• Starting Up
• The Layout of the Main Screen
• Receiving Email
• Creating and Sending Email
  • Sending to More than One Person
  • Typing the Message
  • Formatting the Look of your Message
  • Checking your Spelling
  • Sending the Message
  • Replying to a Sender
  • Forwarding Messages
• Managing Contacts
  • Creating a Contact
  • Deleting a Contact
  • Editing a Contact
• Importing & Exporting Contacts (and Mail)
  • The Import Wizard
  • The Export Wizard
• Searching your Mail
  • Quick Searching for a Word or Phrase
  • Finding Email Marked as Important
• Working with Attachments
  • Opening Attachments
  • Adding an Attachment
  • Saving Attachments
• Setting up a signature

Starting Outlook

Both versions of Outlook are started the same way, but their icons appear slightly differently as 2007 has been revamped with an updated look. When you click the Start button you will see one of the following icons in the menu if Outlook is installed and set as your default mail application. If you see one of the icons, simply left-click it once and Outlook will start:

The first time you start Outlook, it will automatically begin a wizard so that you can more easily configure an email account. If you're migrating from an existing mail program such as Outlook Express, the Outlook will likely detect your old account settings and ask you if you'd like to Import them. If you choose to do this, you are also able to migrate all of your old email into Outlook.

Below are screenshots of what you'll see in both Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 when you open the application for the first time:

* NOTE:

	Settings marked with red indicate you should pay close attention to that particular option or field.
	Buttons marked with green indicate you should click the button after you have entered your proper settings.

The Layout of the Main Screen

Once your email account has been configured, you'll then be presented with the main screen for Outlook which you'll interact with most often. The view may seem a little more complicated than what you'll see in other mail programs, but Outlook also offers many more features and is usually worth the time and effort to get to know. Below you can see screenshots of what both Outlook versions look like and where each part of the user interface is.

Outlook 2003

Main Menu	This is the list of items that makes every feature in Outlook available to you. The items are broken down into the various categories you see across the top of the window - File, Edit, View, Go, Tools, Actions, and Help. Generally speaking, most of the options offered through these menu's are usually only needed by more advanced users, but some are worth poitning out... File Import/Export... Edit Undo Delete Tools Rules and Alerts Tools Email Accounts... Tools Options... Help About Microsoft Office Outlook
Toolbar	The toolbar displays a series of buttons that allow you to quickly access the most frequently used features of Outlook by simply left clicking them. If you move your mouse-pointer over top of a button, you will see a "hint" appear which gives you an idea of what the button will do if you click on it. We'll get into the details of these shortly.
Favorites View	The Favorites View displays the folders that you most frequently use, such as the Inbox. If you have a lot of mail folders, then the All Mail Folders view may be cluttered and might not show you what you want to see without scrolling that pane's contents up or down. You can instead refer to the Favorites view to see if new messages have arrived in the folders listed there. You can select a folder by left-clicking it.
Messages View	This pane shows you the messages that are in the folder that you've currently selected (either in the Favorites or the All Mail Folders views). Key information of the messages is displayed, such as the sender, subject, and date.
All Mail Folders View	This view is similar to the Favorites View and works just the same. The difference is that it displays every mail folder that you've created, including your Sent, Outbox, and Deleted items folders.
Email Content View	In this portion of the window, you will be able to see the actual message contents of an email that you have selected. Keep in mind that, in order to see the contents of a message, you must first click a Folder (either in Favorites or All Mail Folders), then a message (in the Messages View).
Shortcut Buttons	These buttons give you a little more quick accessibility to additional Outlook functions, such as a Notepad you can use to jot down reminders.
Status Bar	The Status Bar is an area of Outlook's window that will show you important messages or details about a current operation or selection. For example, if you click a mail folder, you will see at the bottom-left-most portion of the window the total number of messages that the folder contains. Also, when you click the Send/Receive button on the Toolbar, Outlook will quickly flash the details about the progress of the operation toward the right-hand side. The status bar frequently yields useful information and you should keep an eye on its contents.

