Working with Outlook

The Personal Productivity project aims to transition staff from using Google mail, calendar, chat and meet to equivalent Microsoft products — Outlook, Teams and OneDrive. The project is separated into two parts that will be delivered in series:

• Part 1: Email, Calendar, Messaging & Meetings – the migration to Outlook and Teams.
• Part 2: File Storage – the migration to OneDrive.

This article will help you with part 1 and we also have a Working with OneDrive article. 
 
You will receive an email explaining when your migration from Google Mail and Calendar will happen.

The migration will:

• Automatically copy over the last 5 years worth of Google emails and calendar events to Outlook.
• Labels will be copied over - they will become categories in Outlook. You can find more on categories in the 'How-to guides for Outlook Mail' section below under 'Using Categories to organise emails'.
• Copy over any calendars that you have created.
• Give you access to any delegate email accounts you have access to in Gmail.

More information on what to expect after migration, including frequently asked questions, can be found on the Modern Work Programme Information Site.

Preparing for your Migration

To help ensure a smooth transition, we recommend completing the following steps before your migration:

Step 1: Label any emails older than 5 years that you wish to keep

By default, only emails from the past 5 years will be migrated to Outlook. If you have older emails you'd like to keep, you can label them with _MWP_5Plus_YRS. This label will be created for you automatically before the migration begins.

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Hover over the email and right click.
3. Select 'Label As' and select the _MWP_5PLUS_YRS label.  The label will appear towards the top of your label list.

Actions to take if you accidently delete the label

If you accidently delete the _MWP_5PLUS_YRS label, please recreate by following these steps:

1. Open an email you wish to apply the label to.
2. Select the 'Label' icon which can be found below the Search bar.
3. A menu will display, select 'Create New'.
4. A form will display, in the 'Please enter a new label name:' field copy and paste the following label name:

    

   _MWP_5PLUS_YRS

    

   Note: the label name needs to be exact, it starts with an underscore and ends with S, be careful not to add an extra space at the beginning or end.

5. That email will now be labelled and will be available for you to use on other emails, see instructions above.
6. If you have difficulties please contact Service desk.

Tip: To quickly find emails older than 5 years, type older_than:5y in the Gmail search bar.

Step 2: Delete any labels that you are not using

Take a moment to review your Gmail labels and remove any that you no longer use. This will ensure only relevant labels are carried over to Outlook and will make it easier to manage your inbox.

1. Open Google Mail.
2. Select the 'Settings' (cog top right).
3. Select 'See all settings'.
4. Select the 'Labels' Tab,  this will give you an overview all the labels that you have created in Google.
5. Scroll down to 'Labels'.
6. Select 'Remove' to delete the label if you do not require it anymore.

Step 3: Delete any unwanted emails

Now’s a great time to do a final clean-up of emails you no longer need. Here are a few quick searches you can use in the Gmail search bar to find and delete common types of clutter:

• Calendar notifications: Search for Subject: Invite
• Out of Office emails: Search for Subject: Out of Office
• All Staff emails: Search for Subject: "All Staff"
• Service desk emails: From: servicedesk-group@port.ac.uk

The Digital Declutter article contains more advice about managing your data.

Step 4: Remove any unused calendars 

If you’ve created calendars in Google that you no longer use, you can delete them before the migration.

1. Hover the calendar, click on the '...'
2. Select 'Settings and Sharing'.
3. Scroll to the bottom of this page and select 'Delete'.

Step 5: Delete any delegate email accounts no longer in use

If you are the owner of a delegate (shared) email account that is no longer required either call the service desk or raise a ticket to get the account deleted.

More information on what to expect after migration, including frequently asked questions, can be found on the Modern Work Programme Information Site.

Pre-Migration Completion Form

Team Managers will be requested via Head of Departments and Faculties, to identify a number of key points in preparation for migration. This will be sent from the Programme team when we are ready to start coordinating the each migration batch. The indicative checklist is below, please note this is subject to change.

• Shared or delegated mailboxes used by your team, including any linked systems or platforms.
• Mailing lists or Google Groups.
• Shared calendars.
• Frequently used meeting rooms and how they are booked (e.g., via Google Calendar “rooms” resource, shared calendar, or another way).
• Any casual, contractor, unpaid, or external examiner staff accounts in use.
• Team members currently on long-term leave.
• Staff who should be migrated with a specific Faculty for operational reasons.

LinkedIn Learning Training

As a member of staff you currently have access to LinkedIn Learning. For information on how to access LinkedIn Learning  view this article.

Useful courses

Outlook Essential Training (M365)

Outlook Tip & Tricks

Training

The following courses are available through the 'Modern Work Programme Learning Plan: Essential Training for M365'.  The courses have been designed to help you build confidence and capability with Microsoft 365 tools:

• Essential Outlook:  A quick-start session covering the key features of Outlook Mail and Calendar to help you get up and running smoothly.
• Deeper Dive Outlook Mail: Learn how to manage your inbox more efficiently using tools like Quick Steps and Sweep, along with other helpful tips.
• Deep Dive Outlook Calendar:  Explore advanced features such as setting up recurring meetings, creating scheduling polls, managing meeting options, and building a booking page.

Accessing Docebo

1. Open a web browser.
2. Navigate to Docebo.
3. Select the Blue 'Single Sign-on' button.
4. The Docebo 'User homepage' will display, select the 'Explore' button on the 'My Learning Plans tile'.
5. Select the the 'Modern Work Programme Learning Plan: Essential Training for M365' to enrol on scheduled sessions.

Note: The transformation project is being delivered in batches. You will gain access to the Learning Plan approximately one week before your migration date.

If you need assistance finding these courses email digitalskills@port.ac.uk.

What is Coexistance?

As we transition from Google to Outlook staff email accounts will be migrated in batches. During this time, both Google and Outlook will be in use across the University which may require some temporary adjustments to how we work. We appreciate your patience during this phase, this article contains guidance to assist with this phase. Once the migration is complete, everyone will benefit from a more streamlined, integrated, and efficient email experience.

The Modern Work programme has some more Information on coexistance:

Coexistance of Google and Microsoft

What to expect after migration

Working Across Google and Outlook Calendars

As we transition from Google to Outlook, some colleagues will still be using Google Calendar while others will have already transitioned to Outlook. During this temporary period of coexistence, please follow these steps to ensure a smooth and reliable calendar management experience

For Outlook Users (already migrated): 

1. Check your colleagues’ availability in Google Calendar before scheduling a meeting.  You can still view Google Calendar events, even though your own calendar is now in Outlook. 
2. Once you’ve confirmed availability, create the meeting in Outlook and invite your colleagues who are still using Google Calendar. 

Note: You may have to open the event fully in the calendar to access links to join the meeting. 

✅ When you send an Outlook invite to someone still using Google Calendar, it will automatically appear in their Google Calendar once they accept the invite. 

⚠️ If you make any changes to the meeting (time, location, etc.), let your Google Calendar invitees know. Their calendars may not update automatically when the changes are made. 

 For Google Calendar Users (not yet migrated): 

1. You won’t be able to see Outlook users’ availability in Google Calendar. Before scheduling a meeting, contact the Outlook user directly to confirm when they’re free. 
2. Once availability is confirmed, create the meeting in Google Calendar as usual and invite the Outlook user. 

✅ They will receive the invite by email, and once they accept it, the event will appear in their Outlook calendar. 

⚠️ If you make any changes to the meeting (time, location, etc.), let your Outlook Calendar invitees know. Their calendars may not update automatically when the changes are made.

