Lesson 3
Using
Microsoft
Outlook 2010
Objectives
In this lesson, you will work with Outlook to send and receive messages and enter contacts. On completion, you will be familiar with:
what Microsoft Outlook is
recognize elements on the screen
how to send and receive messages
how to reply or forward a message
how to send an attachment with a message
work with attachments
sort and manage your messages
search for messages
work with the address book
understand mail maintenance options
Skills
3-2.2.3 Identify when to use different electronic mail options 3-2.2.4 Read and send electronic mail messages
3-2.2.5 Identify ways to supplement a mail message with additional information 3-2.2.6 Manage attachments
3-2.2.7 Manage mail 3-2.2.8 Manage addresses
3-2.2.9 Identify the purpose of frequently used mail-configuration options (e.g. automatic signatures, out-of-office assistance, blocking messages, etc.)
What is Microsoft Outlook?
3-2.2.3 3-2.2.4 3-2.2.5 3-2.2.6 3-2.2.7 3-2.2.8 3-2.2.9
Microsoft Outlook is a personal time and information management program that you can use for:
sending and reading e-mail messages
scheduling appointments
managing contacts
creating a to do list
tracking time spent on a project
recording notes
Outlook allows you to organize and share information and communicate with others inside and outside of your organization. It provides many features that make it easy to use and which increase productivity, improve security, and simplify information-sharing. Some of these features are:
To Do Bar Integrates your tasks, flagged e-mail messages, appointments, and calendar information in one
convenient place, enabling you to quickly view priorities.
Tasks integrated with Calendar
Tasks can be viewed in the Tasks module, on the To Do Bar, and in the Daily Task List of the calendar. Uncompleted tasks automatically carry over to the next day on the calendar until marked as complete.
Color categories E-mail messages, tasks, and other items can be categorized by color to make them easier to
find and identify.
Note: The exercises for this lesson are designed for Microsoft Outlook 2010 and assume you are connected to an internal or external mail server. Please check with your instructor to determine the e-mail address you will be using in the class to perform the exercises. If you are using an e-mail program other than Outlook 2010, the commands will vary in name, location where the commands are found, or how they are activated.
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Search Enables you to find information quickly, no matter where the information is located in Outlook or how large or small your mailbox is.
Attachment Preview
This feature allows you to view an e-mail attachment without opening it.
Calendar overlays
From this view, you can overlay multiple calendars, such as work and personal for example, in order, to find time to meet without double-booking.
Sharing your calendar
This feature enables you to create a snapshot of your calendar and e-mail it to others or publish and share your calendar on Microsoft Office Online.
Looking at the Outlook Screen
When you open Outlook, your screen will look similar to the illustration shown:
Contents Pane Displays the contents of the selected item for the active module in the Navigation Pane. For
instance, if Mail is active, the Contents Pane lists the messages for the selected folder; if the Contacts module is active, you will see a list of contacts in the Contents Pane.
Search Allows you to enter search criteria and see the results display while you type.
Vertical Split Bars
Can be dragged to show more or less of the pane on either side (in this case, folders or modules). All vertical panes on the Outlook screen are separated by vertical split bars. When you position the mouse pointer over a split bar, it becomes a split symbol that you can then click and drag to adjust the size of the desired panel. If you maximize the screen, Outlook adjusts the size and number of items you can see in either portion of the Navigation Pane.
Navigation Pane Allows you to move between different modules or components of Outlook.
E-mail List Displays information for each module or folder. This is the main area of the Outlook screen. In
the illustration shown, the Inbox is displayed, but this area could also display Sent Items, Deleted Items, or any other folder displayed in the Navigation Pane.
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4 E-mail List 5 1 Contents Pane 2 Search 3 To-Do Bar
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6 Date Navigator 7 Vertical Split Bar 8 Appointments 9 Task List 10
Reading Pane Navigation Pane
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Reading Pane Displays the contents of any e-mail message highlighted in the E-mail List. By default, this is displayed on the right of the e-mail or tasks list when in Mail or Tasks mode, but it can be relocated to below the list.
To-Do Bar Displays the date navigator, appointments, and task list.
Date Navigator Enables you to quickly switch to Calendar mode and view your schedule for the selected date.
Appointments Displays a list of upcoming appointments.
Task List Displays a list of all your tasks arranged in a sort order you select.
The illustration on the previous page shows the Outlook screen in its default configuration when first installed. Because many of the screen sections can be resized, minimized, or turned off, your screen may not look like the example shown.
Outlook consists of several modules or components that enable you to perform a variety of tasks:
Mail Compose, send, read, and manage e-mail messages.