Outlook 2007  

Calendar & Tasks

The user interface for Outlook 2007 is nearly identical to Outlook 2003's. The default view, however, adds the Calendar & Tasks additional component. This pane is used to give a quick overview of any upcoming events or deadlines that you may have set for yourself previously. Dates on the calendar that appear in bold text have some type of event, note, or task associated to them. You can view the schedule for that day by clicking it's date in the calendar.

Receiving Email

Whenever you open Outlook, it will automatically check your mailbox on the mail server. If it finds messages, then it will download them to your computer and show them in your Inbox. Subsequently, Outlook will periodically check the server for messages about every 20 minutes or so. However, you can manually check for new messages by clicking the Send/Receive button on the Toolbar.

Creating and Sending Email

Click "New" on the toolbar and the New Message window will open. Alternately, select File/New from the menu bar. Select Mail Message from the sub menu. The New Message window appears.

	The "TO:" Field or Address Line – Displays a list of recipients of the message
	The "CC:" Field or Carbon Copy Line – Displays a list of the recipients who are to receive a copy of the message.
	The Subject Line – Provides a description of the contents of the message.
	The Message Area – Area that contains the actual text of the message.

Sending to More than One Person

	Click the mouse button on the To: button to display the Select Names dialog box. Select the desired address book from the Show Names from the: list box.
	Select the desired recipient(s) from the list of names in the left window. Select the appropriate choice to properly place the name(s).

Typing the Message

	Position the cursor on the Subject: line and type a brief description of the contents of the message.
	Position the cursor in the Message Area and then type out your message.

Formatting the Message

	Make sure that the formatting toolbar is displayed in the New Message window by selecting View/Toolbars/Formatting from the Menu Bar.
	Highlight the text from the message to be modified or position the cursor at the location where the new text will be inserted.
	Select one or more of the following attribute options. Note that in order to remove the font attributes, simply highlight the text to be modified click the button for it from the toolbar. Places the Bold feature on the selected text. Places the Italics feature on the selected text. Places the Underline feature on the selected text. Allows for changing the color of the selected text. Aligns the selected text on the left. Centers the selected text between the margins. Aligns the selected text to the right.

Checking your Spelling

Select Tools/Spelling from the Menu bar to begin the spellchecker. Outlook will begin to scan the message and stop at the first word that is not in the dictionary. The Spelling dialog box will appear.

Perform one of the following options each time Outlook stops at a word that is not in the dictionary:

Ignore	The unrecognized word is spelled correctly but not in the dictionary. This option will leave the unrecognized word and move on to the next word.
Ignore All	The unrecognized word is spelled correctly but not in the dictionary and there are multiple instances of the unrecognized word. This option will bypass all instances of this word.
Change	The unrecognized word is spelled incorrectly and the suggested word is spelled correctly. This option will replace the misspelled word with the suggestion. To change the suggested word to one that is displayed in the dialog box, simply select the correct word and then select this button.
Change All	The unrecognized word is spelled incorrectly and the suggested word is spelled correctly. This option will replace all of the instances of the misspelled word with the suggestion. To change the suggested word to one that is displayed in the dialog box, simply select the correct word and then select this button.
Add	The unrecognized word is spelled correctly and you would like to add the word to your personal dictionary so that it is recognized the next time it is encountered. If the unrecognized word is not in the dictionary, not in the suggested list and is not spelled correctly, position the cursor in the Change to: dialog box.   Delete any existing text.   Type the correct spelling of the word.   Select the Change button. Exchange replaces the word and continues.

Sending the Message

Once the email message is complete, press Send the button. The message is sent to the selected recipients and a copy of the message is saved in the folder specified in Options.

Replying to Senders

Open the message to which a reply will be sent. Click on the Reply button from the Message Toolbar. The message window will be displayed. The cursor is positioned in the To: box and the original message is displayed. The sender's name is in the To: box, the cursor is positioned in the message area and the original message is displayed below the cursor. Type the response to the message at the cursor location.

Click on the Send button to send the message to the sender.

Forwarding Messages

	Open the message to be forwarded.
	Click on the Forward button from the Message Toolbar. The message window will be displayed. The cursor is positioned in the To: box and the original message is displayed in the message area.
	Click on the To: button to select the recipient(s) of the message. Make sure the correct address list is displayed.
	Click on OK to accept the selected recipients and return to the message window.
	Position the cursor at the top of the message.
	Type any change/addition to the message.
	Click on the Send button to send the message to the recipient(s).

