How to Use Microsoft Outlook

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time.

There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been viewed 41,251 times.

Microsoft Outlook is an email client bundled with Microsoft Office for Windows-based computers. The latest versions of Outlook allow you to send, reply, and forward emails, add file attachments, make appointments, and much more.

Method 1 of 10:

Creating a New Outlook Account

Step 1 Launch Outlook and click “Next” when prompted to configure an email account.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Step 2 Select “Yes” to confirm you want to create a new Outlook account, then click “Next.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Select “Yes” to confirm you want to create a new Outlook account, then click “Next.” Advertisement

Step 3 Enter your name and preferred email address.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Enter your name and preferred email address.

Step 4 Type a password for your email account, then click “Next.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Type a password for your email account, then click “Next.” Outlook will take a few moments to create and configure your email account.

Step 5 Click on “Finish.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on “Finish.” Your new Outlook account is now created. [1] X Research source Advertisement Method 2 of 10:

Adding an Outlook Account

Step 1 Click on “File” and select “Info.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on “File” and select “Info.”

Step 2 Click on “Add Account” under the Account Information section.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on “Add Account” under the Account Information section.

Step 3 Enter your name and preferred email address.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Enter your name and preferred email address.

Step 4 Type a password for your email account, then click “Next.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Type a password for your email account, then click “Next.” Outlook will take a few moments to create and configure your email account.

Step 5 Click on “Finish.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on “Finish.” Your additional Outlook account is now created. Advertisement Method 3 of 10:

Creating an Email

Step 1 Click on the “Home” tab at the top of Outlook.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on the “Home” tab at the top of Outlook.

Step 2 Click on “New Email.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Step 3 Type the subject <a href=or title of your message into the “Subject” field." width="460" height="348" />

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Type the subject or title of your message into the “Subject” field.

Step 4 Type the recipient’s email address into the “To” box.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Type the recipient’s email address into the “To” box. If sending to multiple recipients, separate each recipient’s name with a semicolon.

Step 5 Type your message into the body of the email, then click “Send.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Type your message into the body of the email, then click “Send.” Your email has now been sent to the recipient. [2] X Research source

Advertisement Method 4 of 10:

Replying and Forwarding

Step 1 Open the email to which you want to reply or forward.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Open the email to which you want to reply or forward.

Step 2 Click on the “Home” tab and select “Reply,” “Reply All,” or “Forward.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click on the “Home” tab and select “Reply,” “Reply All,” or “Forward.” Selecting “Reply” allows you to reply to just the sender, whereas “Reply All” sends a reply to all parties copied on the email. The “Forward” option allows you to forward the entire contents of the email to one or more recipients.

Step 3 Type your message into the body of the email.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Type your message into the body of the email.

Step 4 Confirm that the email’s “To” field contains the names of intended recipients.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Confirm that the email’s “To” field contains the names of intended recipients.

Step 5 Click on “Send.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on “Send.” The email has now been sent or forwarded to the recipient. [3] X Research source Advertisement Method 5 of 10:

Adding an Attachment

Step 1 Open the email message to which you want to add an attachment.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Open the email message to which you want to add an attachment.

Step 2 Click on the “Message” tab and select “Attach File.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on the “Message” tab and select “Attach File.” File Explorer will open and display on-screen.

Step 3 Navigate to and select the file you want attached to the email.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Navigate to and select the file you want attached to the email. You can attach file types of any kind, including photos, videos, spreadsheets, and more.

Step 4 Click on “Insert” after selecting the file.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click on “Insert” after selecting the file. The file will now be attached to your email message. [4] X Research source

Advertisement Method 6 of 10:

Adding an Email Signature

Step 1 Click on the “Message” tab and select “Signature.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on the “Message” tab and select “Signature.”

Step 2 Select “Signatures,” then select “New.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Select “Signatures,” then select “New.”

Step 3 Type a name for your signature, then click “OK.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Type a name for your signature, then click “OK.”