Calendar Schedule appointments, meetings, or events.
Contacts Manage your contact list, much as you would in an address book.
Tasks Track and prioritize your activities.
Notes Enter brief notes, similar to sticky notes.
Folders List Display all folders in the top portion of the Navigation Pane.
Shortcuts Display any shortcuts Microsoft or you may set up for places you want to quick access to, e.g.,
Microsoft Online, the company’s SharePoint.
You can enter information into the individual modules or you can integrate one Outlook feature with another. For example, you can send an e-mail message directly to a contact while you are working in the Contacts module. This courseware focuses on the e-mail module of Outlook although Outlook provides a number of other features as seen here.
Creating New Messages
Sending an e-mail message is similar to the way you traditionally send a letter except that e-mail is prepared and sent electronically from your computer, and you need to have an e-mail account before you can send or receive e-mail. The service you select also determines how quickly or how often you may send or receive messages. Sending a message follows these steps:
1. Create a new mail message.
2. Address the message to the recipient.
3. Type the text for the subject, and then type the message, applying any formatting as required, such as bold text or indented paragraphs). If you need to e-mail someone a file, attach it to the mail message.
4. Use the spell checker and proof read your message to eliminate spelling or grammatical errors. 5. Send the message.
Once the message is sent, it is temporarily stored in the Outbox until retrieved by the mail server for delivery to the recipient. This is handy when working offline as you can store all outgoing messages until you are ready to send them.
HTML or HyperText Markup Language is the default format for new mail messages. Another mail format you can use is Rich Text; both formats enable you to view the message with any formatting used by the sender in the message. To change the mail format within a message, click the Format Text tab, and in the Format group, click the mail format to use. Plain text is another mail format but you cannot apply formatting. It does ensure that all recipients will be able to open and read these kinds of messages. Some e-mail programs only recognize the plain text format, and will discard or ignore the formatting used in Rich Text and HTML messages. To change the mail format for all messages for a particular mail format, select File, Options, Mail and then in Compose messages, choose the required mail format.
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To create a new message, from the main Outlook window, use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the New group, click New E-mail, or
On the Home tab, in the New group, click the arrow for New Items and then click E-mail Message,
press + .
Once the new message window appears, type in the e-mail addresses for the intended recipients or choose a name from the list of contacts stored on your system.
Addressing the Message
To access the list of contacts from the new message window, click the or buttons.
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3 Message Pane 1 New Message Ribbon 2 Recipient(s) of New Message
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Use one of the following methods to select multiple contacts and then click the appropriate address button:
To include everyone in a range of names, click the first name in the list, and then press and hold the key as you click the last name you want. Everyone from the first to the last name is selected.
To select individual names distributed throughout the contact list, click the first person you want to receive the message, and then press and hold the key as you click the name of each individual contact you want to select.
You need to select the names for each address field. Remember that names listed in the Cc field appear in this area of the message when received; names in the Bcc field do not appear anywhere in the message as seen by the recipients. Individuals who receive a Bcc message will see only their own name in the To field.
Adding a Subject Line
Be brief, but succinct, when entering text in the Subject field. Choose a few words that will sum up the purpose of the message for the recipient. Do not send a message without any text in this line to ensure the message is not blocked by the recipient’s server as suspected junk mail.
Formatting the Message Text
The Message tab contains formatting features you can apply to text in the New Message pane.
The Format Text tab contains the same basic formatting plus additional, commonly used Word program features. Formatting features can be applied either as you type or after the text is entered. If you choose to add the formatting after the text is typed, be sure to select the text first.
Applying formatting features gives the message a more professional appearance and can be used to emphasize specific areas. Be careful about the features you add as the message text can become distracting. If the recipient uses the Plain Text mail format, they will not see your formatting.
Proofing Your Message
Outlook can check for misspelled words or words not commonly found in a dictionary, such as names, computer terms, medical terms, abbreviations, and so on. If changes to the message text are necessary, you can use tools such as the thesaurus. To activate this feature or other proofing tools, click the Review tab and then click the appropriate option in the Proofing group:
Always try to maintain a professional manner in your messages, even with people you know very well. This reflects well on you and your company, as well as the products or services you provide.
To activate the spelling feature, use one of the following methods:
On the Review tab, in the Proofing group, click Spelling & Grammar, or
press .
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Setting the Priority
Send a message with high priority to ensure the recipient notices its urgency. Priority settings have no impact on how quickly messages are delivered unless a priority preference is set up on the mail server. However, an icon appears with the message to indicate the priority setting chosen by the sender.
To set the priority on a message, on the Message tab, in the Tags group, click or .