Importing & Exporting Mail and Contacts

Microsoft Outlook gives you the ability to copy data from many programs so that you can use that data in Outlook. For example, you might want to bring in existing information such as names and addresses from one of the following programs: Eudora, Lotus Organizer, or Microsoft Schedule+.

You also might want to convert your Personal Address Book information, to a Contacts folder. Do this by importing the contact information to the Contacts folder. Outlook contacts are fully integrated into Outlook, providing flexibility and customization that is not available in the Personal Address Book.

Using the Import Wizard

On the File menu, click Import and Export.

Do one of the following:   Import Email and Server Settings:   Click Import Internet Mail Account Settings, and then click Next.   Click the e-mail client to import, and then click Next.   Follow the remaining instructions in the Import and Export Wizard.   Import Email:   Click Import Internet Mail and Addresses, and then click Next.   Click the program you want to import items from.   Do any of the following:   To import existing e-mail messages, select the Import mail check box.   To import entries from your Address Book, select the Import address book   To import filters or rules, select the Import rules check box. Rules can be imported only from Outlook Express.   Click Next.   Do one of the following:   If you are importing only e-mail messages or rules, click Finish.   If you are also importing entries from your Address Book, click Next.   Choose one of the following:   Replace duplicates with items imported   Existing data will be overwritten with the information in the file being imported.   Allow duplicates to be created   Existing data will not be overwritten, and duplicates will be added to the current Outlook folder   Do not import duplicate items   Existing data will be kept, and the duplicate information in the file will not be copied to the current Outlook folder.   Click Finish.   To save a copy of the import summary to your Inbox, click Save in Inbox.   Import a Contact's vCard:   On the File menu, click Import and Export.   Click Import a Vcard file (.vcf), then click Next.   In the Look in box, click the folder that contains the vCard file you want. Double-click folders until you can click the vCard file you want to import.   Click Open.   Import the Outlook PST file (Personal Storage file):   On the File menu, click Import and Export.   Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.   Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.   In the File to import box, specify the path and file name of the .pst file you want to import.   Choose one of the following:   Replace duplicates with items imported   Existing data will be overwritten with the information in the file being imported.   Allow duplicates to be created   Existing data will not be overwritten, and duplicates will be added to the current Outlook folder.   Do not import duplicate items   Existing data will be kept, and the duplicate information in the file will not be copied to the current Outlook folder.   Follow the remaining instructions in the Import and Export Wizard.

Using the Export Wizard

A Simple Export:   On the File menu, click Import and Export.   Click Export to a file, and then click Next.   In the list, click the file type you want to export to, and then click Next. If you want to export to a file for use in Word or PowerPoint, choose either Tab Separated Values or Comma Separated Values.   Follow the instructions in the Import and Export Wizard.   You can often export to programs not listed in the Import and Export Wizard, by exporting the data to either Comma Separated Values (.csv) or Tab Separated Values (.txt) file format. Folder design properties such as permissions, rules, description, forms, and views are not preserved when you export to a Personal Folders file. Only the content itself is exported.

Exporting a set of Contacts:   Create a new folder for the contacts you want to export.   On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.   Type a name for the folder.   In the Folder contains list, click Contact Items.   In the Select where to place the folder list, click Contacts, and then click OK.   In the Navigation Pane, click Contacts, or click another private or public contacts folder that you want to copy information from.   To copy the contacts, press and hold down CTRL and drag the contacts you want from the Contacts folder you just clicked to the new contacts folder you just created.   On the File menu, click Import and Export to export the new contacts folder.   Click Export to a file, and then click Next.   In the list, click the file type you want to export to and then click Next.   Follow the instructions in the Import and Export Wizard.

Managing Contacts

Creating a New Contact

	Select File/New/Contact to display a new contact window.
	Enter the information in the appropriate boxes. Include any categories on the bottom.
	Position the cursor in the dialog box to the right of the E-mail dialog box.
	Type the Internet Address at the cursor location.
	Click on Save and Close from the menu. The contact with the internet address is saved in the Contacts list.