Outlook Room Bookings

As we begin moving teams over to Microsoft Outlook, we want to make sure the process for booking meeting rooms remains as clear and simple as possible. Here’s what you need to know:

Before your team migrates to Outlook 

Before your team migrates to Outlook: Managers will be asked to confirm which meeting rooms your team uses regularly. They’ll be able to indicate:

• Which rooms should move to Outlook at the same time as your team, or
• Which rooms are shared with other teams not yet migrating, and should therefore remain in Google Calendar for now.

During the transition period:

• If a room is not available in Outlook after your migration, it will need to be booked through Google Calendar. This will only be temporary, and you’ll still have access to Google to make those bookings as usual.
• If a room has already moved to Outlook and no longer available to book for someone who has not yet migrated to Outlook, a nominated person in your team or department will be able to help. Managers will be asked to nominate a contact person if this is required.

As your migration date approaches, the MWP team will provide clear information about which rooms are available in Outlook and which remain in Google.

The Check M365 Migration app allows you to search for colleagues across the university and find out if they have migrated to Microsoft yet - this is indicated by the M365 or Google logo next to their name and email.

The App is available on the Modern Work Programme Information Site.

PLEASE NOTE: On the first launch of the app, you will be prompted to allow access to services the app requires to run. Please click the Allow button

Image from Microsoft Quick Guides

Outlook Web

You can access Outlook using any internet browser by going to office.com.

• On Windows 10, Outlook and other Microsoft 365 apps are only available via the browser.

• On Windows 11, Outlook and other Microsoft 365 apps can be accessed either through the desktop application or via the browser. Microsoft Edge, the default browser in Windows 11, is designed to work seamlessly with Microsoft 365

To open Outlook on the web:

1. Open your internet browser (Edge, Chrome etc).

2. Go to www.office.com.

3. Sign in with your University credentials.

4. Select Apps from the left-hand menu.

5. Click Outlook from the list of available Microsoft 365 apps. This will open in a new browser tab.

Outlook desktop app on Windows 11

1. Click on the Start menu on your Windows 11 device.
2. In the 'Search bar' type in Outlook.
3. Outlook will display - you may have two versions of Outlook listed, select 'Outlook' (not Outlook Classic) click to open the application.
4. A wizard will open.

Step 1: In the Welcome to new Outlook screen type in your University email address and click on 'Continue'.

• You may need to re-authenticate and sign in with your email address and password.
• You may also be asked to authenticate via multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Step 2: A Setting things up screen will display for a few seconds.

Step 3: Outlook will open.

Note: To view your calendar, select the 'Calendar' icon on the left-hand navigation panel. If your calendar is not displayed check that the 'Calendar' radio button is selected.

Outlook desktop app on Mac

1. Open Outlook. From the sign-in window, enter your University email address and click Continue.
2. Outlook will open.

Resolving an Incorrect Google Account Setup

If Outlook isn’t working as expected, it may have signed into your old Google account instead of your Microsoft 365 account. This can lead to issues such as:

• Seeing ads in Outlook

• Inbox not updating properly

• Unable to schedule Teams meetings via the calendar

To resolve this, remove the Google account and set up Outlook using your Microsoft 365 account.

Outlook desktop app on Windows 11

The video below shows how to check and update the setup in Windows 11 desktop application.

Outlook desktop app on Mac

1. Open Outlook and go to Outlook in the top menu, then select Settings (or Preferences, depending on your version).
   
2. Choose Accounts from the options.
3. Check whether your account is listed as a Google or Microsoft 365 account.
   
4. If it's a Google account, click Manage and select Remove Account.
   
5. Click Add Email Account.
6. When prompted to sign in, select Not Google?
   
7. Choose Microsoft 365 from the list and follow the login prompts using your University credentials.

Mobile App Guidance

In line with Microsoft best practice, we recommend using the Outlook app available on the App stores for iOS and Android. The Outlook mobile app offers the richest functionality for accessing your work email and calendar and aligns to institutional information security guidance. It is also possible to configure personal email accounts and calendars to be used within the Outlook mobile app.

Outlook for Android

1. Open the Play Store on your Android device. 
2. In the search bar, type Microsoft Outlook. Tap on the app from Microsoft Corporation (with the blue Outlook icon), then tap Install. 
3. Once installed, open the Outlook app. On the welcome screen, tap Add Account. (View image)

4. Type in your full University of Portsmouth email address (eg. trainer.5@port.ac.uk) and tap Continue. 

5. If this screen displays tap 'Not Google' at the bottom. (View image)

6. Select 'Change account provider'. Choose Microsoft 365 from the list. (View image)

7. Enter your University password when prompted on the University of Portsmouth sign-in screen, then tap Sign in. 

8. Complete multi-factor authentication by opening the Microsoft Authenticator app and entering the code or approving the sign-in request.

9. When asked if you'd like to add another account, tap Maybe Later. 

10. You will now see your University email inbox. Tap the Email, Calendar, or Apps icons at the bottom to navigate Outlook.  (View image)

Outlook app for iOS

1. Open the iOS App Store. Search for and download the Microsoft Outlook app. (View image)
2. Open the Outlook App.
3. Select 'Add Account'. (View image)
4. Your account maybe found if it is not add your email address and then select 'Add Account'. (View Image)
5. The Add Another Account will be shown, select 'Maybe Later'. (View Image)
6. You will then have the options to enable notifications.
7. Your inbox will the display.
8. To view different folders in your inbox select your profile icon (top left). (View Image)
9. To display your calendar select Calendar from the menu bar at the bottom of the screen.
10.  To view different calendars select your icon (top left).

Trouble signing in

If you are having trouble signing in with the above instructions please try the following approach:

1. Open the Outlook App and select 'Add Account' (View Image).
2. Enter your email address and then select 'Add Account'. (View Image)
3. At this point you may be shown a 'Sign in with Google' log in page (View Image), but do not continue this sign in process. To get out of this screen, select 'Done' at the top left of the screen.
4. You will be taken back to the 'Add Account' page, where there should now be a third option to 'Set Up Account Manually (View Image). Select this option to proceed.
5. A screen will be shown asking to 'Select your email provider' (View Image). Select the Microsoft 365 option.
6. Select 'Work or school account' on the next page (View Image).
7. You will then go through the Microsoft authentication process, and either will be logged in automatically or be asked for further information such as password or MFA code.
8. Once this is done you should then be shown your inbox.

Outlook Settings

1. Click on your profile icon (top left).
2. Click on the cog icon which will displayed towards the bottom of the screen.
3. Setting options will display.
4. If your app is not syncing select Account, select your account and select Reset Account.

Set up your email signature

An email signature in Outlook is a block of text automatically appended to the end of your emails. You can create multiple email signatures in Outlook and choose which one to use when sending an email.

Current signature guidance can be found on page 12 of the email policy for staff.

1. Open Outlook.

2. Click on the 'Settings' cog (top right).

3. Select 'Account'.

4. Select 'Signature'.

5. Click the '+ New Signature'.

6. Enter a 'Signature Name'.

7. Enter your signature details in the text box.

8. Click on 'Save'.

Set up your working hours and location

Setting your working hours and location will help colleagues schedule appointments and contact you at appropriate times.

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on the 'Settings' cog (top right).
3. Select 'Calendar'.
4. Select 'Work hours and location'.
5. Select the checkboxes for the days you work, input your working hours, and choose your work location.
6. Select 'Save'.
7. Close the dialogue box by clicking on the X (top left).

Creating Out of Office Events in Outlook 

An Out of Office event in Outlook is a calendar entry that indicates you’ll be unavailable for work during a specific period. Colleagues will be alerted to this when they try and schedule a meeting with you.

