MICROSOFT  
OUTLOOK USER MANUAL 
Version 16.0 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
October 15 2022 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
Contents  
Welcome to Microsoft  
What is Outlook? 2 
Features of Outlook 2 
Familiarizing User Interface 
Outlook main window 3 
Preference customization 
Ribbon  
Sidebar 
View Switcher  
Reading Pane 
Getting Started 
Installing using Office 365 
Using Outlook 
Setting up an account 
Creating New Mail 
Inserting Signature 
Attaching files 
Creating calendar appointment/s 
Scheduling a meeting 
Set a reminder 
Just a Reminder 
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  
Caution 
Troubleshooting 
Add-in related causes 
Fresh restart 
Outlook diagnostics 
New Outlook Profile 
SaRA Advanced Diagnostics before contacting Support 
Appendix 
Keyboard Shortcuts 
System Requirements 

1. Welcome to Microsoft  
 The world's largest software publisher, Microsoft is based in Redmond,
Washington. It produces various operating systems and applications for personal
computers. Some of these include Windows XP Home, Windows 2000, and Windows
Server 2003. Its market-leading Office suite includes programs such as Word, Excel,
and PowerPoint. 
 
1.1 What is Outlook? 
Outlook is a free email client that allows you to send and receive messages and
manage your calendar. It also lets you keep track of your tasks and contacts. 
 
1.2 Features of Outlook  
Outlook is a basic email program that comes with a variety of features, such as
the email service, color coding, and search. It also has a calendar function that allows
you to view and communicate with people. It has 99 GB of archived data, and it can set
automatic replies.

2. Familiarizing User Interface 

2.1 Outlook Main Window 
  
 
2.1.1 Ribbon 

 
The Outlook Ribbon includes all of the choices and commands used to complete
Outlook operations. For instance, you may create a new email, remove emails, initiate a
new meeting request, or give a category to an item by clicking buttons on the ribbon. 

2.1.2 Sidebar  
  

The Sidebar displays on the left side of the Outlook window and is used to
navigate between Outlook's many sections, including Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks,
and Notes. In addition, the Sidebar shows the folders inside a view while you're working
within it. 

2.1.3 View Switcher 

The navigation bar at the bottom of the screen provides access to four Outlook
features, including email, calendar, contacts (or people), and tasks. 

 
To toggle between your email and calendar, choose Calendar in the navigation
menu. To display your contacts, select People from the menu. Depending on the screen
resolution, certain menu bar components may be hidden. Notes, Folders, and
Shortcuts, for instance, are concealed behind the three dots Navigation Options button
at the end of the Navigation Bar. 

2.1.4 Item List 

The item list is the list of messages, contacts, tasks, and notes in the main
Outlook window. The item list is presented vertically by default between the navigation
and reading panes. Take note that the item list is unavailable in calendar view. 
  
 

2.1.5 Reading Pane 

The reading pane, also known as the preview pane, allows you to read
messages without having to open them. By default, the Reading pane is activated.
Clicking on a message in any folder displays its contents and basic options for
answering and forwarding. 

 
2.2 Preference customization 
2.2.1 To customize Ribbon 
To customize the ribbon, just right click at any tab of the ribbon and click
customize the ribbon.

 
And that will open up the outlook option window, from then you can customize
what you want in the ribbon.  
You can add a Tab by clicking the New Tab and it will appear. You can rename it
by clicking the Rename. Then click OK. 

 
2.2.2 To customize Sidebar  
To customize the sidebar or the navigation pane click the triple dot located at
the lower right of the sidebar and the options will appear. 

Click Navigation Options, you can change how many visible items in the
sidebar and can choose what items will be in it. The click OK.
  

  
 
2.2.3 To customize the View Switcher  
To customize the view switcher or view options, click on View.

And under the layout tab, click on the Folder Pane

From there you can choose to minimize or off the view options. You can also
change in the reading pane and to do bar. 

 
 
2.2.4 To customize Reading Pane 
Outlook displays the Reading pane to the right of folders and messages by
default, but it can be repositioned below the messages in Outlook or hidden to suit
individual preferences by selecting View > Reading Pane. 
  