Saving the Message
You can save the contents of a message if you are not ready to send the message. When you close the message, Outlook automatically puts it into the Drafts folder for retrieval later.
To open a message in the Drafts folder, click the Drafts folder in the Folders list and then double-click the message to edit and then send it.
Sending the Message
Once the information for the message has been entered into the Address and Subject lines, and the body of the message, you can send it by clicking Send at the left of the address fields.
Exercise
1 On the Home tab, in the New group, click New E-mail. 2 In the To address field, type: jwoods@tolano.com. 3 Click in the Subject field and type: Information Request. 4 Click in the body of the message and type the following:
5 Beginning at the text, going, click and drag to select the two words, going green.
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6 On the Message tab, in the Basic Text group, click the arrow for (Font Color) and then click Green in the standard colors area.
7 With the text still selected, on the Message tab, in the Basic Text group, click (Bold). 8 Click anywhere away from the selection to view the formatting changes just applied.
9 On the Review tab, in the Proofing tab, click Spelling & Grammar to ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors in the message. Then click OK when the check is complete.
10 On the Message tab, in the Tags group, click to apply a high priority to this message. 11 Click the Send button.
Receiving Messages
Most e-mail programs will automatically check for new messages as soon as you log into the program. You can also customize the time interval to check for new messages in Outlook.
To check if you have received any messages, use one of the following methods:
On the Send / Receive tab, in the Send & Receive group, click Send/Receive All Folders, or
press .
When Outlook finishes sending and receiving all messages, new messages appear in the Contents Pane of the Outlook window. The Inbox folder also displays a number in brackets that indicates the total number of new messages received in the Folders list.
Outlook shows the contents of a message in the Reading Pane. The envelope icon changes from to when you open or view a new message. Use the split bar between the Contents Pane and the Reading Pane to show more or less of each pane.
You can also double-click a message to view its contents. Open a message to see the message in full, or to access options to reply to the message.
Replying to a Message
Once you have read a message, you can reply to the sender or to all recipients of the original message. When choosing the Reply or Reply All options, decide whether to reply only to the sender or to everyone else who received the original.
To reply to the sender of a message, use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the Respond group, click Reply, or
press + , or
if viewing the message, on the Message tab, in the Respond group, click Reply. To reply to everyone addressed in the original message, use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the Respond group, click Reply to All, or
press + + , or
if viewing the message, on the Message tab, in the Respond group, click Reply to All.
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Notice that Outlook displays a copy of the original message as a reference, and adds RE: to the beginning of the subject line to identify this message as a response. Also notice that Outlook automatically fills in the Address fields based on which Reply command is used. You can customize how the original message appears in a reply using the Mail Options in the File tab.
Once you have replied to a message, Outlook displays next to the message in the Inbox to indicate that you replied to this message. The icon is the same regardless of whether you replied to the original sender or everyone addressed in the message. Notice the arrow in the icon points in the same direction as the command.
Exercise
1 In the main Outlook screen, on the Send / Receive tab, in the Send & Receive group, click Send/Receive
All Folders.
2 Double-click the message from Jane Woods to read the reply and then on the Message tab, in the Respond
group, click Reply.
Notice the text in the Subject field reflects that you are replying to the message.
3 In the body text area of the message, type: No, he only asked that someone give him a call about what we can do to
help with turning his company green.
4 Send the message, and then close the original message.
Forwarding a Message
Use the Forward option to send the message to someone else for further action or reference. For example, a colleague working with you on a project needs to know when the next production meeting is as he would like to attend. You can then forward this message to your production manager to respond to the colleague with a copy to you for reference.
To forward a message, use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the Respond group, click Forward, or
press + , or
if viewing the message, on the Message tab, in the Respond group, click Forward.
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Notice that Outlook automatically adds a FW: to the original message. Unlike a Reply command, the address fields are blank so you can enter the addresses of those who should now receive this message.
After forwarding a message, Outlook displays next to the message in the Inbox to indicate you forwarded this message to someone else. Notice the arrow in the icon points in the same direction as the command.
Exercise
1 Create and send a new message to Ian Hanover with the following information:
2 When you receive his reply, open the message and then on the Message tab, in the Respond group, click
Forward.
Notice the Subject field text shows FW to indicate you are forwarding this message to someone else. 3 In the To field, type: nlocklear@tolano.com.
4 In the body text area, type the following text:
Hi Nicole,
Ian asked me to forward this information to you. I understand you are compiling a list of customer feedback and
requests for Shauna. Jane
5 Send the message, and then close the original message.
Attaching Files
You can send a file to an e-mail recipient for reference, or to supplement information provided in the message. Most people appreciate receiving a file they can read at their convenience instead of having to read through a long message.