Method 1: Creating a Out of Office Calendar Event

1. Open Outlook.
2. Select 'Calendar' from the navigation bar on the left.
3. Double click in the calendar on the first day of your absence.
4. A 'New Event' Form will display.
5. Type a title in the 'Add a title field'.
6. Toggle on the 'All day' button if required.
7. Select the number of days you will be absent for.
8. On the toolbar at the top, select the drop down arrow under 'Free'.
9. Select 'Out of Office'.
10.  Select 'Save' to finish.

Method 2: Creating an Out of Office Event using your Work location

1. Open Outlook.
2. Select 'Calendar' from the navigation bar on the left.
3. Locate the first day of your absence and click on the work location icon.
4. Select the drop down arrow next to your working location.
5. Select 'Set out of office'.
6. Type in a title in the 'Add a title' field.
7. Select the dates that you will be absent.
8. If you are away for multiple days, ensure the 'All day' button is on.
9. Select 'Save' to finish.

Configure your Notifications

Notifications in Outlook are alerts that inform you about new emails, calendar events, tasks, and other updates. These notifications can appear as pop-ups, sounds, or badges on the Outlook icon, helping you stay informed about important activities and messages. 

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on the 'Settings' cog (top right).
3. Select 'General'.
4. Select 'Notifications' and expand each section to see the various options.
5. Set options as required.
6. Select 'Save' to apply.
7. Close the dialogue box by clicking on the X (top left).

Tip: After making changes to your Outlook settings, it's a good idea to close and reopen the application to ensure the updates take effect properly

Removing the Importance flag in Outlook

When migrating from Gmail to Outlook, you may notice that many of your emails are marked as important (!). This behaviour is due to how Gmail’s Smart Inbox feature works and how the migration tool interprets it.

A rule has been created for you in your Outlook mailbox which you can rum to remove the important tag.

Enabling and running the 'Clear Importance Flag' rule

1. Click the Settings icon in the top-right corner of Outlook.

2. In the settings menu, select Email, then click Rules from the sidebar.

3. Choose Add new rule.

4. Configure the rule settings as follows:
       - Name the rule something identifiable (ex. ImportanceRule).
       - Under Add a condition, select Importance and set it to High.
       - Under Add an action, choose Mark with importance and set it to Normal.
       - Leave other options (ex. Stop processing more rules, Run rule now) unticked for now.

5. Click Save. The rule will be enabled automatically.

6. Next to the newly created rule, click the three dots, and select Run rule now to apply it to existing emails.

7. Once the rule has completed, return to the Rules menu and either disable or delete the rule to prevent it from affecting future incoming emails.

Important Notes:
•    This rule will affect all emails currently in your mailbox when you run it.
•    It will also apply to new incoming emails if the rule is enabled.
•    You can disable the rule anytime by going to Manage Rules & Alerts and unchecking it.

Disabling the rule

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on 'settings' cog in the top right corner.
3. Click on 'Email' the left-hand navigation pane followed by 'Rules'.
4. Find the rule and disable it with the toggle button.

Comparing Inbox Management in Outlook and Gmail

Migrating to Outlook is a great opportunity to rethink how you organise your inbox. While the tools are a bit different from what you're used to in Gmail, Outlook offers powerful features to help you stay on top of your messages.

Gmail

In Gmail, you used labels to organise your emails. You could apply multiple labels to a single message, the email would appear under each of those labels, like placing one document in several folders at once.

Outlook

Outlook uses a combination of folders and categories:

• An email can only be stored in only one folder at a time.
• However, you can apply multiple categories (color-coded tags) to an email, allowing you to group and find messages across different contexts.

Creating folders to organise emails

Folders can be created which will help you organise your emails.

Note: emails can only exist in one folder.

1. Open Outlook.

2. In the Folder pane click on the '...' next to your email address.
3. Select 'Create New folder'.
4. The folder will display, type in a name for the folder and click on the 'tick'.
5. To customise the properties of the folder (adding a colour, renaming, adding to favourites and deleting) select the '... ' at the end of the folder name.

Creating Sub-folders

1. Right click on a Folder and select 'Create new subfolder'.
2. Type in a name for folder and click on the 'tick' to confirm.

Moving emails to a folder

1. Select the email(s) you wish to move by clicking on the selection check box.
2. Right click and select 'Move' and choose the folder you wish to move the email into.

Favouriting a folder

1. Right click the folder you wish to favourite.
2. Select 'Add to Favourites'.
3. The folder will now appear in the Favourites section.

Tips for Organising Your Outlook Folders

• Use Clear and Descriptive Names: Choose names that make it easy to identify the contents of each folder.
• Create a Logical Folder Hierarchy: Organise your folders in a way that makes sense for your specific needs and workflow.
• Set Up Rules for Automatic Sorting: You can create rules to automatically sort incoming emails into specific folders.
• Regularly Review and Declutter: Periodically declutter your folders to maintain organisation and efficiency.

Using Categories to organise emails

You can categorise emails with multiple categories in Outlook, which is the closest feature to Gmail labels. Categories however do not put emails into folders.

Creating Categories 

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on the 'Settings' Cog.
3. Select 'Account' in the left- hand navigation panel.
4. Select 'Categories'.
5. To create a new category click on the blue '+Create New' button.
6. Type in Category name.
7. Click on the 'Star' if you would like the category to appear in the folder pane.
8. Select a 'Colour'.
9. Select 'Save'. 

Managing Categories

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on the 'Settings' Cog.
3. Select 'Account' in the left-hand navigation panel.
4. Select 'Categories'.
5. Your existing categories will be displayed with options after each category name:
   • Star: Click on the star to display in the folder pan
   • Pencil: To rename
   • Bin: To delete

Categorising an email

1. Select email/s in the email list pane.
2. Right click and select 'Categorise'.
3. Select the categories you wish to add to the email/s.  Note there is also an option to create a new category.

Tips for Using Categories

• Clear Categories from an email: Right click on the email select 'Categorise' and select 'Clear All Categories'.
• Searching for a Category: Type the name of the category in the search bar, the category will appear in the results, click on the Category and the emails will display.

Displaying Categories and Moving emails to a Folder

Note: Emails can have multiple categories, but they can only exist in one folder at a time.

Method 1: Using the search bar to display categories

1. In Outlook, click into the Search bar at the top. Type the name of the category you want to find and press Enter.
2. In the search results, look for the category, it will have a label icon next to it.
3. Click on the 'category' result to display all emails tagged with that category.
4. If you would like to move these emails to a folder, tick the select All button at the top of the pane.
5. To move these emails:

• Click Select All at the top of the message list.
• Right-click on any selected email, choose Move, and select the destination folder.

Method 2: Filtering categories 

1. Navigate to the folder you want to filter (e.g., Inbox).
2. At the top of the message list, click the 'Sort by' dropdown and select 'Category'.
3. Outlook will group emails by category. Use the arrows to expand or collapse each category group.
4. To move emails in a specific category:

• Click the first email in the group.
• Hold down Shift and click the last email to select all in that category.
• Right-click the selection, choose Move, and select the folder you want to move them

Creating a Search Folder to display categorised email

Search Folders in Outlook are virtual folders that provide a view of all email items matching specific search criteria. They don’t move or duplicate emails but offer a convenient way to access categorised or filtered messages. The instructions below show to create a Search Folder for categorised emails:

1. Open Outlook mail.
2. In your folder pane, scroll down to Search Folders.
3. Right-click on Search Folders and select 'New Search Folder'.
4. In the 'Select a type' field, select 'Categorised email'.
5. Type in name for the folder in the 'Search folder name'.
6. Add the categories that you would like to display in this folder.
7. Select the 'Create' button.
8. The Search folder will have been created under the 'Search folder'.
9. To favourite the Search folder, right click on the Search Folder and select Add to Favourites.

