Outlook & Email

Send, organize, and fix your email. Covers rules, signatures, shared mailboxes, calendar, and all the common Outlook problems.

96 guides in this category.

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How-To Guides

• How to Add a Shared Mailbox in Outlook — Add a shared mailbox to your Outlook desktop or web client. Learn how to access and send emails from a common team address in Microsoft 365.
• How to Add or Remove a Teams Meeting from an Outlook Invite — Add a Microsoft Teams meeting link to an existing Outlook calendar invite, or remove one you don't need.
• How to Add Your Location When Responding to a Meeting Invite — Learn how to RSVP to a calendar invite while also telling the organizer if you plan to attend virtually or physically in the room.
• How to Archive Old Emails in Outlook — Move old mail out of your inbox without deleting it, using the Archive button, AutoArchive, the Microsoft 365 Online Archive, or a .pst export.
• How to Automate Repetitive Email Tasks with Power Automate — Learn how to use Microsoft Power Automate to save hours every week by automatically saving email attachments and logging data.
• How to Change the Default Font in Word or Outlook — Set a new default font for all Word documents and Outlook emails so you never have to change it manually again.
• How to Change the Default Reply Behavior in Outlook — Stop accidental Reply All and control how Outlook quotes the original message, where replies open, and which reply button is the default.
• How to Clean Up Email Conversations in Outlook — Free up mailbox space by removing duplicate emails. Use Outlook's Conversation Clean Up feature to tidy long email threads automatically.
• How to Create a Calendar Event in Outlook — Schedule meetings and events in Outlook. Learn how to use the Scheduling Assistant, invite attendees, and add Microsoft Teams links.
• How to Create a Contact Group (Distribution List) in Outlook — Email multiple recipients at once by creating a Contact Group in Outlook. Follow this guide to organize and manage team distribution lists.
• How to Create an Email Autoresponder for Your Business — Learn how to set up an automatic email reply in Outlook and Gmail so you can confirm receipt of client emails instantly.
• How to Create an Email Signature in Outlook — Create and customize your email signature in Outlook. Learn how to assign templates to new messages, replies, and forwards.
• How to Create and Manage Outlook Folders — Create, rename, move, and organize Outlook email folders to keep your inbox under control.
• How to Create and Use a Shared Calendar in Microsoft 365 — Create a shared calendar, open a colleague's calendar side by side, manage edit permissions, and keep your team's schedule visible across Outlook and Teams.
• How to Create and Use Email Templates in Outlook — Save time on recurring emails by creating templates in Outlook. Learn how to draft, save, and reuse custom email forms for quick replies.
• How to Create Email Rules in Outlook — Organize your inbox automatically with Outlook email rules. Move, sort, and flag incoming messages based on custom criteria you define.
• How to Customize the New Outlook for Windows — Customize the New Outlook for Windows to match your workflow. Configure layout, dark mode, notifications, and keyboard shortcuts.
• How to Encrypt an Email in Outlook — Need to send a Social Security Number or tax document? Learn how to safely encrypt emails and attachments in Outlook.
• How to Fix "Cannot Send Email" Errors in Outlook — Fix emails stuck in your Outlook Outbox, oversized attachments, and "send on behalf" permission errors so your mail sends again.
• How to Fix Email Formatting Issues — HTML, Plain Text, and Broken Layouts — Learn how to fix Outlook email formatting problems, such as emails sending in plain text without images or text displaying in unexpected fonts.
• How to Fix "Mailbox Not Found" Error in Outlook — Fix the "mailbox not found" or "cannot expand the folder" error when trying to open a shared mailbox or a departed employee's inbox.
• How to Fix Missing Images and Broken Formatting in Outlook — Fix emails that look broken, have red X's instead of images, or display as plain text instead of HTML in Outlook.
• How to Fix Missing or Disappeared Emails in Outlook — Fix missing or disappeared emails in Outlook — covering Focused Inbox, filters, rules, Deleted Items recovery, and cached mode sync issues.
• How to Fix Missing Shared Calendars in "New" Outlook — Did your coworker's calendar or a team calendar disappear after you switched to the New Outlook for Windows? Here is how to force them to reappear.