The file can be any type, as long as you know the recipient has the appropriate software to open it. Be careful about the size of the file, as the larger it is, the longer it will take for the message to be sent or received.
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To attach or insert a file with a message, use one of the following methods:
On the Message tab, in the Include group, click Attach File, or
On the Insert tab, in the Include group, click Attach File.
You can then navigate to the appropriate location and select one or more files to be attached to the message.
If you decide not to send the attachment, use one of the following methods to remove the attachment from the message:
Select the file name in the Attached field and then press , or
right-click the file name in the Attached field and then click Remove.
Viewing Attachments
When you receive a message with an attachment, Outlook displays a next to the new message. The Reading Pane also displays the file name attached.
You can then right-click the attachment to display options for handling this attachment:
Click Preview to display a preview of the attachment in the Reading Pane or the message window.
Click Open to open the file in a program that recognizes this file type.
Click Save As to save this attachment. This can also help to protect your system as you can scan this file for viruses prior to opening it.
There will be occasions when the attachment you receive requires you to click a number of options before you can actually see the contents. For example, you may need to click the
Preview File button before you can see the contents of a PDF file. Another example may
require you to select a program that enables you to view the contents of the attachment.
Exercise
1 Create a new message and address it to jchou@tolano.com. 2 In the Subject field, type: Vacation Request
3 In the body text area, type the following: Attached is a record of my request for days off in July. Thank you.
4 On the Message tab, in the Include group, click Attach File.
5 Navigate to the student data files location and then select Absence Request Form JM. 6 Send the message.
Suppose you want to open a copy of the attachment you sent to Jeff.
7 In the Folders list, click Sent Items and then click the message to Jeff from the list of messages. 8 In the Reading Pane, right-click the attachment file and then click Open.
Microsoft Word should now open and display the document for you in full screen view. 9 Review the document briefly and then click Close. Then close Microsoft Word. 10 In the Folders list, click Inbox.
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Using the Inbox
Messages sent to you appear in the Contents Pane with the Inbox highlighted in the Folders list. Use this folder as the main folder to manage your messages. Delete messages you do not need and file the rest. A variety of options are available to help manage your messages.
Selecting Items
Before you can do anything with any items, you need to select them, as follows:
To select one message, click it.
To select multiple consecutive messages, click the first message you want, press and then click the last message in the list. All messages between the first and last will be selected.
To select multiple non-consecutive messages, click the first message, then press and hold as you click each of the messages to be selected.
Changing the View for Messages
The view currently used is the default one for Outlook. You can adjust the view by using the options in the Current View group on the View tab. These options offer other ways to keep the Contents Pane “clean” by showing only those messages you want to list.
You can choose to arrange the view of the messages by specific items and groups, or customize the fields used in the view.
Marking Messages
You can mark messages as read or unread, regardless of whether you actually performed that action. This can be handy to help sort messages by specific actions.
To mark a selected message as read, in the main Outlook screen, use one of the following methods:
Press + , or
right-click the selected message and then click Mark as Read.
To mark all messages as read, in the main Outlook screen, right-click the selected message(s) and then click
Mark as Read.
To mark a message as unread, select the message and then use one of the following methods:
Press + , or
right-click the message and then click Mark as Unread, or
in the open message window, on the Message tab, in the Tags group, click Mark Unread.
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Exercise
1 In the Inbox, right-click the message from Ian Hanover and click Mark as Unread. Outlook shows the message text in bold, as it did when you first received it.
2 Click the View tab, and in the Current View group, click Change View and then click Single. Notice each message only shows one line now.
3 On the View tab, in the Current View group, click Change View and then click Compact. You should have the same view as when you first started Outlook.
4 On the View tab, in the Current View group, click View Settings. 5 Click Group by.
6 Click Automatically group according to arrangement to turn this off and then click OK twice. Notice your messages are no longer grouped by the date.
Now turn off the Reading Pane.
7 Click the View tab, and in the Layout group, click Reading Pane. 8 Click Off.
The Reading Pane should no longer appear in the Contents Pane.
Flagging Messages
Flag or put a reminder on a message for follow-up or to request a reply to your message by a specific date. Flags can be added to any message in any of your folders.
To flag a message in the main Outlook screen, use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the Tags group, click Follow Up, or
right-click the flag at the far right side of the message and click the appropriate option. To flag a message with the message open, on the Message tab, in the Tags group, click
Follow Up
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To add a reminder to the flag, click Add Reminder.
You can then set up the date and time for the reminder to appear. If you do not complete an action on a flagged message, the text for the message changes to red as a reminder that an action is still required.