Sort, filter and search for emails

Sorting and filtering emails in Outlook can help you manage your inbox more efficiently.

• Sorting changes the order of all emails in your inbox based on the selected criteria
• Filtering displays only the emails that match the specified criteria, hiding the rest

Sorting email

1. Click on the 'Sorted' icon (up and down arrow) at the top of the message panel.
2. Select a criteria to sort the email by, you can also select Oldest or Newest on top.

Filtering email

1. Click on the 'Filter' Icon at the top of the message panel.
2. Select a Filter option.
3. The 'Filter' Icon will change indicating that the filter is on, to turn off click on the 'filter' button.

Searching for email

1. Type a keyword into the Search bar.
2. Select the 'Email' Tab.
3. Select Enter on the keyboard to view all results.
4. To remove the search click on the 'Exit Search arrow' in the search bar.
5. You can also use search terms in the search bar:

• To: Searches the recipient's field e.g., To: JaneDoe
• Subject: Searches the subject line e.g., Subject: report
• Body: Searches the email body e.g., Body: project
• HasAttachment: Filters emails with attachments e.g., HasAttachment: Yes
• From: Searches the sender's field e.g., From: JohnDoe

Searching for a Category

1. Type the name of the category in the search bar and press enter on your keyboard.
2. The category will display with label icon next to it.
3. Click on the category to display the emails assigned to it.

Specifying which folder to search for in Outlook

By default when you search using the Search bar, Outlook will search all folders .

If you select the dropdown arrow you can limit the search to a particular folder (note the dropdown will show all the folders you have created but not sub-folders).

'Safe Sender' and 'You don't often get email' alerts

Outlook has AI embedded that will alert you if you don't normally get mail from someone so that you can then take more time to assess that email in case it is a phishing email.  

Once you receive a few emails from that address then the message will disappear.

If the email is from an external account you will see this prompt when you open the email

Select Trust Sender to view the email.  The email will then be placed in your Trusted Sender list which is available by selecting Settings (cog), select Email and then Junk Mail. 

Sharing Emails to Teams from Outlook

The Share to Teams feature in Outlook allows you to send emails and attachments directly into a Teams chat or channel. It’s a useful way to bring relevant information, such as student queries, meeting notes, or shared documents into ongoing discussions with colleagues or course teams, without needing to forward emails or switch between apps.

1. In Outlook, open the email you want to share.

2. Click the Share email using Teams button.

3. Choose the person, group chat, or channel you want to share it with.

4. Add a message if needed, then click Share.

This sends the email content and any attachments into the selected Teams conversation, helping keep discussions and context in one place.

Read Emails Appearing as Unread After being Moved

If you open an email and move it to a new location, such as a folder, before it has been marked as read, Outlook will continue to display it as unread in the folder. This can lead to confusion about how many unread or outstanding emails you actually have.

To prevent this, you can change when Outlook marks emails as read in the Reading Pane.

1. Select the Settings icon in the top-right corner.

2. Click Email, then select Message handling from the left-hand menu.

3. Under Mark as read, choose one of the following:

   • Mark displayed items as read as soon as they're selected (recommended if you want emails marked read instantly)

   • Or choose another option, like after 5 seconds or when the selection changes

   • (Optional) Untick Always keep items unread unless I explicitly mark them as read if it’s enabled.

Bulk Moving Emails

If you want to organise your inbox, you can move large numbers of emails to another folder using either manual selection or a rule.

1. Open your Inbox in Outlook.

2. Tick the checkbox beside the first email in the list.

3. Scroll down, hold Shift, and tick the checkbox beside the last email you want to select. This will check all emails between the first and last selection.

4. Click Move to in the top toolbar, or from the right selection options. Choose Move, then select your folder.

Understanding Email Conversations: Outlook vs. Gmail

When moving from Google Gmail to Microsoft Outlook, one of the biggest differences you’ll notice is how email conversations (threads) are handled.

How Gmail Handles Conversations

• Gmail uses Conversation View by default.
• All replies in the same email thread are grouped together as one conversation.
• If you move or label the conversation, the entire thread moves together.
• You cannot separate individual emails from the thread.

How Outlook Handles Conversations

• Outlook can display emails in a Conversation View, but each email is still an individual item in your mailbox.
• This means:
  • You can move, categorise, or delete individual emails from a conversation without affecting the others.
  • If you drag one email from a thread into a folder, only that email moves, not the entire conversation.
• Outlook’s Conversation View is optional. If turned off, emails appear in chronological order as separate items.

What This Means for You

If you’re used to Gmail, you might expect the whole thread to move when you file an email. In Outlook, you need to move each email you want to keep together.

To keep conversations organized:

• Use folders or categories in Outlook.
• Consider enabling Conversation View in Outlook for a similar experience to Gmail (but remember, the underlying behaviour is still different).

Tip

If you want to keep related emails together, move all relevant emails from the conversation into the same folder. Outlook does not automatically keep them grouped when you move just one.

How Retention Labels Work

This guide explains how retention labels work in Microsoft Outlook to help you manage unwanted mail and keep your mailbox organised.

How Retention Labels Work

Retention labels in Outlook operate through a periodic activity that runs at a fixed time each week. This activity is a batch process that checks whether items with a retention label have reached the end of their retention period and removes the item if it has.

Retention Process Example

To illustrate how this works, let's consider an example where the batch process runs on a Thursday (note that actual dates may vary):

1. An email arrives to your inbox on Monday (Day 1).
2. You assign a 1-week retention label on Tuesday (Day 2).
3. The batch process runs on Thursday (Day 4).
4. The email remains where it is because it does not yet meet the retention label criteria for removal.
5. The email is 7 days old on the following Monday (Day 8).
6. The email is removed according to the retention label rules when the batch process runs on Thursday because it is then 7+ days old and now meets the criteria of the retention label (Day 11).

Summary of what to expect:

If an item has not yet reached the prescribed wait time, it will be skipped until the next run. This can result in items remaining in your mailbox a little longer than expected, especially for the 1-week label.

Default inbox Layout

When you first open Outlook, the default layout may show only the list of emails without a reading pane, where the message content is displayed alongside the inbox. You can enable the Reading Pane so you can preview emails without opening them in a new window.  

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on the 'Settings' Cog.
3. The Settings screen will display, select 'Email'. 
4. Select 'Layout' and scroll down to 'Reading pane' section.
5. Choose one of the following options: 
   • Right – shows the email content on the right side of the list.  
   • Bottom – shows the content below the list.
   • Off – hides the reading pane (default in some setups).
6. Select 'Save' to apply the settings.

Composing and Replying to email: Undo send

1. Select 'Settings' Cog which can be found in the top right corner.
2. The Settings screen will display select 'Email'.
3. Select 'Compose and reply'.
4. Scroll down to 'Undo Send'.
5. Use the slider to specify the amount of time you have to recall the email.
6. Select 'Save' to apply.

Dark Mode

1. Select 'Settings' Cog which can be found in the top right corner.
2. The Settings screen will display, select 'General'.
3. Select 'Appearance'.
4.  Select 'Dark Mode'.
5. Select 'Save' to apply.

Outlook offers two toolbar display options, Classic and Simplified allowing you to choose the layout that best suits your working style.

• The Classic Ribbon displays a full set of commands across multiple tabs.
• The Simplified Ribbon offers a cleaner, more streamlined layout with fewer visible options to reduce clutter and focus on key tool.

