-appointment-d027b756-7960-4d74-b159-05005e36c06d
  7. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Create-a-note-9e7eb168-096e-408b-9e4d-f6812a889248
  8. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-my/article/Print-items-in-Outlook-c0d95fcb-ca30-4c0f-9baf-32f22e8652cf

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 32,616 times.
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Co-authors: 1
Updated: March 29, 2019
Views: 32,616
Categories: Outlook
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