The Reading window can be hidden by selecting "Off," or moved to the "Bottom"
position.. These choices apply to the Reading pane regardless of the selected folder,
therefore it is not possible to select a different location for each folder. 
Setting the pane to "Bottom" reduces the number of messages displayed in the
folder, but the Reading pane displays more information about each message and its
content. This was the standard perspective prior to the introduction of widescreen
displays. 
Setting the pane to "Off" increases the number of objects shown in a folder but
hides the message text. This is a valuable tool for deleting email, especially when used
in conjunction with the View > Message Preview menu item. 

 
 
3. Getting started 
3.1 Installing using Office 365 
After you've signed up for Microsoft 365, you and your employees can install Office
apps. 
 
1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center, and choose Outlook. 
 
2. Under Language, choose the language you want, and then choose Install. 
 
3. When prompted, choose Run. 
 
4. When asked, Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?,
choose Yes. 
 
5. When installation is complete, you can take the tour if you like. Then close the tour
and the installation dialog box. 
 
Note: For specs requirements, proceed at appendix for more info. 
 
3.2 Using Outlook 
3.2.1 Setting up an account  
 

 
 
Add an email account 
 
1. Open Outlook and select File > Add Account. 
 
    If you haven't launched Outlook before, you'll see a welcome screen. 
 
2. Enter your email address and select Connect. 
 
    If the screen looks different, enter your name, email address, and password, and
select Next. 
 
3. If prompted, enter your password and select OK. 
 
4. Select Finish.  
3.2.2 Creating new email 

 
 
1. Select New Email to start a new message. 
 
2. Enter a name or email address in the To, Cc, or Bcc field. 
 
If you don't see Bcc, see Show, hide, and view the Bcc box. 
 
3. In Subject, type the subject of the email message. 
 
4. Place the cursor in the body of the email message, and then start typing. 
 
5. After typing your message, click Send. 
 
Use @mentions to get someone's attention 
 
Enter the @ symbol and the first few characters of the contact's first or last name in the
body of the email message or calendar invite. 
 
Select the contact you want to mention when Outlook presents you with one or more
possibilities. 
 
Their complete name is included by default. You can remove a piece of the mention,
such as everything except the person's first name. 
 
The stated contact is added to the email or meeting invitation's To line. 
 
 
 
 
3.2.3 Inserting signature  

 
 
1. Under Email signature, type your signature and use the available formatting options
to change its appearance. 
 
Note: There may only be one signature per account. 
 
If you want your signature to appear at the bottom of all new email messages that you
compose, select the Automatically include my signature on new messages I
compose check box. 
 
If you want your signature to appear on messages that you forward or reply to, select
the Automatically include my signature on messages I forward or reply to
checkbox. 
 
If you don’t select these options, you can manually add your signature to a selected
message. For details, see Manually add your signature to a new message. 
 
2. Select Save when you're done. 
 
Note: You can always return to the Compose and reply page and select or clear the
check box automatically including your signature. 
 
3.2.4 Attaching files 

 
1. In a new message, a reply, or a forwarded message, select Attach File from the
Message ribbon or the Insert ribbon. 
 
2. Select your file from one of the following locations: 
 
 Recent items 
This page will show the last 12 files you worked on. These files might be on your
device, OneDrive, SharePoint, or another online document storage service.
Select a file to attach to your email. 
 
 Browse Web Locations 
Locations include OneDrive, SharePoint sites, and other locations you've already
accessed, such as a group's document library. Choose your attachment after
selecting one of the places to open a new window. 
 
 Browse This PC 
Open a File Explorer window and choose a file from your device. 
 
3. A copy of the file is attached to the email if the file you choose was located on your
local computer or in the shared document library. However, selecting a OneDrive or
SharePoint file gives you more permission options and information. 
 
4. Send a link or send a copy. By sending a link to a OneDrive or SharePoint file, you
can keep your email message size short. If you opt to transmit a copy of the file, the
complete file is attached to the email, exactly as if you choose a file from your computer.
You may set the permissions on your file if you desire to transmit a link to it. 
 