1. Open Outlook.
2. Locate the dropdown arrow at the far right end of the Ribbon (shown in the image below).
3. Click the arrow and choose between 'Classic ribbon' or 'Simplified Ribbon'.

In Microsoft Outlook, emails become minimised into tabs at the bottom of the window when you open multiple messages or items (like emails, calendar events, or tasks) in separate windows. This feature has been designed to reduce window clutter and make multitasking within Outlook more manageable.

1.  Double-click to open an email in your inbox, the email will display in it's own window,  the email will become minimised if you view another item in Outlook.
2. To view a minimised item hover over the outlook icon, thumbnails will display of open items, click on a thumbnail to open the item.
3. Right-click a tab and select close or use the “X” on the tab itself.

Any meetings you previously declined in your Google calendar will not appear in your Outlook calendar after the move. This is expected behaviour and not a fault with the migration.  In Outlook you can specify if you want to see declined events in your calendar by following the steps below:

1. Click on Settings cog in the top right corner.
2. Select 'Calendar'.
3. Select 'Events and Invitations'.
4. Scroll down and select the 'Show declined events on your calendar' checkbox.
5. Select 'Save' to apply.

In Outlook, an event is a calendar entry used to block out time for activities such as meetings, appointments, or focused work. Events help you manage your schedule and coordinate with others by reserving time and sharing availability.

These instructions will guide you through the process of creating a new event in Outlook, including how to fill out the event details, use the scheduling tools, and customise event settings to suit your needs.

This will start by completing the Event Options section, followed by an overview of the Event Toolbar and the Scheduling Assistant, a powerful feature that helps you find the best time for your attendee.

Creating a new Event

1. Open Outlook.
2. In the App pane select Calendar.
3. Double click in the calendar on the day and at the approximate time for the event.
4. A 'New event' form will display, if a smaller pop-up form appears select 'More options' to display the 'New Event Form'.

Event Options

1. Select the Calendar you wish to put the event in. 
2. Type a Title for the meeting.
3. Toggle the 'Teams Meeting' button if required.
4. In the 'Invite attendees' field add the email addresses of attendees.
5. Click on 'Optional' to invite optional attendees.
6.  Enter the time and date for the meeting.
7.  If the meeting is recurring select 'Make recurring' and enter details.
8.  Toggle the 'All Day 'button if required.
9.  Enter a 'Room or location' if required. Please the 'Outlook Room Booking' section in this article for more information. 
10.  Toggle the 'In-person' button if required.
11.  Type in a message if required.

Event Toolbar

The Event Toolbar at the top also displays options:

1. Response Options: Allow you control Request responses, Allow forwarding,  Forwarding and Hide attendee list.
2. Busy: How that time is shown in your calendar. 
3. Notifications: Managing notifications for this event.
4. Categorise: Apply a category to the meeting.
5. Private: Allows you to set the meeting as private.
6. Scheduling Poll: Creates an email requesting people to vote on the best time for an event.

Scheduling Assistant

The Scheduling Assistant in Outlook is a powerful tool designed to help you find the best time for meetings by checking the availability of all attendees.

1. When creating an Event select the 'Scheduling Assistant' tab.
2. The Scheduling Assistant will display a grid showing the availability of all attendees. 
3. Adjust the meeting time by dragging the vertical bars to a slot where all attendees are available. 

Send the Event

1. Click on 'Send' to send the invite.

To ensure attendees can easily join the meeting via a calendar "Join" button, follow these steps:

1. Open the meeting in Outlook Calendar.
2. Click 'Edit' to modify the meeting details.
3. Remove any existing meeting links from the body of the invite.
4. Toggle the 'Teams Meeting' switch to On.
5. Click 'Send' to update the invitation

Sharing your Calendar

If you had shared your calendar in google with a colleague you will need to reshare once the recipient has been migrated to Outlook. For more instructions see the 'Sharing your Calendar' section in this article.

Colour Coded Google Calendar Events

If you used colour-coded events in your Google Calendar, it’s important to know that these do not automatically transfer to Outlook during migration. You will need to recreate the colours using categories in Outlook and manually apply to your existing events in  Outlook calendar. For instructions see the 'How to create an event' and 'Using Categories' sections in this article. 

Focus Time

If you have created Google calendar Focus Time events these will not be migrated to Outlook.  You will need to recreate these events using in calendar, selecting Busy to indicate that you are not available at this time.

The project team are working to make the migration of email from Google into Outlook as seamless as possible.  As the project progresses some of the information below may not be relevant.

Migrated emails marked as Important in Outlook

1. Click on Settings (cog) this can be found in the top-right of the screen.
2. Select Email from the left-hand menu.
3. Select Rules.
4. Select 'Add new rule'.
5. A form will open with 3 identified steps:

Step 1:Name your rule

Enter a meaningful name for the rule in the 'Name your rule' text box.

Step  2: Add a condition

1. Expand the 'Select a condition' dropdown box , in the 'Marked with' section, select 'Importance'.
2. A second dropdown box will display, select 'High' from the dropdown list.

Step 3: Add an Action

1. Expand the 'Select an action' dropdown box , in the 'Mark message'  section, select 'Mark with importance'.
2. A second dropdown box will display, select 'Normal' from the dropdown.

To Run the Rule

1. Select the 'Run Rule' now tick box.

2. Select 'Save'.

Delete the Rule after use

1. Click on Settings (cog) this can be found in the top-right of the screen.
2. Select Email from the left-hand menu.
3. Select Rules.
4. Click on the '...' next to the rule you created and select 'Delete rule'.

Migrated emails showing the Flagged Icon

Emails that have been migrated may appear with a red flag icon, indicating they are marked for follow-up. To remove the flag, please follow the steps outlined below:

1. At the top of your inbox select click on the 'filter' icon.
2. Select 'Flagged' from the dropdown list.
3. Select the first email (hover over the email and tick the checkbox).
4. A 'Select All' checkbox will appear at the top of the inbox (checkbox with small square inside), select this.
5. On your Home ribbon select Flag.
6. The flags should disappear.

Follow these instructions to view your CMISGo calendar in Outlook:

1. You will find a link to your Timetable on the myport Homepage 
2. Select My Timetable.
3. Select the Administration dropdown menu (top right)  and select My Mobile option.
4. The Mobile dialogue box will open. Select the Create link button, if you have previously created a link the button will say change link. 
5. Highlight the personalised timetable URL and copy it to the clipboard. The easiest way to do this is to select Ctr+C and then select OK.
6. Open your Outlook calendar. 
7. Select Add Calendar and then subscribe from Web. 
8. Paste the URL and give the calendar a name. 
9. Select the Import button. 
10. Your timetable will appear under Other calendars. You may need to refresh you screen.

In Microsoft 365 there are two ways to let others access your Outlook mailbox: delegation and sharing. They are often confused but work differently:

• Delegation: Lets someone send emails on your behalf or as you. This can only be set up by an Exchange administrator.

• Sharing: Lets someone view or manage your mailbox or calendar. Any emails they send will come from their own account. You can set this up yourself.

If you want to give someone access to your entire mailbox (not just one folder like your Inbox), you’ll need to share at the mailbox level.

1. In Outlook, hover over your account (your email address).

2. Select the More Options (three dots) to the right.

3. Choose Sharing and Permissions.

4. In the form that appears, use the Add permissions (+) button to select the person you want to share with.

5. From the Permission Level dropdown, choose Publishing Editor.

6. Select OK to apply the permission.

Tip: The same process can also be done on individual folders if you only want to share part of your mailbox.

Sometimes you may only want to share a specific folder inside a shared mailbox (for example, a sub-folder of the Inbox) rather than giving access to the entire mailbox. This allows another person to view and manage just that folder without exposing all of the mailbox content.

