Outlook

Edit Received Messages in Outlook

Submitted by schwarz on June 15, 2009 - 1:56pm

The statistics you receive every week are for your library & others, and wastes lots of paper when you print it out? You want to annotate a memo you just got without creating a new message? That email message you received really needs a more descriptive subject line?

Turn Off Reading Pane in Outlook to Avoid Seeing Spam Images

Submitted by schwarz on May 15, 2009 - 4:45pm

We have a very thorough email spam filter here at Winnefox, but there are still a few spam messages that slip through the gates. To avoid seeing explicit and/or not-safe-for-work images in spam email messages, turn off Outlook's reading pane.

In Outlook the reading pane is on by default. To turn it off -- in both Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 -- here's all you need to do:

Reverse Email Writing Order for Clear Messages

Submitted by schwarz on April 15, 2009 - 5:13pm

As seen in Lifehacker, Jason Bean shared a tip he learned at a productivity seminar, where the tactic of reversing the order in which you write your email messages seems like a Good Thing.

In a nutshell, here's the order suggested:

Customize E-mail Alerts in Outlook

Submitted by schwarz on March 16, 2009 - 5:10pm

By default, Outlook displays the Desktop Alert above the system tray on the desktop. If you want to change where the Desktop Alert appears on your screen (or modify how long it appears, its transparency, etc.), follow these steps:

1. On Outlook's menu bar, click "Tools" and select "Options".

2. Under "E-mail", click the "E-mail Options" button.

3. Under "Message handling", click the "Advanced E-mail Options" button.

Get Reminded to Follow Up on a Message in Outlook

Submitted by schwarz on February 16, 2009 - 4:11pm

When you receive an email message you need to reply to, or when someone is asks you to do a task, you can have Outlook remind you to follow up. Here's how to do it:

1. Right-click on the email message

2. In the menu, mouse over "Follow Up", and click "Add Reminder"

3. You can customize it to remind you to follow up, send a reply, call, etc.

4. Click the box next to "Reminder", and set the date and time to have Outlook remind you to take action.

5. Click the OK button.

Sort Multiple Columns in Outlook

Submitted by schwarz on January 15, 2009 - 5:08pm

Sorting by a single column in Outlook is as easy as clicking on the column head. Sorting by multiple columns isn't as obvious -- but it's very easy!

Sort the first column (like "From") by clicking on the column heading.
To sort the second column (like "Received) hold the Shift key at the same time as you click on the Received column heading.

This will sort all the messages from a person in chronological order.

Customize Outlook's Navigation Pane

Submitted by schwarz on December 15, 2008 - 6:08pm

This short video shows you how you can optimize Outlook 2007's Navigation Pane, so you can get to your most important folders and views with just a click or two.

Change How the Email Reading Pane Looks in Outlook

Submitted by schwarz on August 15, 2008 - 2:13pm

You can preview Outlook email messages without opening them by using the Reading Pane.

To control if you want the Reading Pane open, and where you want it to appear in Outlook...

1. On Outlook's menu bar, click "View"

2. Hover your mouse pointer over "Reading Pane"

3. Click on your preference.

Repeat for any additional folders for which you want to customize the Reading Pane.

Use Drag & Drop to Create an Appointment in Your Outlook Calendar

Submitted by schwarz on July 15, 2008 - 4:07pm

When you receive an email message that has information about a meeting or a training session, you can easily add it to your Outlook Calendar by simply dragging & dropping it. From the view of the folder where the message is (most likely your Inbox), click on the little envelope icon, and drag it to the Calendar icon.

Remove Email Attachments In Outlook Without Deleting the Message

Submitted by schwarz on June 15, 2008 - 6:28pm

Last saving an attachment week I asked someone to send me files as email attachments, and the 4 Publisher files turned a small 3KB message into 12MB.

Since large email attachments inflate the size of Outlook .pst files and can cause problems (as well as generating email quota warnings), I knew I needed to get those email attachments out of my mailbox.

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