Exercise
1 In the Inbox, right-click the flag at the far right of the message from Ian Hanover. 2 Click Add Reminder.
3 Click the arrow for Flag to, and then click For Your Information.
4 Click the arrow for Due date and then choose a date a week from today’s date. Click OK.
Outlook now has added a reminder symbol at the left of the message and changed the color of the flag.
Creating Folders
Create folders in the Inbox to store messages for specific topics. You can also assign names to folders for specific projects. The new folder becomes a subfolder in the Inbox. This follows the same principle as creating folders or subfolders within Windows.
To create a new folder for the Inbox, ensure Inbox is selected and then use one of the following methods:
On the Folder tab, in the New group, click New Folder, or
right-click the folder where a new folder will be inserted, and then click NewFolder, or
press + + .
Use the (Expand) button or the (Collapse) button to show the folder structure. These buttons are similar to those in Windows Explorer that allow you to see more or fewer folders.
You can delete folders in the same manner as you delete messages. Select the folder and then press , or drag the entire folder to the Deleted Items
folder. Any messages in the folder are then deleted.
The Deleted Items folder acts just like the Recycle
Bin—any messages in there will remain until it is cleaned out.
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Copying or Moving Messages
You can copy or move a message to any folder. You will probably move messages from the Inbox to a folder for storage more often than you will copy them. However, you may find you want a copy of a message in multiple folders, such as one for “project” and another for “production process.”
To move messages to a folder, after selecting the message, use one of the following:
Press + , or
drag the selected message to the folder.
To copy messages to a folder, select the message and then use one of the following:
Press + , or
right-click the selected message and click Copy, or
press and drag the message to the folder.
To paste the message into a folder, click the folder and then press + .
Exercise
1 In the Folders list, right-click the Inbox folder, and then click New Folder. 2 Type your name as the new name of the folder and then click OK.
If the folder does not appear after you create it, click the Expand button at the left of the Inbox to display the new folder.
3 Right-click the folder with your name and click New Folder. Type: Customer Info and press . Now file some of your messages in the new folders.
4 Click the message from Ian Hanover and then drag it onto the Customer Info folder. This message is now stored in this folder.
5 Click the reply message from Jane Woods, and then drag the selection onto the Customer Info folder. You should now have both messages in this new folder. You could also have selected both messages to move to this folder instead of individually as requested in this exercise.
6 In the Folders list, click Sent Items. Then select the message to Jeff Chou. 7 Press and then drag this message overtop your folder in the Folders list.
There is now a copy of the original message sent to Jeff Chou in your folder.
Sorting Messages
One way to find a specific message can be to sort your messages according to different criteria in the Contents Pane. You can sort messages using one of the following methods:
Click one of the column headings in the Contents Pane.
Right-click the column field and then choose the appropriate sort option.
When using a column heading as the sort criteria, the arrow indicates ascending order (A-Z or oldest message at the top down to the most recent at the bottom) and the arrow indicates descending order (Z-A or most recent at the top down to oldest). The normal sort order is descending so that the newest messages—which are usually not read
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You can also sort your messages by arranging the fields in the Contents Pane using the View tab.
Exercise
1 Ensure you are still viewing the messages in the Sent Items folder. 2 Click Received to change the sort order.
3 Click Received once more to change the sort order, this time to descending order or oldest message to newest.
4 Click From to change the sort to ascending order for the sender’s name. 5 Click Received once more to set the sort order to ascending by date received.
Finding Messages
You can locate information quickly using the Search tool. Your search criteria can be specific or general; you can search by names, words, or phrases.
To perform a search, click in the Search Inbox field and begin typing your search criteria. As you type, Outlook instantly displays all the results that match the characters entered. As you type more characters, more messages are filtered out and the list becomes smaller. In most cases, you only have to type a few letters to find the message. Outlook searches all parts of the message, including the subject, addresses, message body, and the name of any attachments (but not their contents).
By default, the search is specific to the folder you are currently viewing, such as the Inbox. However, if the search criteria you enter does not produce any results, you can click the Try searching again in All Mail Items link. You can also use options in the Search Tools ribbon to set up the search criteria.
To clear the results from the search, use one of the following:
In the Search field, click (Clear Search), or
press .
You can also search for messages by using the Search Folders item in the Navigation Pane. Any items Outlook finds that match the criteria are virtual copies of the messages; this means if you delete the search folder, you do not delete the original messages.
To create a new search folder, right-click Search Folders in the Navigation Pane and then click
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Exercise
1 In the Folders list, click Inbox.
2 Click in the Search Inbox field. Under Search Tools, in the Scope group of the Search tab, click All Mail
Items.