1. In Outlook, locate the shared mailbox and hover over the folder you want to share.

2. Select the More Options (three dots) to the right.

3. Choose Sharing and Permissions.

4. In the form that appears, select the Add permissions (+) button to choose the person you want to share with.

5. From the Permission Level dropdown, select the level of access required (for example, Publishing Editor).

6. Select OK to apply the permission.

A shared mailbox in Outlook is an email inbox that multiple people can access and use together (ex. info@port.ac.uk). When you have access to a shared mailbox, you also get access to its shared calendar.

A shared calendar works just like a personal Outlook calendar, but it’s linked to the shared mailbox. Depending on the permissions you’ve been given, you can view, add, or edit events. This makes it easier to:

• Book meetings or appointments for a team or department

• Keep track of events in one central place

• Avoid double bookings by seeing everyone’s shared schedule

Any changes made to the shared calendar (such as adding a meeting) are visible to everyone who has access, helping teams stay organised without endless back-and-forth emails.

How to add a shared calendar from a shared mailbox

1. Open Outlook.

2. In the left-hand pane, right-click your account name (email address).

3. Select Add shared folder or mailbox.

4. Enter the email address of the shared mailbox (ex. team@port.ac.uk) and click Continue.

5. Restart Outlook when prompted.

6. In Outlook, go to the Calendar view (calendar icon, top left).

7. Scroll down the list of calendars and you’ll see the calendar linked to the shared mailbox.

A distribution list is a centrally managed group email address (ex. teamname@port.ac.uk) that lets you send one email to many people at once. They are best for announcements or one-way communication.

Distribution lists are different from contact lists, which are personal and only visible to you. See the Contact Lists section for more details.

How to request a Distribution List

1. Raise a request with IS Service Desk.

2. Provide the group name you want (ex. marketing@port.ac.uk).

3. Include the list of members to be added.

4. IS will create the distribution list and confirm when it is ready to use.

Sending an email to a Distribution List

1. Open Outlook and create a new email.

2. In the To field, type the name of the distribution list.

3. Select the list from the suggestions that appear.

4. Compose your message and click Send. Your email will go to everyone in the list.

A contact list is a personal group of email addresses that only you can use. It lets you send one email to several people without typing each address individually.

Contact lists are different from distribution lists, which are centrally managed and can be used by others. See the Distribution Lists section for more details.

Creating a Contact List

1. On the App pane select People.
2. Select the dropdown arrow next to 'New Contact' top left.
3. Select New contact list.
4. Type in a name for the list.
5. Add at least one email address, select Add to enter additional accounts.
6. Add an optional description.
7. Select 'Create.

Sending an email to a Contact List

1. Create a new email.
2. In the To field type in the name of the Contact List.

Managing people in a Contact List

1. On the app pane select People.
2. Select your Contact lists.
3. Select the list you wish to edit.
4. Select Edit to remove or add people to the Contact list.
5. Click on Save.

Adding a Shared Mailbox

After migration, shared mailboxes will not appear automatically in Outlook. To access the mailbox and its calendar, you’ll need to add it manually. This ensures you can view emails, folders, and calendar events linked to the shared account directly from your Outlook view.

1. Right-click your account name (ex. your email address) in the left pane of Outlook.

2. Select Add shared folder or mailbox from the menu.

   

3. In the pop-up window, type the name or email address of the shared mailbox (you must have permission to access it).

4. Click Continue.

5. The mailbox will appear in your folder list, and any shared calendars linked to it will also become accessible under Calendar.

The instructions below are the Desktop version of Outlook.

In Google, you may have had access to a shared (delegate) inbox. The project team will gather details of these accounts prior to your migration to Outlook. Once both your individual account and the shared mailbox have been migrated, adding it in Outlook is a straightforward process.

Note: In some cases, the shared mailbox may appear automatically in Outlook. If this happens, no further action is required.

1. Select 'Add shared folder or mailbox'.
2. A form will display type in the email address for the inbox.
3. Click on 'Add'.
4. The email account will be available under 'Shared with me'.

Instructions for Outlook in the Web

1. Open a browser (we recommend Microsoft Edge).
2. Navigate to Office.com and log in with your University email and password.
3. The Copilot landing page will open, select 'Apps@ in the left-hand navigation panel.
4. Select the 'Outlook' tile.
5. Outlook will open.
6. Locate your email address in the folder pane and select the '...' at the end of the address.
7. Select 'Add shared folder or mailbox'
8. A form will display type in the email address for the inbox.
9. Click on 'Add'.
10. The email account will be available from your folder pane.

A shared mailbox allows multiple users to read and send emails from a common email address, making it ideal for team collaboration.

Accessing the Shared Mailbox

1. Open Outlook
2. Locate the shared inbox, it will be in your 'Shared with me' folder under your work email address.
3. Click on the 'expander arrow' to show all the folders in the shared mailbox.
4. Click on the 'Inbox' to display the emails.

Sending an email from a Shared Inbox

1. Open the shared email inbox.
2. Select 'New' top left of the Home ribbon.
3. Compose the email as normal
4. Select the email account you wish to send the email from from the dropdown list next to the 'Send' button.  

Note: If you do not see a dropdown list select the 'Options Ribbon' and select 'From' to enable the functionality.

Using Categories on a Shared inbox

1. Hover over the email, right-click and select 'Categorise', choose a category or select 'New category' to add a new category.

Note: this will show the categories you have created for the shared inbox and not the categories you have set up for your work email.

Tips:

• Always send replies from the shared mailbox, not your personal account.
• Use categories or initials to indicate who is handling a message.
• Regularly check the mailbox to ensure timely responses. 

1. Sign in to your primary account in Outlook for iOS or Android.

2. Open Settings (on iOS click the home button top left of the device and select the settings cog).

3. Select Accounts.

4. Tap the Add Account button in the left navigation pane, then tap Add a Shared Mailbox. 

5. Select Shared Mailbox.

6. Type in the name of the shared email.

7. Select Add Shared Mailbox.

8. The email account will be available for you to select from the Home screen

Microsoft instructions for this can be located here.

Working with Shared email accounts

Shared email accounts are known as delegate email accounts in Google.

Viewing emails in a shared email account

1. Shared email accounts will display in the folder pane (towards the bottom).
2. Click on the expander arrow to fully display.
3. Select the inbox this will display the emails.

Send an email from a shared email account

1. Select the shared email account (instructions above).
2. In the Home Tab select 'New Message'.
3. Type the email.
4. In the 'Options' ribbon tick the 'Show From' box.
5. A drop down menu will display next to the 'Send 'button, select the appropriate email address.
6. Click on Send.

Creating and sharing a new calendar

Creating a calendar

1. Open Outlook and select 'Calendar' in the App Pane.
2. Select 'Add Calendar' (under the mini calendar).
3. A pop screen will display select 'Create Blank Calendar'.
4. Add a 'Calendar Name'.
5. Select a 'Colour'.
6. Select a 'Charm'.
7. From the dropdown menu either Select Add to My Calendars / Others calendars / People's calendars.
8. Select 'Save'.

To Share a Calendar

1. Click on the '...' next to a calendar name and select 'Sharing and permissions'.
2. Enter the email address of the person you wish to share the calendar with.
3. Select the permission level from the dropdown menu.
4. Select 'Share'.
5. The recipient will receive an email inviting them to accept the shared calendar.
6. The calendar will be available in Calendar under 'People's Calendar'.

Sharing your personal work calendar

By default, your Outlook calendar will show the time, subject and location details of appointments to colleagues; however, you can mark individual appointments as private if they need to be. Sensitive teams and roles (HR, Student Services, Corporate Governance and Directors) will only show availability, not subject or location details of appointments.

