Microsoft Outlook 2016 - Top 50 Super Tricks within 2.5 Hrs

1. Navigation Methods: Compact view vs. Detailed View
2. Shortcuts to toggle between Inbox, Calendar, Tasks

1. Peek View
2. Opening Calendar in a new window

Grouping your emails into conversations helps you locate all the emails related to that conversation. You can enable conversation view to do so.

By default, Outlook email messages are arranged by Date. You can use Custom views to see all the emails clustered by the Senders.

The mailbox quota information shows the amount of free space that is left.

With the Back and Forward buttons in Outlook, you can quickly switch among views you have opened before. These two buttons are not displayed in Outlook ribbon by default.

When we receive lengthy email messages in Outlook, we scroll up and down repeatedly to view it. It is cumbersome. So why not use “Split window” feature in Outlook?

Outlook users can access their very own Post-it Notes from anywhere in the Outlook interface by simply pressing Ctrl+Shift+N.

1. Create Post-It Notes
2. Color code it based on category or priority

Color Code your Emails, Calendar, Contacts or Tasks automatically with Conditional Formatting. It helps emphasize or de-emphasize elements of Outlook content

Whether you have just a few contacts, several hundred, or more than a thousand, there are times you'll want to search for a contact rather than scroll through a long list of contacts.

Activate a hidden option to start using AutoComplete feature for fetching an email address while composing an email message

Exporting contacts for future use is recommended for every Outlook user in case of the crashing of Outlook application. Additionally, if you move from one email program to the next, you do not want to leave your contacts behind. 

While Outlook stores everything including mail and contacts in a complicated file, exporting your contacts to a format (CSV) that most other email programs and services can understand is pretty easy.

There's no need to type all the information for a new contact into Outlook. You can add a contact from a message that you receive. Hint: Drag and Drop

Use a contact group (formerly called a “distribution list”) to send an email to multiple people—a project team, a committee, or even just a group of friends—without having to add each name to the To, Cc, or Bcc line individually.

Viewing contact group or distribution list members when choosing it as the recipient in a composing email message is a good way to check the recipients in the group. There is a one-click trick to do it.

1. Activate the hidden shortcut to send email in one shortcut
2. Toggle easily between different email tabs

Learn three time saving shortcuts:

1. Forward email
2. Reply
3. Replay to all

Apply custom rules for read receipts and delivery notifications

In case of official mails, the subject lines matter a lot.A Subject Line is the the first and foremost element of any email based on which the receiver may decide whether to open the mail now or later (or may be never).

Thesaurus helps you in re-phrasing your words and sentences better. E.g. Extra projector vs Spare projector vs Standby projector

Create Permanent Custom Styles in Outlook

Create Permanent Custom Styles in Outlook

A well structured email is effective in delivering the message and improves readability.

Different email signatures may be needed:

1. Sending emails from different email accounts in Outlook
2. Reply to some emails as an individual or on behalf of a project team member
3. Internal (simple) and external (detailed) emails

Sending information in a Table minimizes confusion. The message is structured and consistent in layout.

Structured Paragraphs help readers read better.

Do you spend too much time in the Sent folder or archived documents looking for the perfect message content to reuse?

Create a reusable building block using "Quick Parts" feature. Quick Parts is a gallery of reusable content (that includes AutoText). Entries can comprise text, document properties, fields, tables, graphics, and more. 

Apply multiple actions at the same time to email messages. E.g. Forward a message to others in your team with a custom introductory message.

Forward a message to others in your team with a custom introductory message.

Forward a message to others in your team with a custom introductory message and then move the email to a specific folder.

If you create a template (OFT) or a form, the e-mail messages that you send have the same format. 

Typing a long organization or person name takes a lot of time and often causes typing errors and inconsistencies. To resolve this issue you can introduce abbreviations and expand them through Auto Correct feature.

Use a contact group (formerly called a “distribution list”) to send an email to multiple people—a project team, a committee, or even just a group of friends—without having to add each name to the To, Cc, or Bcc line individually.

You can delay the delivery of an individual email message or you can use rules to delay the delivery of all messages by having them held in the Outbox for a specified time after you click Send. 

Reasons: Different time zones, Birthday Greetings, Performance Review

"Search Folders" save you time if you search for the same information over-and-over in your Inbox. 

Instead of an actual folder where you can move messages and store them, "Search Folder" is a virtual folder. It can pull together emails that match the critieria defined by you.

1. Customize an existing Search Folder
2. Delete a Search Folder: Deleting a Search Folder doesn't delete any messages.

1. Search Outlook Email by Sender, Date, Keyword, Size and More
2. Shortcut: Ctrl E

Outlook Advanced Find feature provides a powerful set of features to help find even your most deeply hidden Emails.

Learn to narrow your search criteria for better searches in Outlook. You can type a number of phrases in the Search box

Highlight all the occurrences of a specific text in an email. Hint: F4

In addition to creating your own tasks, you can create tasks to assign to others. You can track them, reassign them and also mark it as completed. You can also reassign received the tasks.

If you don’t access your computer, you may not remember the tasks. Instead of printing the task lists in the Outlook, you may wish to export them in an Excel.

Use the hidden "Field Chooser"

Use the Recurrence button of Calendar Tools tab

Use the Recurrence button of Calendar Tools tab

Effectively track the tasks you delegate to others

Task Views: Simple, Detailed, To-do list, Prioritized, Active, Completed, Today, Next 7 days, Overdue, Assigned

Use the hidden "Field Chooser"

Using Outlook's Calendar to manage your appointments & tasks

Hint: Drag & Drop

Customize the email when you are sharing your Calendar

Use the Print Style box from the Print Option's Page Setup