• How to Fix Notification Delays in the New Outlook for Windows — If the New Outlook is taking minutes or hours to notify you of new emails, try these troubleshooting steps to restore instant alerts.
• How to Fix Out-of-Office Replies Not Sending — Your automatic reply is switched on but nobody receives it. Fix expired date ranges, the external-reply toggle, competing rules, and shared mailboxes.
• How to Fix Outlook AutoComplete Not Working or Suggesting Wrong Emails — Learn how to troubleshoot and fix Outlook's AutoComplete feature when it stops suggesting email addresses or suggests incorrect ones.
• How to Fix Outlook Calendar, Contacts, or Cross-Device Sync Issues — Fix Outlook when calendars, contacts, or mobile devices stop syncing — covers account reconnection, cache rebuilds, app resets, and cross-device sync failures.
• How to Fix Outlook Calendar Invites Not Sending or Receiving — Learn how to fix issues where Microsoft Outlook fails to send calendar meeting invitations or does not receive invites from others.
• How to Fix Outlook Displaying Emails in Plain Text Instead of HTML — Learn how to fix an issue where Microsoft Outlook strips the formatting and images from all incoming emails, displaying them as plain text.
• How to Fix Outlook Emails Not Syncing — Fix Outlook when emails stop syncing — covers Work Offline mode, Cached Exchange Mode, OST corruption, New Outlook sync engine, and folder-level sync issues.
• How to Fix Outlook for Mac Not Syncing or Updating Folders — Learn how to resolve issues where Outlook for Mac stops downloading new emails or gets stuck syncing your inbox.
• How to Fix Outlook Keeps Asking for Password — Sign-In Loop and Credential Prompts — Fix Outlook when it repeatedly asks for your password, shows a sign-in loop, or keeps prompting for credentials — even when you enter the correct password.
• How to Fix Outlook Not Opening or Crashing on Startup — Fix Outlook when it crashes on launch, closes immediately after opening, or gets stuck on the splash screen — step-by-step without admin rights.
• How to Fix Outlook Not Receiving Emails (Mailbox Over Size Limit) — If Outlook stops receiving new emails, the local data file (.
• How to Fix Outlook Not Receiving Emails — Step-by-step fixes when Outlook stops receiving new emails — covering Focused Inbox, rules, junk filters, storage limits, and cache corruption.
• How to Fix Outlook Not Responding or Freezing — Fix Outlook when it freezes, shows "Not Responding," or becomes unresponsive — covering stuck processes, add-ins, mailbox size, and repairs.
• How to Fix Outlook Rules Not Working or Running Automatically — Fix Outlook rules that stop running, only work when Outlook is open, or disappear after updates — covers rule types, quotas, and cache repair.
• How to Fix Outlook Running Slowly — Lag, Delayed Typing, and Sluggish Folders — Fix Outlook when it runs slowly — delayed typing, sluggish folder switching, slow search results, and laggy scrolling — without needing IT or admin access.
• How to Fix Outlook Search Not Finding Emails — Fix Outlook search when it returns no results, incomplete results, or stops working — covering indexing, cache, and repair steps.
• How to Fix Outlook Signature Not Showing or Formatting Incorrectly — Fix Outlook signatures that disappear, lose formatting, show as plain text, or fail to attach automatically — covering Classic, New, and Web Outlook.
• How to Fix Outlook Stuck on Loading Profile or "Processing" — Learn how to fix Microsoft Outlook when it gets stuck on the blue splash screen at 'Loading Profile' or 'Processing'.
• How to Fix Shared Mailboxes Not Updating in "New" Outlook — Learn how to resolve syncing issues where shared mailboxes stop receiving new emails or showing sent items in the New Outlook for Windows.
• How to Fix the Missing Teams Meeting Button in Outlook for Mac — Learn how to restore the 'Teams Meeting' toggle or button when creating calendar events in Microsoft Outlook for Mac.
• How to Fix "Working Offline" in Outlook — If Outlook shows "Working Offline" or "Disconnected" in the status bar, it cannot send or receive emails.
• How to Give a Coworker Access to Your Inbox or Calendar (Delegate Access) — Set up delegate access in Outlook so a coworker can manage your mail and calendar and reply on your behalf while you are away, then remove it after.
• How to Identify a Phishing Email — Spot email scams before clicking. Learn the five common red flags of phishing emails and how to report suspicious messages in Outlook.