To share a calendar with a colleague follow the instructions below:

1. Open Outlook.
2. Select 'Calendar'.
3. Select the '... 'next to your calendar.
4. Select the 'Sharing and Permissions'.
5. A form will display, type the email of the person you wish to share your calendar with.
6. From the drop down menu select the level of permission you wish to grant the person you are sharing your calendar with.
7. Select 'Share'.
8. The recipient will receive an email informing them that you want to share your calendar, they will need to click on Accept to access your calendar.
9. The calendar will display under 'People's Calendar'.

Composing and sending emails

Drafting and sending an email in Outlook is simple and efficient. Additionally, Outlook offers enhanced formatting options, including the ability to insert tables and check accessibility.

1. Open Outlook
2. Select the 'Home 'ribbon is selected.
3. Click the blue 'New Email' button (top left)
4. Complete the To, Cc (optional), and Subject fields.
5. Compose Your Message: Type your message in the main body area.
6. Select the 'Format Text ribbon to format your text (bold, italic, underline, etc.).
7. Select the 'Insert ribbon' to attach files and add links.
8. Select the 'Message' ribbon, click on 'Editor; to check spelling and grammar.
9. Click the 'Send' button.

Note: If you cannot see all the options mentioned above, click on the ... at the end of the ribbon.

Replying to emails 

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on the email you want to reply to.
3. Click on the Reply button at the top of the email or the Reply to message arrow on the Home ribbon.
4. To reply to all click on the Reply All button at the top of the email or the Reply to arrow on the Home ribbon.
5. Compose your reply.
6. Click the Send button.

Report emails as phishing & junk

Phishing emails

• What they are: These are fraudulent messages designed to trick you into giving away sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, personal or work details details.
• How they look: They often pretend to be from trusted sources (like banks, delivery services, or even your company) and may include urgent language like “Your account will be locked!” or “Click here to verify

Junk email

• What they are: These are unwanted or spam messages, usually promotional or irrelevant to you. They’re not necessarily dangerous, but they clutter your inbox.
• How they look: They might be ads, newsletters you didn’t sign up for, or repetitive marketing emails.

1. Open Outlook.
2. Right-click on the email.
3. Select the 'Report' (shied with an exclamation mark).
4. Select either:

• 'Report junk' - the email will be removed and placed in the Junk email folder.
• 'Report phishing' - the email will be moved to your Deleted items folder

Please note: There is no way to customise the order the options are displayed in Outlook.

Snooze an email to reappear later

Snoozing an email in Outlook is a feature that allows you to temporarily remove an email from your inbox and have it reappear at a later time. This can be particularly useful for managing emails that you want to address later without cluttering your inbox.

Method 1

1. Right click on the email and select 'Snooze'.
2. Select an appropriate option.

Method 2

1. Open the email.
2. Ensure the 'Home Ribbon' is selected and click on the 'Snooze' icon (clock symbol).
3. Select an appropriate option.

Note: The Snoozed email will be stored in a Snoozed folder that appears above your inbox.

Sort filter and search for emails

Sorting and filtering emails in Outlook can help you manage your inbox more efficiently.

• Sorting changes the order of all emails in your inbox based on the selected criteria
• Filtering displays only the emails that match the specified criteria, hiding the rest

Sorting email

1. Click on the 'Sorted' icon (up and down arrow) at the top of the message panel.
2. Select a criteria to sort the email by, you can also select Oldest or Newest on top.

Filtering email

1. Click on the 'Filter' Icon at the top of the message panel.
2. Select a Filter option.
3. The 'Filter' Icon will change indicating that the filter is on, to turn off click on the 'filter' button.

Searching for email

1. Type a keyword into the Search bar.
2. Select the 'Email' Tab.
3. Select Enter on the keyboard to view all results.
4. To remove the search click on the 'Exit Search arrow' in the search bar.
5. You can also use search terms in the search bar:

• To: Searches the recipient's field e.g., To: JaneDoe
• Subject: Searches the subject line e.g., Subject: report
• Body: Searches the email body e.g., Body: project
• HasAttachment: Filters emails with attachments e.g., HasAttachment:yes
• From: Searches the sender's field e.g., From: JohnDoe
   

Flagging emails that require action

Flagging emails identifies emails that are important or that need follow up actions by a date.

Flagging an email

1. Hover over the email in the message list pane.
2. Select the 'Flag' icon.
3. To mark the email as complete click on the 'Flag' icon. A tick will display indicating that the flag has been completed.
4. Flagged emails also appear in Microsoft To do in Flagged email.

Flagging an email with a due date

1. Open the email.
2. Select the 'Home' Tab.
3. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the 'Flag' and choose a date option.
4. To mark the email as complete click on the 'Flag' icon a tick will display indicating that the flag has been completed.
5. Flagged emails also appear in Microsoft To Do in Flagged email, a flag that is due today will also appear in My Day.

Viewing all Flagged email

Option 1 using a filter in Outlook:

1. Click on the 'filter 'button at the top of the email list pane.
2.  Select 'Flagged'.

Option 2 viewing in Microsoft To do:

1. In the navigation pane select 'To do'.
2. Select 'Flagged emai'l.

Removing a Flag

1. Hover over the email in the email list pane.
2. Right click on the 'Flag' and select 'Clear'.

Creating a Microsoft To Do task from an email

1. Click on an email to open it.
2. Open To do by clicking on the 'To Do' icon top right (near the settings cog).
3. Click on the 'To Do' tab.
4. Click and drag the email to the 'To Do' tab.
5. Drop it in the 'Add as a Task Section'.

Using Sweep to manage your inbox

The Sweep feature in Outlook is a tool designed to help you quickly manage and organise your inbox by automatically handling emails from specific senders. It provides several options for dealing with unwanted or less important emails, making it easier to keep your inbox clutter-free.

1. Select an email message from the sender whose messages you want to manage.
2. Ensure the 'Home' ribbon is selected and select 'Sweep'.
3. The Sweep settings screen will open.
4. Select an appropriate option.
5. Choose an appropriate folder in the 'Move To' field.
6. Select 'OK'.

Pinning emails for quick access

A pinned email is a message that has been marked to stay at the top of your inbox or folder for easy access. Pinning is typically used to highlight important emails that you want to keep visible, such as reminders, key information, or ongoing conversations. Unlike regular emails that move down as new messages arrive, pinned emails remain fixed in place until you choose to unpin them.

1. Hover over the email in the email list.
2. Select the 'Pin' Icon.
3. To unpin click the 'Pin' icon again.

Schedule an email to be sent in the future

Scheduling an email to be sent later in Outlook is a handy feature that allows you to compose your message now and have it sent at a specific time in the future.

1. Compose an email.
2. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the 'Send' button.
3. Select 'Schedule Send'.
4. Select 'Customised Time'.
5. Enter a date and time.
6. Select 'Send'.
7. Scheduled emails will appear in 'Draft' folder until they are sent.

Settings in Outlook Web and the Desktop App

Some settings in Outlook on the Web (OWA) do not to apply to the Outlook desktop app, and vice versa. We recommend you either allocate some time to set both desktop app and outlook on the web to fit your needs as soon as you migrate, or you initially set the version you’re likely to use the most. 