5. In a professional setting, everyone in your company has the ability to edit the
connected file by default. Selecting the arrow to the right of the attachment name will
provide a drop-down menu with several permission choices, which may be used to
modify these rights. 
 
Organization can Edit If you want everyone in your company to be allowed to make
changes to the file, choose this option. 
 
Organization can View, if you want the file to be view-only for everyone in your
company. 
 
Recipients can Edit if you want the file's ability to be modified to be restricted to your
email's recipients. 
 
Recipients can View if you want only the recipients of your email to be able to read,
but not modify, the file. 
 
Change Permission options include Recipients can edit and Recipients can view 
 
6. A warning notice will appear right beneath the file icon and name if Outlook
determines that your receivers won't be able to read the file, such as if it's kept on a
SharePoint site that's only open to you. Change the attachment from a linked file to a
copy of the file by selecting Attach as copy. 
 
Note: Any modifications made by your recipient will not be synced with the version of
the file in OneDrive or SharePoint if you attach it as a copy. 
 
 
3.2.5 Creating calendar appointment/s 

 
1. Choose New Appointment from your Calendar folder, or press Ctrl+N. Click
Ctrl+Shift+A from any other folder. 
 
2. Enter a subject, location, start time, and end time.  
 
3. Select Save & Close to save your appointment. 
 
Note: Outlook schedules appointments by default to begin and conclude on the hour or
the half-hour. Click in the start or end time sections and input the precise time you
require to add a custom time, such as 12:22 p.m. 
 
3.2.6 Scheduling a meeting 
For Windows: 
 
1. Open Outlook and go to your calendar. 
 
2. On the Home tab, select New Meeting. 
 
3. Add online meeting information by selecting Teams Meeting or Skype Meeting. 
 
Your company determines which options are offered. If your company utilizes Skype for
Business, check how to set up Skype for Business. The add-in will be set up
automatically if your company utilizes Microsoft Teams. 
 
4. Fill in the meeting's details as necessary, including the attendees. More information
may be found at Schedule a meeting with other people. 
 
Tips:  
 
 Choose Scheduling Assistant from the Meeting option to pick a time
that works for everyone. 
 Meeting Options may be used to alter the meeting settings while you're
setting up a Skype meeting. 
 
5. You can preload meeting attachments if you use Skype for Business. That way, when
participants arrive for the meeting, everything is ready to go. For a Skype for Business
meeting, see Preload attachments. 
 
6. Select Send. 
For MAC: 
 
1. Open Outlook and go to your calendar. 
 
2. On the Home tab, select Meeting. 
 
3. Choose Skype Meeting or Teams Meeting. 
 
When using Skype, the call-in information is automatically added to the meeting
invitation. For Teams meetings, after the meeting organizer delivers the invitation,
information will be added to it. 
 
4. As necessary, add people to the meeting's participant list. 
 
5. Select Send. 
 
For Web Version: 
Note: It's possible that you're using an outdated version of Outlook online if the
instructions don't match what you see. Try utilizing the web form to Set up an Online
Meeting Using Classic Outlook. 
 
1. At the bottom of the page, select Calendar to go to Calendar. 
 
2. At the top of the page, select New event. 
3. In the window that opens, you might see one of two options: 
 
 A toggle to make this a Teams or a Skype for Business meeting. 
 A drop-down list that will let you choose either Teams or Skype for
Business. 
 
4. Fill in the meeting information as needed, including meeting attendees. 
 
5. Select Send. 
 
Set up an online meeting using classic Outlook on the web : 
 
1. At the bottom of the page, select Calendar to go to Calendar. 
 
2. At the top of the page, select New > Calendar event. 
*Create a new online meeting button* 
3. Select Add Skype meeting. 
4. Fill in the meeting information as needed, including meeting attendees. 
 
5. Select Send. 
 
3.2.7 Set a reminder 
  
 
Outlook may be configured to show your reminder window above any other windows
you may have open. 
 
1. Select File > Options > Advanced. 
 
2. Select Show reminders on top of other windows from the Reminders section by
checking the box. 
Reminders can be shown above other windows. 
 