3 In the SearchInbox field, type: jane to find all messages containing these characters.
Outlook has found all messages you have from or sent by a Jane. The number of messages you see may vary depending on how many messages you may have sent to Jane Woods, or if the login name contains “Jane”.
4 In the Search Inbox field, click to clear the search results. Now try using the Search Folder feature.
5 In the Navigation Pane, right-click Search Folders and then click New Search Folder. 6 In the Reading Mail area, click Mail flagged for follow up and then click OK.
Notice how Outlook now displays any messages that have been flagged; in this case, you should only have the one message that was flagged in an earlier exercise.
7 Right-click the For Follow Up folder in the Navigation Pane and then click Delete Folder. 8 Click Yes.
The folder no longer appears.
9 Click the Customer Info folder to ensure the original message is still there.
Deleting Messages
When messages are no longer needed, delete them to keep your Outlook file small. This includes all folders in your Inbox group. All deleted messages are placed in the Deleted Items folder; you can set this folder to be emptied whenever you exit Outlook, or you can manually delete these messages from this folder.
You can delete single or multiple messages. If you no longer need a folder and its contents, you can delete the folder to accomplish this task. Outlook will prompt you with a warning message asking you to confirm that you want to delete the folder and all its contents at one time.
To delete items from a folder, select the item and then use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the Delete group, click Delete, or
press + or , or
drag the message to the Deleted Items folder.
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The Deleted Items folder provides a resource to restore the deleted item at a later date, if needed. You can restore an item from the Deleted Items folder by selecting the item in the Deleted Items folder and moving it to another location.
To empty the contents of the Deleted Items folder every time you exit Outlook, click the File tab, click Options,
and in the Advanced category, click the Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting option.
To empty the contents of the Deleted Items folder manually, right-click the Deleted Items folder and then click
Empty ‘Deleted Items’ Folder.
Exercise
1 In the Folders list, click Sent Items to view the contents of this folder. 2 Select all the messages and then press .
3 In the Folders list click Deleted Items to view this folder.
All the messages you sent during this lesson are now in this folder.
4 Click the message you sent to Jeff Chou with the Vacation Request attachment and press .
5 Click Yes.
If required, you can move or restore an item from the Deleted Items folder to another location.
6 Click the message you sent to Jane Woods with the information from John Smith and drag this over the Sent Items folder.
7 Click the Sent Items folder to view its contents. The message should now be in this folder.
Archiving Messages
An option for keeping all your messages but also keeping your Outlook file small is archiving messages. Archived messages are moved from Outlook and stored in a separate file. If you want to refer to one of these messages later, you can click the archive file to display the folders and contents.
To archive your messages any time using the manual method, click the File tab, with the Info category selected, click
Cleanup Tools and then click Archive.
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Click the appropriate folder that you want Outlook to archive. For instance, you may want to archive your messages only, or create a backup copy of your entire Outlook data. Depending on the number of messages you have and how long you want to keep messages available, you may want to set the archive date to be six months or older so you have a recent history readily available.
After setting options for the archiving process, the status bar displays to show the messages are being archived. On completion, a new folder called Archive Folders appears in the Navigation Pane. You can expand this folder to show the structure of the items you included in the original archive. You can also choose to close this folder from the Navigation Pane; in this scenario, you are only changing the display of the Navigation Pane as the original archive file is saved in the Outlook Files folder in the Documents folder.
To automatically archive items, click the File tab, click
Options, and in the Advanced category, click AutoArchive
Settings.
Exercise
1 In the main Outlook screen, click the File tab, click Options, click Advanced in the panel at the left then click
AutoArchive Settings.
2 Click Run AutoArchive every to turn this feature on, and set the number of days to be 30. 3 Click OK to accept this change and then click OK once more to leave the Outlook Options window.
You have now set that all Outlook items will be archived once a month to a folder in the Navigation Pane called Archive Folders. Outlook will add new items to the Archive Folders file unless you specify otherwise.
Working with Contacts
The Contacts feature works as an address book. You can use it instead of spending time trying to remember and type in someone’s e-mail address. You can also set up groups or distribution lists for contacts you use most frequently.
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To access the Contacts feature, click the Contacts group in the Outlook Navigation Pane.
Adding a Contact
You can enter as much information for the contact as you choose, including multiple phone or fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and IM (instant messaging) address. You can also enter details such as department, manager’s name, and assistant’s name, or personal information, birthday, anniversary, and so on.
To create a new contact, select Contacts from the Navigation Pane, and then use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the New group, click New Contact, or
on the Home tab, in the New group, click the arrow for New Items and then click Contact, or
press + .