What Syncs Across Both 

• Mailbox rules 
• Automatic replies (Out of Office) 
• Folder structure and email content 
• Categories (if using Microsoft 365) 
• Signatures (if using the new unified signature feature) 

What Stays Local (Desktop Only) 

• Reading pane layout 
• Message preview lines 
• Notification settings 
• Custom views and conditional formatting 
• Add-ins installed locally 

 What Stays Web-Only 

• Web-specific themes and appearance 
• Focused Inbox toggle (can be different per client) 
• Some calendar and notification settings 
• Quick actions (like swipe gestures on mobile) 

Set up Automatic Replies and Out of Office notifications

The Out of Office feature in Outlook allows you to set an automatic reply to incoming emails when you are unavailable, such as when you are on leave, sick leave, or attending a conference.

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on the 'Settings' cog (top right).
3. Select 'Account'.
4. Select 'Automatic Replies'.
5. Toggle on 'Turn on Automatic replies'.
6. Select 'Send replies only during a time period'.
7. Set the Start and End dates and times.
8. Three options will display
   • Block my calendar for this period: Select this and a text box will display where you can type a title.  Selecting this option will make you unavailable in your calendar
   •  Automatically decline new invitations for events that occur during this period
   •  Decline and Cancel meetings during this period.  If you select this option your meetings  that have been arranged will  display.  All the meetings will be selected and will be deleted from your calendar,  If you want an event to remain remove the tick to deselect.
9. Add a message in the text box.
10.  You also have the option to send replies outside of your organisation, if you select this a second text box will become active where you can type your message
11.  Click on 'Save'.

Using Templates for email

In Outlook you have the option to create and use email templates.

Method 1: Using My Templates

1. To do this, start by composing a new email.
2. On the 'Insert' ribbon, select 'Apps', followed by 'My Templates'.
3. A panel will appear, allowing you to create and insert basic templates for future use. Note: this feature has a size limitation of 32KB. 

Method 2: Using your Draft Folder

As an alternative, you can compose your email and save it in your Drafts folder. To do this,

1. Create your email.
2. On the 'Options' ribbon, select 'Save Draft'.
3. You can then access the email from your 'Draft' folder.

Adding an Out of Office message to a shared email account

1. Open a web browser and navigate to Office.com and sign in with your credentials if prompted.
2. The CoPilot Home screen will display, in the left-hand navigation panels select 'Apps' and select 'Outlook'.
3. Select your 'name profile disc' (top right) and select 'Open another mailbox'.
4. A dialogue box will display, type the name of the email account and select 'Open'.
5. The email account will open.
6. Click on 'Settings'  (cog).
7. The next step is to check that your email account has the correct time zone. Select 'Calendar' from the left-hand menu and then 'View'.
8. Please check that your time zone is correct - its should display Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London.  If this is not correct type 'London' into the field and it will bring up the correct time zone.  Then click on 'Update'. 
9. Select 'Account' from the left-hand menu and 'Automatic Replies' and set up as required.

Quarantined emails in Outlook

Quarantined emails are messages that Microsoft’s security systems have flagged as potentially harmful or suspicious. Instead of delivering them to your inbox, Outlook places these emails in a secure quarantine area to protect you from threats like phishing, malware, or spam.

Below is a screenshot of how quarantined messages will be shown in your inbox.

If you take no action the emails will be deleted after 15 days.

Message Options:

1. Select the Review Message button this will open the Security portal.
2. Your quarantined emails will be displayed in a list.
3. Select an email by clicking in the checkbox next to it, you then have options across the top of the screen including, Release, Delete Message and Preview Message.

Warning: Only release messages if you are completely sure they are from a reliable source.

Image from Microsoft Quick Guides

Monitoring the attendance of an Event

1. Double click the event in Outlook.
2. The tracking panel will display on the right which will display who has accepted or not.

Editing an Event

1. Double click the event to open it.
2. Click on the 'Edit', top left button and make changes.
3. Click on 'Send'.

Team Meeting Options

When creating meetings in Outlook, the creator has the option to make the meeting a Microsoft Teams Meeting. The following options are available for Team meetings:

1. Open the meeting in your Outlook calendar.
2. Scroll down to the link 'For organisers: Meet options', open the link.
3. A new tab will open where you can select meeting options. Note some options may be locked by admin.

Meeting Access

Roles

Production Tools

Participation

Recording and Transcription

Copilot and other AI

Accessibility

Information taken from Microsoft support

Creating a Personal Booking Page

Outlook’s Personal Booking Page is a convenient and professional way to manage appointments and meetings. It allows others to view your availability and book time with you directly, without the need for back-and-forth emails. Whether you're scheduling one-on-one meetings, consultations, or catch-ups, your booking page streamlines the process by syncing with your Outlook calendar in real time.

1. Log into Office.com and open calendar. (Booking Page is not available in the desktop version of Outlook)
2. Click on 'Go to my booking page' which you will find under the mini calendar.
3. Your personal booking page will display (note shared booking pages are not available at this time).
4. Select '+Create Meeting Type'.
5. Type in a 'Title'  such as 1:1 meetings.
6. Add a 'Category' if required from the dropdown menu.
7. Add a messages in the 'Book time with me' field.
8. Toggle on the 'Teams meeting'.
9. Select the length of meetings.
10.  Select the type of meeting, 'Private' or 'Public'.
11.  Select 'Use Customised Availability Hours'.
12.  Tick 'Only during the following date range'.
13.  Customise the Bookable times (delete and add time slots as required, you can add multiple time slots for a day). 
14.  Show 'Advanced Items' and select as appropriate. 
15.  Select 'Save'. 
16.  Click on 'Share a copy the code' to send to people. 
17.  You will receive an email alerting of a booking – it will also appear in your calendar.

Outlook Room Bookings

Please note that as from the 17 June 2025 the following rooms are bookable from Outlook:

• Room 1.27
•  Huddle Rooms 1.24, 1.25, 1.28, 2.33 & 2.34

Note: These rooms are no longer bookable in Google.

If you are member of Science and Health and wish to book Room 1.27 please email Mollie Wingham and she will make the booking on your behalf.

All other rooms in St Andrews Court  (including the Video Conf Suite Unit 1 Floor 0 Room 30, and  the SAC Zoom Room Unit 5 Floor 0) remain in Google and will be bookable via Google as before.

Viewing Free/ Busy Information

Checking colleagues availability will depend if they have moved to Outlook or still on Google. 

• For colleagues who have already migrated to Outlook, you can view their free/busy availability directly using the Scheduling Assistant in Outlook. See guidance in the 'Create an Event' section in this article.
• For colleagues still using Google Calendar, you will need to to log into Google Calendar and check their availability.

1. Open your Google Calendar. 
2. If you do not have your colleagues calendar already displayed, type their name 'Search for people field' under the mini calendar on the left. 
3. Their calendar will displayed. 
4. Once you’ve identified a suitable time, return to Outlook to create and send the meeting invite. 

Once all users are fully migrated to Outlook, this workaround will no longer be necessary—free/busy visibility will work seamlessly across the organisation. 

Adding a Zoom link to a Calendar Invite

1. Open Outlook and select the Calendar Icon in the left-hand menu.
2. Double click in the calendar to create an event.
3. Fill in the fields (Title, attendees, date and time etc).
4. Ensure the Teams Meeting toggle button remains off.
5. Paste the Zoom meeting link into the 'Type / to insert files and more' area which will be at the bottom of the screen.
6. Send the meeting request.

By default, calendar events will be visible* to University staff to encourage collaboration and simplify scheduling. Staff however can make an event private by following these instructions.

*Please note there will be some exceptions to this default setting

1. In the calendar of new Outlook, double-click to edit the event that you organised and want to make private.
2. On the 'Event' tab, select 'Private'.
3. Save the appointment or send the meeting update. The details will be visible to only you and the meeting attendees. In calendar view, a lock symbol appears on the event to indicate it is private.