12 useful tips for the new Microsoft Outlook

The new Outlook’s impressive multi-functional features and customization options make daily work more efficient. With the right settings and reminders, you can minimize distractions, optimally manage email, and stay focused on appointments and tasks. Check out the helpful tips below.

Further reading: The new Outlook app for Windows: 4 key details you absolutely need to know

Manage email effectively by disabling automatic reading

By default, Outlook marks an email as read when you briefly click on it. This may cause important emails to be ignored. To avoid this, please disable this feature below Settings > Email > Messaging.

You can find the settings in the new Outlook through the gear icon in the upper right corner. Select options Don’t automatically mark items as “read.” This allows you to retain control and decide for yourself when a message is considered read. This is helpful for tracking large amounts of email.

Customize your inbox by disabling conversation grouping

By default, Outlook groups emails that have the same subject as a conversation. However, this can become confusing, especially for complex topics with multiple participants.

Go to Settings > Layout and disable this option Show emails grouped by conversations or enable settings Display emails as separate messages. With this setting, emails are displayed individually so that each message can be viewed individually. This makes it easier to track individual responses and avoid confusion with similar subject lines.

Further settings can be made at this point to customize the view of the email to your own requirements.

Highlight important emails with conditional formatting

To make sure you don’t miss any important messages, you can color-highlight emails from certain senders or with specific keywords. To do this, go to Email > Conditional Formatting and make rules.

The visual difference makes it easier for you to immediately identify urgent emails and prioritize them accordingly. When building a rule, define conditions and choose appropriate colors.

Set up the management cockpit and combine calendars and tasks

A clear management console in Outlook helps consolidate emails, tasks, and appointments into a single view. To do this, activate your calendar or task via the icon in the upper right corner.

This allows you to see all relevant information at a glance without having to switch between different views. This setup not only improves the overview, but also saves time since all important information is available centrally.

Optimize notifications and focus on key points

Notifications can cause major distractions and reduce productivity. To work more focused, it is recommended to deactivate email notifications. You can easily customize it below Settings > General > Notifications.

However, calendar and mention notifications should remain enabled for files that you or others have stored in OneDrive or SharePoint libraries in Microsoft 365. They help you never miss important appointments and messages. This customization makes it easier for you to focus on important tasks without being constantly interrupted by new emails.

Convert emails into tasks or appointments

Not all emails require immediate attention. To work on important messages later, you can convert them into tasks or appointments. Just drag and drop the email onto your taskbar or calendar. This allows you to directly create a task or appointment with all relevant content.

You can adjust the date by right-clicking. This feature helps you not forget anything important and keeps your inbox organized. Emails will be retained, but all objects and information will also be transferred to appointments or tasks.

Start calendar weeks for efficient scheduling

For a better overview and organization, you can activate the display of calendar weeks. You can find this setting below Settings > Calendar. Calendar weeks make it easier to coordinate appointments, especially for long-term planning or projects with multiple participants.

If you use Outlook to plan appointments, you should also review the other settings in this area and adjust them to your requirements.

Pin email or remind again

Outlook offers two useful features to ensure important emails don’t get lost in the shuffle. You can pin emails to the top of your inbox using the Pin feature. To do this, right-click on the message and select pin. Alternatively, you can use remind me again The ability to automatically move emails back to your inbox later.

You can also find this feature by right-clicking, which allows you to set the date and time of the reminder individually.

Attach files faster

Smart features speed up attaching files in Outlook. When attaching files, just enter a forward slash (/) to display the most recently used files.

Alternatively, you can search for file names by typing the first few letters. However, this feature only works with files stored on SharePoint or OneDrive. This saves you time, especially if you use the same files frequently.

Delay sending email

You can use Arrange to send Function to specify when to send an email. Instead of just clicking “Send,” select the small arrow next to it and set the date and time. This is especially useful if you want to prepare a message outside of working hours or send it at the beginning of the work day.

call email

If an email is delivered in error, you can withdraw the email within a specified period of time. To do this, go to Settings > Email > Compose & Reply and activate Cancel Call the function when sending and specify the time period.

Alternatively, you can later delete the sent email via a recall message, provided the sender and recipient use the same Exchange or Microsoft 365 mailbox.

Process email efficiently

A tidy inbox starts with a consistent approach to email. Make the following decisions for each message: delete, reply, delegate, or convert to task. This will prevent your inbox from becoming overcrowded and you’ll always be on top of your communications. Outlook helps you implement this principle effectively with tools like tasks and reminders.