Deleting a Contact

	Select Go/Contacts from the Main Menu.
	Right click on the contact you wish to remove and then click Delete.

Editing a Contact

	Select Go/Contacts from the Main Menu.
	Right click on the contact you wish to edit and then click Open.
	Edit the fields on the General and Details tabs.
	Click Save and Close at the top of the window.

Searching Your Mail

Microsoft Outlook uses folders to contain collections of data. An Outlook folder is where items, such as your new e-mail messages (Inbox), sent e-mail messages (Sent Items), or e-mail messages you want to save are stored. Messages are not stored in Search Folders. Search Folders are virtual folders that contain views of all e-mail items matching specific search criteria.

Search Folders display the results of previously defined search queries. The e-mail messages shown remain stored in one or more Outlook folders.

When you create a Search Folder, you have a number of options to choose from, such as "Mail with attachments" or "Mail from specific people." You can also create your own custom Search Folders, defining specific search criteria that e-mail messages must meet to be displayed in the Search Folder. Each Search Folder is a saved search that is kept up-to-date, monitoring all of your folders for any item that matches the search criteria of the Search Folder.

If you choose to delete a Search Folder, the e-mail messages shown in the Search Folder are not deleted, because those items are never saved, only viewed, in a Search Folder. However, if you open or select one or more e-mail messages shown in a Search Folder and delete the e-mail messages, the messages will be deleted from the Outlook folder where they are stored.

Quick Searching - Search for a Specific Word or Phrase

	Click Find on the toolbar to display the Find Bar.
	In the Look for box, type any text you want to search for in the most common fields of the item, or click the arrow on the Look for box to use previous search text.
	Specify the folders you want to search. If you have more than one account, Microsoft Outlook searches the folders in the current account only.   Current Folder Click Find Now.   EMail Folders Only   Click Search In, and then click Inbox, All Mail Folders, Mail I Received, or Mail I Sent.   Click Find Now.   Specific Folders   Click Search In, and then click Choose Folders.   Select the folders you want to search. To include subfolders, select the Search subfolders check box.

Finding Email Flagged as Important

	Goto Mail, on the File menu, point to New, and then click Search Folder.
	Under Select a Search Folder, in the Reading Mail section, select Important mail.
	In the Search mail in list, select the Outlook data file this Search Folder will include, and then click OK.

Working with Attachments

Opening an Attachment

	Open the message.
	Position the mouse arrow on the attachment icon in the message box.
	Double-click on the attachment icon. The associated application will open, and the contents of the file will be displayed. If there is no association established with the attachment.

Adding an Attachment

Position the cursor at the point in the message where you would like to attach the file. Generally this is either at the beginning or the end of the email message. Select the attachments button (the paperclip): from the standard toolbar. The Insert File dialog box is displayed. Select the exact folder location of the file to be inserted into the message from the Look In: box. The list of files that are located inside of the selected folder are displayed. Select the file to be inserted.

Select the Insert button to insert the selected file. An icon with the filename is placed below the subject heading.

Saving an Attachment

Return to the email message. Select File/Save Attachments from the Menu Bar. The Save Attachments dialog box is displayed. Select the folder location where the attachment is to be saved. This folder name will be displayed in the Save In: box once it is selected. Accept or change attachment name that is displayed in the File name: box. Click on Save to save the attachment to the designated location.

Make sure the correct file type is displayed in the Save as type: box.

Setting a Signature

The Automatic Signature feature of Outlook allows for placing a signature at the end of each message either automatically or on demand.

	Select Tools/Options from the main menu to display the Options dialog box.
	Select the Mail Format tab.
	Under Signature , click Signatures , and then click New.
	Enter a name for your signature in the, Enter a name for your new signature box.
	Under Choose how to create your signature , select the option you want. and click Next.
	In the Signature text box, type the text you want to include in the signature. To change the paragraph or font format, select the text, click Font or Paragraph, and then select the options you want. These options are not available if you use plain text as your message format.
	Click Finish when you are done editing the new signature.
	Click OK Under Signatures, choose the signatures that you want to use for new messages and for replies and forwards. You can use a different signature for each.
	Click OK to complete the setup.

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