3. Click OK. 
 
Note: Outlook 2013, Outlook 2016, and Outlook 2019 do not support this functionality. If
you are using Version 1804 (Build 9226.2114) or a later version, this version is
accessible to Microsoft 365 members. 
 
 

4. Just a Reminder  
4.1 Questions 
 
Why do I get so many messages? 
 
If you're having so many messages and you're getting overwhelmed by it, you are
probably receiving and subscribing more than you can possibly handle. Try analyzing
your messages where they came from and arrange your message by From and then
collapse all of the headers. 
 
How often should I read my messages? 
 
For some of us, reading is a little bit addicting. Try to spend 30 minutes per day going
through your messages and then turn on your daily review to manage your time.
Limiting your time reading your messages could significantly improve your productivity
within the day. 
 
What should I do with the unused categories? 
 
Try deleting all the unnecessary emails/categories that you don't plan to read/use. It will
help you to organize and find your important emails faster and easily.  
 
Should I keep my personal and business messages together? 
 
Reducing the categories in your emails does not mean that you should mix the personal
emails to your business messages together. If you desire to have more personal
messages, you should make a new mail for your personal emails and you can add also
your corporate mails for your business related mails for you to have more time to look at
the personal as well as the business mails.  
 
How do read and unread states help me? 
 
Read and unread states can help you by showing quickly which mails have been read
and which have not. However, the states can easily be triggered by simply clicking
around your messages.  
4.2 Caution 
 
Outlook shows caution when an Office file contains potentially dangerous active content
(such macros, ActiveX controls, or data connections) or sensitive information, security
alarms are displayed in the Message Bar. In these circumstances, the Message Bar
with an emblem like a shield shows in yellow or red to warn you about potential issues. 
 
If you are confident that the content is authentic, you may click Enable Content on the
yellow message bar to make it a trusted document or select Enable Content for a
Session. You can select the caution text by clicking on the red Message Bar. 
 
Here are some examples of caution message bar: 

 
 
4.3 Troubleshooting 
4.3.1 Add-in related causes 
1. Exit outlook. 
 
2. Launch the Run dialog box. 
 
a. For Windows 10, 8.1, and 8 operating systems, press󠅆
Windows logo key+R. 
b. For Windows 7, click Start, type Run in the Search box, and
then click Run. 
 
3. Type Outlook /safe, and then click OK. 
 
4. If the problem has been resolved, go to the File menu and select
Options, then Add-Ins. 
 
5. Click Go after selecting COM Add-ins. 
 
6. Click OK after clearing all of the check boxes in the list. 
 
7. Relaunch Outlook. If the problem persists, add the add-ins one at a
time until the problem appears. 
 
 
4.3.2 Fresh restart 
1. Uninstall Microsoft Outlook on the control panel 
 
2. In the list of installed programs, right-click the entry for your Office
installation, and then click Change, and then click Online Repair. 
 
 
4.3.3 Outlook diagnostics 
1. Run the Outlook won't start automated diagnostics. 
  
2. If the tool does not resolve the problem, open Windows or Look to
launch Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant. 
 
3. Select Outlook and then Next on the first screen. 
 
4. Choose according to the problem: 
 
a. Outlook keeps hanging or freezing 
 
b. Outlook keeps crashing with a message "Microsoft Outlook
has stopped working". 
 
SaRA performs some diagnostic checks and returns potential solutions for you to try in
order to resolve Outlook connectivity issues. 
 
4.3.4 New Outlook Profile 
 
Note: you can skip this step if you created a new profile when you ran SaRA in step 3 
 
1.  Click Mail after opening the Control Panel. 
 
2. Click Show Profiles. 
 
3. Select the unwanted profile you chose to delete, and then click
Remove. 
 
Reminder: When you delete a profile, you also delete any associated data files. If you
are hesitant to delete unwanted files and data, proceed to step 4 
 
4. Click Add. 
5. Type your prefered name in the profile name box. 
 
6. Click Next when you specify the needed information ( User name,
the primary SMTP address, and the password). 
 
7. A prompt will appear: 
 
o “Allow this website to configure alias@domain server
settings?”, click to select the Don't ask me about this website
again checkbox, and then click Allow. 
 
