Tag Archive for: Outlook

Mastering Outlook in Microsoft 365

Are you using Outlook in Microsoft 365 to its full potential? With so many powerful features, it’s easy to overlook tools that can make a big difference. This guide highlights Outlook’s key features that can boost your efficiency and keep your inbox organized.

Classic Outlook vs. new Outlook

Microsoft offers two versions of Outlook: classic Outlook and new Outlook. The former is the current version bundled with Microsoft 365, while the latter is intended to replace the built-in Windows Mail and Calendar apps.

Although the new Outlook is available for testing, it currently lacks some key business features. So for now, it’s best to stick with classic Outlook, which Microsoft will support until at least 2029

Key features to improve your Outlook experience in Microsoft 365

Take full advantage of the following Outlook features in Microsoft 365:

Customizing the ribbon toolbar

Outlook’s ribbon toolbar, which provides access to various features, comes in two styles: Simplified and Classic. The Simplified Ribbon, the default interface, offers a sleek design that highlights frequently used tools for a more streamlined experience. Meanwhile, the Classic Ribbon — familiar to long-time Outlook users — offers a complete view of all available options.

To switch between these views, click the downward-pointing caret (˅) in the bottom right corner of the Ribbon and select either Simplified Ribbon or Classic Ribbon. You can also customize the Ribbon by selecting File > Options > Customize Ribbon, where you can add or remove tabs and commands.

To hide the Ribbon for more screen space, press Ctrl + F1 or click the caret at the far right to toggle between different display modes.

Using the search bar beyond finding emails

Outlook’s search bar does more than just locate emails. It also helps you access Outlook functions quickly. This feature replaces the Tell Me function found in Outlook 2016 and 2019.

To use Outlook’s search bar, either click on the search box or press Alt + Q, then type a command such as “filter email” to filter messages by unread status, attachments, importance, and more. Compared to navigating through menus, using the search bar is a faster, more efficient way to access less common features. Plus, the search bar remembers your previous searches, making it easy to find your most-used tools.

Researching without leaving Outlook

Outlook allows you to perform web searches directly within the app, eliminating the need to switch between windows. Just highlight a word or phrase in any email, right-click, and select Search. Outlook will then use Bing to display definitions, Wikipedia entries, images, and other web results in a pane on the right. Take note that you need to enable Microsoft’s Intelligent Services to use this built-in search feature.

Enabling Focused Inbox

Struggling with email overload? Focused Inbox is here to help. Powered by artificial intelligence, this feature organizes your inbox by separating essential emails from less critical ones, letting you sift through the noise.

To turn on Focused Inbox, go to the View tab and click Show Focused Inbox. Outlook will create two tabs: Focused (for high-priority messages) and Other (for general emails). Train Focused Inbox by moving messages between tabs or setting rules for specific senders.

If Focused Inbox doesn’t suit your workflow, you can disable it anytime by selecting View > Show Focused Inbox.

Using the Archive folder for a cleaner inbox

Rather than deleting emails, try using the Archive feature to clear your inbox while keeping messages easily accessible. Archiving is perfect for emails you’ve already addressed but may need to reference later.

There are three ways to archive emails. After selecting the emails you want to archive, you can click Archive on the Home tab, press the Backspace key, or drag them into the Archive folder. You can retrieve archived emails anytime by browsing the Archive folder or using the Search function. If you’d like to move an email to another folder, just drag and drop it to your desired location.

Attaching files the smart way

Outlook simplifies file attachments by displaying your 12 most recently used files. Simply click the Attach icon and choose from the suggested list. You can choose to attach the file itself or include a link to it, which is especially useful for files stored in the cloud. If the file you want to attach isn’t in the recent list, you can browse your PC or web locations such as OneDrive and SharePoint.

With these Outlook features, you can organize your inbox, automate repetitive tasks, and improve your productivity. For more tips on getting the most out of Outlook, Microsoft 365, and other tech tools, turn to our IT experts.