• How to Import and Export Contacts in Outlook — Export Outlook contacts to a CSV file, import a list back in with Map Custom Fields, handle duplicates, and fix accented names that arrive garbled.
• How to Manage a Shared Inbox Without Deleting Each Other's Emails — Learn how to use categories, folders, and read receipts to effectively collaborate in a shared mailbox without stepping on your coworkers' toes.
• How to Manage Calendar Sharing Permissions in Outlook — Share your Outlook calendar with colleagues and manage viewing permissions. Learn how to delegate calendar access without admin rights.
• How to Manage Email Attachments and Send Large Files in Outlook — Attach files and share large documents in Outlook. Learn how to use OneDrive links to bypass email attachment size limits.
• How to Manage Junk Mail and Spam Filters in Outlook — Stop legitimate emails from going to Junk and block unwanted senders in Outlook. Manage Safe Senders, Block Senders, and junk filter settings.
• How to Manage Your Outlook Mailbox Storage and Avoid "Mailbox Full" Errors — Check your Outlook mailbox quota, find and delete large emails, empty Deleted Items, and build habits that prevent "Your mailbox is full" errors.
• How to Manually Run Inbox Rules in the New Outlook — If your email sorting rules aren't running automatically, learn how to manually force rules to run in the New Outlook for Windows.
• How to Migrate from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 — A high-level guide for small businesses looking to migrate their emails and files from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365.
• How to Open an Old PST Archive File in Outlook — Open an inherited or forgotten .pst archive in classic Outlook, find where the file lives, search it, copy mail out of it, and repair it with SCANPST.EXE.
• How to Organize Your Inbox with Gmail Labels and Filters — Stop drowning in email. Learn how to use Gmail labels (folders) and filters to automatically sort your incoming work emails.
• How to Recall or Replace a Sent Email in Outlook — Recall or replace a sent email in Outlook. Learn how to use message recall on Exchange accounts and Undo Send in the web client.
• How to Report an Email in Outlook — Report phishing, spam, and suspicious emails in Outlook. Help improve security filters by flagging junk messages directly.
• How to Resend a Message in Outlook — Resend a message from Sent Items in Outlook without the FW: prefix, edit the recipients or text first, and know when to recall instead.
• How to Schedule an Email to Send Later in Outlook — Delay delivery of Outlook emails. Learn how to schedule messages to send automatically at a specific date and time.
• How to Schedule Recurring Emails in Outlook — Outlook has no native recurring send. Use a recurring reminder with a saved template, or build a scheduled Power Automate flow that sends mail for you.
• How to Send Large Files Without Email Attachments — Send large files without hitting email limits. Use OneDrive or SharePoint sharing links to transfer documents safely and quickly.
• How to Send, Reply, and Forward Email in Outlook — The essential email actions every user needs - composing a new message, replying, forwarding, using CC and BCC, formatting text, and managing your inbox in...
• How to Set Up a Shared Inbox for a Small Business — Learn how to set up a shared mailbox in Microsoft 365 so your team can manage an info@ or support@ email address together.
• How to Set Up an Email Autoresponder for a Shared Mailbox — Learn how to configure an automatic 'Out of Office' or confirmation reply specifically for a Microsoft 365 shared mailbox.
• How to Set Up an Out-of-Office Reply in Outlook — Configure an automatic out-of-office reply in Outlook. Schedule start/end dates and write different messages for external contacts.
• How to Set Up Email Forwarding in Outlook — Learn how to automatically forward your work emails to another address, or to a coworker while you are on leave.
• How to Set Up Email on a Custom Domain in Microsoft 365 — A step-by-step guide to connecting your custom domain to Microsoft 365 so you can send and receive professional business emails.
• How to Set Up Google Workspace for a Small Business — A step-by-step guide to setting up Google Workspace for your small business, from verifying your domain to adding users.
• How to Share Your Calendar with Someone Outside Your Organization — Learn how to share your Outlook calendar with people outside your company using direct permissions or shareable web links without needing IT.