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Whenever the field displays as a drop-down arrow next to the button, click the arrow to display a list of other field names to rename that button. For example, if you do not want to enter a home telephone number for a contact, but you do want to enter a second business phone number, you can click the drop-down arrow next to Home and then choose Business 2 from the pop-up list instead.
If you click on a field name that appears as a button—such as Full Name or Business—another dialog box will open to allow you to enter this information as components such as first name and last name, or area code, local number and extension.
When you have finished entering information into the new contact form, use one of the following methods to save the contact:
To save this contact information only, on the Contact tab, in the Actions group, click Save & Close.
To save this contact and enter another one, on the Contact tab, in the Actions group, click Save & New.
To save this contact and enter a new one for a different contact at the same company, on the Contact tab, in the
Actions group, click the arrow for Save & New and then click Contact from Same Company.
You can also create a new contact using the e-mail address shown in a message. To do this, right-click the e-mail address in the message and then click Add to Outlook Contacts to display a new contact window.
Making Changes
To edit the information for a contact, double-click the contact. When the contact form appears, make the appropriate change.
Exercise
1 Click Contacts from the Navigation Pane.
2 On the Home tab, in the New group, click New Contact and then enter the following information:
3 When ready to enter the business address, click Business in the Addresses area and then enter the information as follows (click OK when done):
You can then enter another new contact for someone who is at the same company.
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4 On the Contact tab, in the Actions group, click the arrow for Save &New and click Contact fromtheSame
Company.
5 Type the following information:
Tess James Project Consultant tjames@tolano.com
6 On the Contacts tab, in the Actions group, click Save & Close. 7 Save and close Jane’s information.
You can edit the information for a contact at any time. 8 Double-click the Jane Martinez contact.
9 In the Phone numbers area, click the arrow next to Home and then click Business2. Type: (614) 555‐6789
10 On the Contacts tab, in the Actions group, click Save & Close.
Using Groups
A Contact Group is an address list containing information about a group of people to whom you send messages often. Contact groups are usually created from addresses in your Contacts, although you can add recipients who are not in your Contacts folder but whom you want to receive the e-mail.
Contact groups can be created in any of Outlook’s modules using one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the New group, click New Contact Group, or
on the Home tab, in the New group, click the arrow for New Items and click Contact Group, or
press + + .
You can add or remove members for a new contact group as well as an existing one, using the appropriate option in
the Members
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Exercise
1 On the Home tab, in the New group, click New Contact Group. 2 Type: New York Site for the name of the new contact group.
3 On the Contact Group tab, in the Members group, click Add Members. Then click From Address Book. 4 Select Jane Martinez in the list, press and then select Tess James.
5 Click Members and then click OK.
You now have a new distribution group to send items to the members of this group. 6 Click Save & Close.
Deleting Contacts or Groups
When a contact is no longer needed, delete it from the list. Take note that you cannot recover a deleted group from the Deleted Items folder; these are permanently deleted.
To delete a contact or group in the Contacts Pane, select the contact or group and then use one of the following methods:
On the Home tab, in the Delete group, click Delete, or
press .
Exercise
1 In the list of contacts, click the New York Site group. 2 Press .
The group is now deleted from your list of contacts.
Maintaining Outlook
Every e-mail program is set up when you install it with default options for how your e-mail is handled. You can customize these options so that your e-mail program functions in the way that works best for you. Outlook provides a number of features to help you customize and maintain your program to be effective and efficient.
Changing the Mail Format
Outlook displays the contents of messages in a format that is easy to read. Depending on the setup, this could be HTML or Rich Text; both these formats display text formatting, such as italics and bold, as if you were viewing a word-processed document. Occasionally, you may receive a message in plain text; this generally happens when the mail server cannot recognize the formatting used in the original message and converts it to plain text.
You can control the mail format for all new messages by changing the default options in File, Options, and then, in the Mail category, choose what you want from the Compose messages area.
To change the mail format while creating a message, click in the message body area; then, on the Format Text tab, in the Format group, click the mail format you want to use. However, this format change will only affect the current message.
Tracking Options
You can set Outlook to send you notices when a message is received or read by others. These can be set for all
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To set the receipts to occur for every message you send, select File, Options, and in the Mail category, click the items you want from the Tracking area.
To set the receipts to occur for a message, in the new message window on the Options tab, in the Tracking group, select the appropriate tracking option to use.
Note that the recipient’s e-mail system may not have the ability to track e-mail messages, and therefore may not send you these notices even though you have turned these features on.