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A guide to sharing calendars in Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 offers a convenient way to share calendars. In this guide, we will walk you through how you can quickly and easily do so to let others — even those without a Microsoft 365 account — view your calendar.

What is Outlook?

Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available as part of the Microsoft 365 suite. Aside from managing multiple email accounts, Outlook also allows users to quickly access calendar and task features. Users can also customize their view of Outlook through several ways, including the use of add-ons and plugins that improve productivity. Overall, Outlook is a powerful tool that can help individuals and organizations stay on top of their communications.

Use Outlook on the web

Outlook on the web is a free, web-based version of Microsoft Outlook that includes many of the same features as the desktop version. You can use Outlook on the web to access your email, calendar, contacts, and tasks from any computer with an internet connection.

Additionally, you can connect your Microsoft 365 or another email service based on Microsoft Exchange Online to Outlook. Through this integration, you can then easily share your calendar by following these steps:

  1. To access the Calendar, click on the calendar icon at the bottom of the page.
  2. Go to the Calendar page and find the toolbar at the top of your screen. Click on Share and then select which calendar you want to share with others. Remember that you can only share calendars that you own.
  3. Enter the email address or name of who you’d like to share your calendar with.
  4. To secure your calendar, determine the permission levels of your recipients. These options include:
    • Can view when I’m busy ⁠– allows users to view only certain details of your calendar when you’re busy
    • Can view titles and locations ⁠– shows users when you’re not available, including additional details such as the event’s title or location
    • Can view all details ⁠– lets users see all details about an event in your calendar
    • Can edit ⁠– enables permitted users to modify details in your calendar
    • Delegate ⁠– authorizes users to edit your calendar and share it with others
  5. The final step is to click on Share. You can cancel sharing your calendar by clicking on the Trash icon.

Another method of sharing your calendar is by publishing it and sending the URL to others. Here’s how you can do this:

  1. Go to Settings, then View all Outlook settings in Calendar.
  2. Click on Shared calendars.
  3. After you select Publish a calendar, choose which calendar to make public and how much information recipients will be able to see.
  4. Once you’ve set the permission levels, you can click Publish.
  5. Next, choose between an HTML or an ICS link. The HTML link allows recipients to view your calendar through a browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Meanwhile, users can use an ICS link to import your shared calendar and view it on their own Outlook calendar.

Share via Outlook.com

Just like Outlook on the web, Outlook.com allows you to share your calendar directly or publish it. The methods for sharing on these two platforms are similar, with the exception that you have just two choices for how recipients may utilize your calendar: Can view all details and Can edit.

Here’s how you can publish your calendar on Outlook.com:

  1. Open the Calendar view by clicking on the calendar icon.
  2. Go to the Settings menu and choose View all Outlook settings.
  3. Go to Calendar and choose Shared calendars.
  4. In “Publish a calendar,” choose the Calendar you want to publish and how much information it will show.
  5. Once you’re done, click on Publish and share your calendar either through an HTML or ICS link.

Easy access through Outlook on iOS and Android

If you’re on the go or don’t have access to your desktop, you can still share your calendar via Outlook’s mobile app by following these steps:

  1. On your Outlook app, select Calendar from the hamburger menu at the top-left corner of the screen.
  2. Go to Share then, under Add People, select the recipients you’d like to invite by inputting their names or email addresses.
  3. Next, go to the top-right corner of the app and tap on the Check button.
  4. To edit the permission level of a certain user, you can tap their name on the list of recipients. Like with Outlook on the web, you can choose the permission options such as “Only When I’m Busy,” “Only Titles and Locations,” “All Details,” “Can View,” “Can Edit,” and “Delegate.”
  5. If you want to remove a user from your recipients, go to the bottom of the page and tap on Remove.
  6. After you’ve set permissions, tap on the Check button at the top-right corner of the page to share your calendar with your selected users.

There’s no doubt that Microsoft 365 offers a variety of tools that help you stay organized. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of Microsoft 365, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our IT experts will be glad to help.

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Published with consideration from TechAdvisory.org SOURCE

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