Microsoft Office 365 Outlook: Advanced Options and Extras

Inserting a Signature

1. Click the gear at the top right hand of the screen.
2. Under "Your app settings", click on "Mail".
3. Under "Layout", click on "Email signature".
4. Enter and format signature text.
5. Click the "Save"button.
6. To automatically include your signature on all outgoing messages make sure the "Automatically include my signature on..." boxes are checked.

Desktop Alerts

When you receive a new message, a "Desktop Alert" will appear on your desktop.  Click once on the alert to go to your Inbox.

To disable this alert:

1. Click the gear at the top right hand of the screen.
2. Under "Your app settings", click on "Mail".
3. Under "Automatic processing", click on "Message options".
4. Uncheck the "Display a notification message when a new email message arrives" box.
5. Click the "Save" button.

Setting Default Formatting

You can set default formatting for all outgoing e-mail messages.

1. Click the gear at the top right hand of the screen.
2. Under "Your app settings", click on "Mail".
3. Under "Layout", click on "Message format".
4. Select your preferred formatting options in the "Message font" box.
5. Click the "Save" button.

Automatic Replies

Automatic Replies send an automatic reply when you receive an e-mail message while you are away. A reply is sent the first time you receive a message from each sender.

1. Click the gear at the top right hand of the screen.
2. Under "Your app settings", click on "Mail".
3. Under "Automatic processing", click on "Automatic replies".
4. Type in yourmessage and select the times you want the reply to be sent out.
5. Click the "Save" button.

Creating Rules

Rules allow you to manage your messages by performing actions that meet specific conditions.  An example would be: You are a Faculty member who teaches ENGL 110 and you want all of your students to send an assignment to you using e-mail.  You instruct your student to type ENGL 110 in the subject box of the e-mail they send.  You then set up a rule that will see ENGL 110 in the subject box and send it directly to the ENGL 110 folder that you created.

1. Click the gear at the top right hand of the screen.
2. Under "Your app settings", click on "Mail".
3. Under "Automatic processing", click on "Inbox and sweep rules".
4. Click the + sign and follow the prompts to create the rule.
5. Click the "Save" button.

Marking Messages as Read or Unread

Click on the email icon in the "Message List" next to the email that you wish to mare read/unread.

Flags

You can quickly flag a message to organize your messages or remind yourself to follow up on the message.

• To flag a message, click the flag icon next to the message.
• To mark a flag as complete, right-click the flag icon and select "Flag Complete" from the pop-up menu.  The flag will then turn into a checkmark.
• To change the flag color, right-click the flag icon and select a color from the pop-up menu.
• To clear the flag, right-click the flag icon and select "Clear Flag" from the pop-up menu.

Checking Names

Office 365 Outlook can match partial names (including part of the person’s last name, e-mail address, or the full display name) to their corresponding e-mail aliases using the Check Names feature.

When entering the recipient’s last name in the "To", "Cc", and/or "Bcc" boxes, select the person in the drop-down menu that comes up.

Setting Message Options

When creating a message, you can set certain options for the email.

After creating the message:

1. Click the three dots in the top middle.
2. To set the importance, click an option under "Set importance".
3. For all other options, click on "Set message options".
4. Select your preferred options.
5. Click the "OK" button.