Using Signatures
A signature is a piece of text that automatically appears in your messages whenever you create a new message. This saves having to enter your name and information or a product slogan each time you send a message. You can create as many signatures as required, but only one can be set up as a default.
To create a signature, select File, Options, and in the Mail category, in the Compose messages area, click
Signatures.
Click New, enter a name for the signature and click OK. You can then enter the text for the signature and format it as required.
You can enter as many signatures as you need at once, or you can add new signatures as you need them for business or personal use, or perhaps for a volunteer role. You can set up a signature to be the default one that appears in every message, or choose different signatures for
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replies and forwards. To choose a different signature in a new message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click the arrow for Signature and then click the appropriate signature.
Sending Out-of-Office Notices
As a business practice and courtesy, if you plan on being away from the office, send a message in advance to those you deal with regularly to inform them of this. Even if you plan to retrieve your messages during this time, inform people of your absence and offer them the name of a colleague who can assist them.
Out-of-office notices should provide details regarding the dates you will be away and who will be handling your work during your absence. Try to send the notice at least two days prior to your departure. You can also set up your messages to automatically be forwarded to someone else to handle during your absence.
Sending an away notice to personal contacts is at your discretion.
Some e-mail programs and mail servers provide the option to send an out-of-office response automatically to anyone who sends you an e-mail during this time. You set up the option from your system, and the mail server automatically generates a response that it sends out every time it detects a new message arriving in your Inbox.
The main downside to this is that the response will be sent regardless of who the sender is; it could be a company that generates junk or spam mail and your response could tell them that your e-mail address is valid.
Staying Up to Date
If you have Outlook installed on a computer and a PDA, you can stay up to date with all messages on both computer devices using a synchronization feature available with Outlook. Many newer computing devices enable you to synchronize information from different modules in Outlook to the device, such as on an iPhone or a Blackberry. How this is set up varies with the computing device.
Blocking Messages
Use the Junk E-mail feature to reduce the number of junk messages you receive. This is similar to the Block feature available with telephone systems.
To block messages from an e-mail address, on the Home tab, in the Delete group, select Junk, Junk E-mail Options. You can specify e-mail addresses to be blocked. Once you have set up items on the Blocked Senders tab, you can add or remove items using the Edit or Remove buttons.
Backing Up Your E-mail Items
Outlook saves all your e-mail information in a data file. As this file grows in size, this database of information can grow significantly and you may begin to encounter problems with it.
This is a good time to look at different ways to reduce the possibility of losing your data in Outlook. One option is to compact the data file; this is similar to pushing all the file folders and their contents to the back of a filing cabinet drawer to try and release space for more items. This will only work for a limited amount of time before you will need to look at an alternative way to access your data.
Another option is to make a backup copy of the data file. While this requires a bit more time, the backup copy can become invaluable if anything should happen to your computer or if you need to find an older message.
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If the data files are quite large, consider archiving these files on a CD or other external storage media at set intervals, and then delete unnecessary items from the e-mail program to reduce the size of the data file.
Regardless of which method you use, make copies of your e-mail data file. This is crucial if a backup procedure is not performed on your system (or network) on a regular basis, or if you are running low of space on your computer.
Security Issues
E-mail is an efficient, fast, and inexpensive medium for communicating text, data files, and other information. It can be easy to forget about the privacy and security of messages that you send by e-mail, but it’s important to remember that there are many ways for individuals with malicious intent to hack into mail servers or intercept messages during transmission. Adding a digital signature to your outgoing messages proves to the recipient that you were the originator and that the message was not tampered with during transmission.
To digitally sign a message, you must have a digital ID certificate. Outlook enables you to sign individual messages or all messages digitally.
In a new message, on the Message tab in the Tags group, click the Message: OptionsDialog box launcher, and then click Security Settings.
Summary
In this lesson, you used Microsoft Outlook to send and receive messages, as well as enter contacts. You should now be familiar with:
what Microsoft Outlook is
recognize elements on the screen
how to send and receive messages
how to reply or forward a message
how to send an attachment with a message
work with attachments
sort and manage your messages
search for messages
work with the address book
understand mail maintenance options
Review Questions
1. The Reply function enables you to send a message to all recipients of the original message. a. True b. False
2. Which symbol appears in Outlook to indicate there is an attachment included with the message? a. c.
b. d.
3. Adding a contact helps to reduce the amount of time spent entering e-mail addresses in messages. a. True b. False
4. A group is a distribution list consisting of names from your contact list so you can send messages to everyone in this group instead of having to type each name individually.
a. True b. False
5. Which option would you use to prevent spam messages from being delivered to your Inbox? a. Security Issues c. Block Spam
b. Junk E-mail d. Mail Format