Step 4 Type the message you want included with your signature into the “Edit signature” box.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Type the message you want included with your signature into the “Edit signature” box. For example, type your name, title, and company.

Step 5 Click “OK,” then click on “Choose default signature.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click “OK,” then click on “Choose default signature.”

Step 6 Select your email account, then select the signature you just created.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Select your email account, then select the signature you just created. Going forward, your signature will be added to all outgoing emails. [5] X Research source

Advertisement Method 7 of 10:

Scheduling Calendar Appointments

Step 1 Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Appointment.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Appointment.” Alternately, press CTRL + Shift + A on your keyboard, or right-click a time block in your calendar grid and select “New Appointment.”

Step 2 Type a description of your appointment into the “Subject” box.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Type a description of your appointment into the “Subject” box.

Step 3 Type the location of your appointment into the “Location” box.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Type the location of your appointment into the “Location” box.

Step 4 Enter the start and end times for your appointment, then click “OK.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Enter the start and end times for your appointment, then click “OK.” Outlook will automatically remind you about your appointment 15 minutes before the appointment’s start time.

Step 5 Click on the “Appointment” tab, then click “Save and close.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click on the “Appointment” tab, then click “Save and close.” Your appointment is now saved to Outlook. [6] X Research source

Advertisement Method 8 of 10:

Creating and Adding Contacts

Step 1 Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Contact.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Contact.” Alternately, press CTRL + Shift + C on your keyboard.

Step 2 Enter the contact’s name and any other important information about your contact.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Enter the contact’s name and any other important information about your contact.

Step 3 Click on “Save and close.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click on “Save and close.” If adding another contact to your list, select “Save and New.” The contact is now added to Outlook.

Advertisement Method 9 of 10:

Creating Notes

Step 1 Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Note.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click on the “Home” tab and select “New Note.” Alternately, press CTRL + Shift + N on your keyboard. A blank note will open and display on-screen.

Step 2 Start typing text in the note.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Start typing text in the note. The note will save automatically and stay open so you can take additional notes or refer to them as you work.

Step 3 Drag and drop the note anywhere on <a href=your desktop as desired for easier viewing." width="460" height="348" />

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Drag and drop the note anywhere on your desktop as desired for easier viewing.

Step 4 Close the note when finished.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Close the note when finished. All notes are saved to the Notes folder in Outlook by default. [7] X Research source

Advertisement Method 10 of 10:

Printing Items

Step 1 Open the email or item you want printed from Outlook.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Open the email or item you want printed from Outlook.

Step 2 Click on “File” and select “Print.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on “File” and select “Print.”

Step 3 Select your print settings as desired.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Select your print settings as desired. You can change the font style, heading, or adjust page margins.

Step 4 Click on “Print” again.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Click on “Print” again. The email you selected will now be printed. [8] X Research source Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Advertisement

Tips

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Please provide your name and last initial Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

Log Out of Outlook

5 Easy Ways to Sign Out of the Outlook App on Any Device

Create an Outlook Email Account

How to Create an Outlook Email Account: Web, Mobile, & Desktop

Recall an Email in Outlook

Unsend a Message in Outlook: Easily Recall & Replace Email

Use the Voting Buttons in Outlook

How to Make a Poll and Use the Voting Buttons in Outlook

See Unread Emails in Outlook

How to See All Your Unread Outlook Messages at Once

Open Winmail.dat

Open Winmail.dat

Export Contacts from Outlook

Export Contacts from Outlook

Edit Received Emails in Outlook

Edit Received Emails in Outlook

Sign In to Outlook

Sign In to Outlook

Sync Outlook Signatures

Sync Outlook 365 Signatures to Mobile, Web, & Other Computers

Access Gmail in Outlook 2010

Access Gmail in Outlook 2010

Turn On or Off the Out of Office Assistant in Microsoft Outlook

How to Enable & Disable Out of Office Replies in Outlook