Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is a versatile and widely-used software application designed to streamline communication, organisation and productivity.

Outlook allows you to:

Send and receive emails
Manage your time
Have access to OneDrive
Schedule meetings or classes in your calendar
Assign tasks

Understanding the Interface

Outlook is divided into several sections: Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and more.

Mail: This is where you send, receive and manage your emails.
Calendar: Keep track of your schedule, including classes, groupwork activities, deadlines and personal events.
Contacts: Manage your contacts and address book.
Tasks: Create to-do lists and manage your tasks and assignments.

You can navigate between these sections using the icons which will be either on the left hand side or at the bottom-left corner.

Quick Guide

Here is some information on how to use the various function in Outlook.

Email
Sending Emails
1. Compose: To compose a new email, click on the "New Email" button at the top-left corner.
2. Recipient: Enter the recipient's email address in the "To" field. Or select from your address book.
3. Body: Write your message in the main body section.
4. Attachments: Click on the paperclip icon to attach files if needed.
5. Send: Click on "Send" to dispatch your email.
6. Signature: Click on settings>mail> compose and reply , create your own signature
Forward or Reply to an Email
1. Reply to Sender: When you receive an email and want to respond to the sender only, you use the "Reply" function. This allows you to compose a response that will be sent directly back to the sender of the original email.
2. Reply All: If you receive an email that was sent to multiple recipients and you want to respond to everyone included in the original email, you use the "Reply All" function. This sends your response to both the original sender and all other recipients of the email.
3. Forward: When you receive an email and want to share it with someone who wasn't originally included in the conversation, you use the "Forward" function. This allows you to send a copy of the original email to another person or group of people, along with any additional comments you want to include.
Managing Emails
1. Folders: Create folders to organise your emails. Right-click on your inbox and select "New Folder", and name the folder.
2. Sorting: Use the sorting options to arrange emails by attachment, date, sender, or subject.
3. Deleting: Select unwanted emails and click on the delete button or press the "Delete" key on your keyboard.
Calendar
Click on the "Calendar" icon to view your schedule
- Create Events: To create an event in Outlook Calendar, click "New Appointment," fill in the event details, and save it.
- Invitations: To send invitations, create a new meeting, click invite attendees and add in the "To" field, and send the invite.
- Microsoft Teams Meeting: To send an invitation to a Teams meeting, in the calendar view, select "New Teams Meeting", click invite attendees and add in the "To" field, and send the invite.
- Reminders: Set reminders by creating an event or task and specifying the reminder time in the "Reminder" dropdown.
- Recurring Events: For recurring events, create a new event, click "Recurrence," and set the recurrence pattern before saving. You can have something recure daily, weekly , monthly and much more.
- Add colour: You can add colour to your schedule to quickly let you identify different types of activities. You could consider colour coordinating modules, lectures versus seminars or academic versus personal events.
- Sharing: Share your calendar with classmates or colleagues to coordinate schedules.
Contacts
Access your contacts by clicking on the "Contacts" icon.
- Add new contacts by clicking on "New Contact" and adding the required details.
- To import contacts in Microsoft Outlook, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export, then follow the Import from another program or file wizard to upload your contacts from a CSV or other supported file format.
Tasks
Use the "Tasks" section to manage your to-do lists.
- Click on "New Task" to add a new task, set a due date, and mark it as a priority.
- You can categorise tasks and mark them as complete when done
- You can assign priority levels to your tasks (low, medium, high) to help you manage your workload effectively.
Settings
Customise Outlook
You can customise Outlook to suit your preferences by adjusting settings for email, calendar, notifications, and much more.
Here are some instructions.
- Go to File > Options > General to select a theme, adjust the user interface options, and personalise the Ribbon and toolbar.
- Under View > Layout, you can customise the reading pane, message preview, and folder pane settings to suit your preferences.
Get Notifications
- Navigate to File > Options > Mail and under the "Message arrival" section, you can enable or disable desktop alerts, sound notifications, and change other notification settings.
- For more control, go to File > Options > Advanced and configure the notifications for reminders, task updates, and calendar events.
Use Security
- In File > Options > Trust Center, click on "Trust Center Settings" to access various security settings.
- Under the Email Security tab, you can set up encryption and digital signatures for outgoing emails.
- Use the Attachment Handling and Automatic Download settings to manage how attachments and external content are handled to prevent security risks.
- Enable Junk Email Filter settings to protect against spam and phishing attempts.