• How to Switch Between New Outlook and Classic Outlook on Windows — Toggle between New Outlook and Classic Outlook, understand what changed, and restore missing features.
• How to Sync Google Calendar with Outlook — Learn how to view your Google Calendar inside Outlook so you can manage your work and personal schedules in one place.
• How to Tame Email and Notification Overload in Microsoft 365 — A practical system for managing email, Teams, and notification overload using built-in Microsoft 365 tools.
• How to Troubleshoot Gmail Not Receiving or Sending Emails — Fix issues where your work Gmail stops sending messages, bounces emails back to you, or fails to receive new mail.
• How to Troubleshoot Outlook Calendar Issues (Missing Meetings, Sync Problems) — User-level steps to diagnose and fix common Outlook calendar problems
• How to Turn Conversation View On or Off in Outlook — Group or ungroup your email threads in Outlook. Turn Conversation view on or off in classic Outlook, new Outlook, and Outlook on the web.
• How to "Unsend" or Recall an Email in Gmail — Learn how to recall a sent email in Google Workspace using the Undo Send feature, and how to increase the cancellation window up to 30 seconds.
• How to Use Focused Inbox in Outlook — Focused Inbox automatically separates your most important emails into a Focused tab and moves less important messages (newsletters, automated...
• How to Use Gmail — A Getting Started Guide for Work — New to using Google Workspace at the office? Learn the basics of Gmail, including composing, archiving, and using Smart Compose.
• How to Use @Mentions in Outlook Email — The @Mention feature in Outlook lets you tag specific people in an email body to draw their attention to a particular section of the message.
• How to Use Outlook Categories and Flags to Stay Organized — Organize your Outlook inbox. Learn how to use color-coded categories and follow-up flags to prioritize emails, tasks, and meetings.
• How to Use Quick Steps in Outlook — Quick Steps let you perform multiple actions on an email with a single click - such as moving a message to a folder, marking it as read, and forwarding it...
• How to Use Room Finder in Outlook — Room Finder in Outlook helps you locate and book available conference rooms when scheduling a meeting.
• How to Use Search Folders in Outlook — Create Search Folders in Outlook to see unread, flagged, large, or sender-specific mail in one place without moving a single message.
• How to Use Search Operators in Outlook and Gmail — Learn how to find specific emails faster using advanced search operators in Outlook and Gmail, like searching by sender, attachment, or date.
• How to Use Sensitivity Labels in Microsoft 365 — What does 'Highly Confidential' actually do? Learn how to tag your emails and documents to protect company data.
• How to Use the Scheduling Assistant and FindTime in Outlook — Use Outlook's built-in Scheduling Assistant to find open time slots when booking meetings, and how to use the FindTime add-in to send a poll when you need...
• How to Use Voting Buttons in Outlook — Add voting buttons to an Outlook message, choose built-in or custom options, and track every reply on the sent message's Tracking tab.

Explainers

• Understanding Distribution Lists, Microsoft 365 Groups, and Shared Mailboxes — The differences between Distribution Lists (DLs), Microsoft 365 Groups, and Shared Mailboxes - three common ways to send email to multiple people or...
• Understanding DLP: Why Can't I Send This Email? — Did your email get blocked by a 'Policy Tip'? Learn how Data Loss Prevention (DLP) works and how to safely send sensitive data.
• Understanding Email Security (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in Plain English — A plain-English explanation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, why your emails are going to spam without them, and how to fix it.
• Understanding Mailbox Access Types in Microsoft 365 — There are many ways to give someone access to email in Microsoft 365
• Understanding Outlook Versions — Classic vs. New vs. Web — Microsoft currently offers three versions of Outlook for Windows: Classic Outlook (the traditional desktop app), New Outlook (the modern redesigned app)...
• Understanding the Missing Features in "New" Outlook — A quick reference guide to what features from Classic Outlook are currently missing or behave differently in the New Outlook for Windows.

Other

• What to Do When Your Business Email Has Been Hacked — A step-by-step incident response plan for solo business owners who discover their email account has been compromised.