8. Another prompt will appear, enter your logon credentials, click OK. 
 
9. Click Finish when everything is done. 
 
 
4.3.5 SaRA Advanced Diagnostics before contacting Support 
This process generates thorough documentation of your Outlook
configuration and offers fixes for any problems that have been identified in the
past. Additionally, it gives you the choice to upload your results to Microsoft so
that a support engineer can examine them ahead of time. 
 
1. Click Outlook Advanced Diagnostics. 
 
2. Click Run when you are prompted by your browser. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

5. Appendix 
 
5.1 Keyboard Shortcuts 
 
General   Mail 
Print  Ctrl + P   New Message  Ctrl + Shift + M 
Undo  Ctrl + Z  Reply  Ctrl + R 
Copy  Ctrl + C   Reply All  Ctrl + Shift + R 
Cut  Ctrl + X  Forward  Ctrl + F 
Paste  Ctrl + V   Save message as a Ctrl + S 
draft 
New Item  Ctrl + N   Send  Alt + S 
Delete selected item  Delete  Find and replace text  Ctrl + H 
Help  F1  Check for New Ctrl + M 
Messages 
Find an item  F3  Mark as Read   Ctrl + Q 
Spell Check  F7  Mark as Unread  Ctrl + U 
Navigation  Calendar 
Mail view  Ctrl + 1  New Appointment  Ctrl + Shift + A 
Calendar view  Ctrl + 2  Go to Today  Ctrl + T 
Calendar view  Ctrl + 3  Go to a Date  Ctrl + G  
Tasks view  Ctrl + 4  Go to Previous Ctrl + ,  
Appointment 
Tasks view  Ctrl + 5  Go to Next Ctrl + . 
Appointment 
Contacts  Day view  Ctrl + Alt + 1  
New Contact  Ctrl + Shift + C  Work Week view  Ctrl + Alt + 2  
New Contact Group  Ctrl + Shift + L  Week view  Ctrl + Alt + 3 
Open the Address Book  Ctrl + Shift + B  Month view  Ctrl + Alt + 4 
 
5.2 System Requirements 
Computer and processor 
Windows OS: 1.6 GHz or faster, 2-core 
macOS: Intel processor 
Memory 
Windows OS: 4 GB RAM; 2 GB RAM (32-bit) 
macOS: 4 GB RAM 
Hard disk 
Windows OS: 4 GB of available disk space 
macOS: 10 GB of available disk space; HFS+ hard disk format (also known as Mac OS
Extended) or APFS Updates may require additional storage over time. 
Display 
Windows OS: 1280 x 768 screen resolution (32-bit requires hardware acceleration for
4K and higher) 
macOS: 1280 x 800 screen resolution. 
Web apps require the same minimum resolution as the OS they are running on. 
Apps running inside of Microsoft Teams adhere to the Teams minimum resolution. 
Minimum resolution assumes zoom, DPI settings, and text scaling are set at 100%. If
not set to 100%, minimum resolution should be scaled accordingly. For example, if you
set the Windows display ‘Scale and layout’ setting on your Surface Book, which has a
3000x2000 physical display, to 200%, then Office would see a logical screen resolution
of 1500x1000, meeting the minimum 1280x768 requirement. 
Graphics 
Windows OS: Graphics hardware acceleration requires DirectX 9 or later, with WDDM
2.0 or higher for Windows 10 (or WDDM 1.3 or higher for Windows 10 Fall Creators
Update). 
macOS: No graphics requirements. 
Operating system 
Windows OS: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2019,
Windows Server 2016 
macOS: One of the three most recent versions of macOS. When a new major version of
macOS is released, the macOS and the previous two versions. 
Browser 
The current version of Microsoft Edge, Safari, Chrome, or Firefox 
.NET version 
Windows OS: some features may require .NET 3.5 or 4.6 and higher to also be
installed. 
Other 
Internet functionality requires an internet connection. Fees may apply. In order to use
some additional Outlook features, Microsoft Edge WebView2 must be installed.