Additional Features

Outlook offers additional features, some of which have been summarised here.


Features	Functions
Calendar Integration	Schedule and manage appointments, meetings, and events with reminders.
Task Management	Create, assign, and track tasks and to-do lists.
Contact Management	Organise and store contact information, including linking emails and calendar events.
Search Functionality	Quickly find emails, attachments, and other items using advanced search options.
Integration with Microsoft Office	Seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel, and Teams.
Rules and Filters	Automatically sort, flag, and categorise emails based on customised rules.
Email Encryption	Protect sensitive information with encryption options.
Mobile App Access	Stay connected and manage emails and calendars from mobile devices.
Shared Mailboxes and Delegation	Collaborate by sharing mailboxes and delegating access to assistants or team members.
Customisable Views	Personalise the layout and appearance of your inbox and other folders.

Emailing Staff Members

There maybe times when you need to send an email to a member of staff within the university , this could be your course director, wellbeing advisor, or someone in exams. Email etiquette is important form maintaining professionalism and communication with staff members.

Here are some key guidelines when you are sending an email.

Subject line: Add a subject that clearly indicates what the email is regarding.

Body of message: Include your name, B number and course of study.

Address the receiver of the email in the correct way
- Dear Professor Jones, Hello Joanne, or Dear Dr Richmond.
Explain clearly and concisely the reason you are sending the email.

Signing off an email: It is important to end the email appropriately.

Many thanks, Best wishes and Kind regards are some suitable examples.

In the module handbook there is a section on communication, where an academic will provide guidance on the best way to make contact with them. To manage expectations, they will include a timeframe by which they plan to respond to emails. This will vary depending on work patterns and other roles the academic may have, but could be anything from 24 hours to 72 hours.

If you have not received a response after the guided amount of time, send a follow up email with a polite reminder to the recipient.

It is also important to be aware that many staff will not respond to emails that have been sent outside normal working hours, for example if you send an email on Friday evening at 4pm do not expect a reply until the following Monday or Tuesday.

If your email is urgent, you can mark the email as urgent.

Outlook Cheat Sheet


Feature	Description
Getting Started	Sign in to Outlook with your university account. Access Outlook via the University portal or mobile app.
Basic Navigation	Inbox: View and manage your incoming emails. Sent Items: View emails you have sent. Drafts: Access and edit your unsent draft emails. Folders: Organise emails into custom folders. Search: Use the search bar at the top to find specific emails.
Composing Emails	New Email: Click “New Email” to start a new message. Subject Line: Add a clear and concise subject. Body: When writing your message use formatting tools to enhance readability. Attachments: Click on the paperclip icon to attach files. Send: Click “Send” to send your email.
Organising Emails	Categories: Use categories to colour code emails for different subjects or priorities. Rules: Set up rules to automatically sort incoming emails into folders. Flags: Use flags to mark important emails that require follow-up.
Calendar Management	New Event: Click “New Event” to schedule a meeting or appointment. View Options: Switch between day, week, and month view. Sharing: Share your calendar with classmates to coordinate schedules.
Task Management	To-Do List: Use the "Tasks" or "To-Do" panes to keep track of assignments and deadlines. Reminders: Set reminders for important tasks and deadlines.
Contacts Management	Add Contacts: Add new contacts by clicking “New Contact.” Groups: Create contact groups for your classmates or project teams.
Collaboration Tools	Teams Integration: Use Microsoft Teams for group chats and meetings directly from Outlook. OneNote Integration: Save emails to OneNote for better organisation of notes and assignments.

Top Tips

Email account : Always use your student email account to email staff in the university.

Email Etiquette: Use a professional tone, proper grammar, and check for spelling errors.

Signature: Create an email signature with your name and contact information.

Notifications: Customise notifications to avoid distractions during study time.

Mobile Access: Use the Outlook mobile app to stay connected on the go.

Focus Inbox: Enable Focused Inbox to prioritise important emails.

Outlook Shortcuts


Task	Instruction
New Email	Ctrl+N
Reply	Ctrl+R
Forward	Ctrl+F
Send	Alt+S
Search	Ctrl+E
Delete	Ctrl+D
Print	Ctrl+P
Bold	Ctrl + B
Italic	Ctrl + I
Underline	Ctrl + U

Help and Support

If you need assistance, please contact the Student Success Centre uusuccess@ulster.ac.uk

Additional support is available from the following:

Microsoft Outlook