Manage Incoming E-Mail

 

Receive Mail

Set Up E-Mail Accounts

With Outlook, you can access multiple e-mail accounts, including Microsoft Exchange Server, P0P3, IMAP, HTTP, and other server-type e-mail accounts. To add a new e-mail account:

• Click Tools ► E-Mail Accounts and then choose Add a New E-mail Account. You will need the user name and password for the account and other information about the server. For example, for a P0P3 account, you need the Incoming Mail Server (P0P3) and the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) names.

• Follow the steps of the Wizard to add the new account. When you have entered all the required information, click Test Account Settings to verify that everything is set up correctly.

• If the server requires authentication, or if you want to set other server or connection settings, click More Settings to open the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box.

Set Flags and Reminders

To set a flag on an e-mail message, click the flag to the right of the message in the Inbox.

• To change the color of a flag, right-click and select a different flag from the shortcut menu.

• To set a reminder, right-click the flag and select Add Reminder. Enter the reminder options in the Flag for Follow-up dialog box.

Apply Colors

You can make messages from or to specific people automatically stand out in your Inbox by assigning colors to them. To create a color rule:

• Click Tools ► Organize, click Using Colors, then select From or Sent To from the Color Messages drop-down list.

• Select a message in the Inbox from or to that address, select a color from the In drop-down list, then click Apply Color.

Turn Off the Reading Pane

The Reading Pane is a new feature in Outlook 2003 that is specifically designed to make reading e-mail messages easier on the eyes. The Reading Pane is fully functional: you can scroll messages, click links, accept meeting requests, and download pictures without ever opening the message. However, if you prefer to turn off the Reading Pane or move it to the bottom of the window, you can do so. Choose View ► Reading Pane and choose Right, Bottom, or Off depending on your preference.

 

Create Rules

Handle Junk E-Mail

Outlook 2003 includes built-in filtering to identify junk mail and move it into a special Junk E-mail folder. You can customize junk e-mail settings to add Safe Senders, Safe Recipients, and Blocked Senders.

• Click Actions ► Junk ► Junk E-mail Options to access the Junk E-mail Options dialog box.

• Right-click the Junk E-mail folder in your mailbox and choose Empty “Junk-Mail” Folder if you want to delete all the mail in the folder permanently (clicking this option does not move the mail to the Deleted Items folder).

• If a message inadvertently appears in the Junk E-mail folder, right-click it and choose Junk E-mail ► Mark As Not Junk. This moves the message back to the Inbox and asks you whether you would like to trust future messages from this sender.

Set Up Out-of-Office Assistant

When you are out of the office, Outlook can automatically notify people who e-mail you that you are not available to reply to their messages. You can customize the outgoing message Outlook sends and give Outlook additional instructions about how to handle messages. To set the Out-of-Office Assistant:

1. Choose Tools ► Out-of-Office Assistant.

2. Select I Am Currently Out of the Office (wait to set this until you actually are ready to leave the office).

3. In the text box below AutoReply Only Once to Each Sender With The Following Text, type the message you want to send.

4. Click Add Rule to specify how you’d like specific mail handled.

5. In the Edit Rule dialog box, specify the conditions you want Outlook to look for and the actions you want it to perform.

6. Click OK in the Edit Rule dialog box and OK in the Out-of-Office Assistant dialog box to turn on the Out-of-Office Assistant.

When you return to the office and restart Outlook, you are prompted to turn off the Out-of-Office Assistant if you wish.

Create Additional Rules to Handle Mail

Outlook enables you to create rules to manage your mail even when you’re out of the office. Rules can move mail to specified folders, notify you when important mail arrives, or even reply automatically to mail that meets criteria you set. To create rules:

1. Select the Inbox folder.

2. Click Tools ► Rules and Alerts and click New Rule.

3. Choose either to develop a rule based on one of the eight templates or to create a rule from scratch.

   • To use one of the templates:

     1. In Step 1 of the Rules Wizard, select the template you want to use.

     2. In Step 2, click the underlined words to edit the Rule Description.

     3. Click Finish to create the rule.

   • To create a rule from scratch:

     1. Select Start from a Blank Rule in the Rules Wizard.

     2. Select whether you would like messages to be checked When They Arrive or After Sending. Click Next.

     3. In Step 1, click the condition you would like Outlook to check from the list of conditions.

     4. In Step 2, click the underlined words to edit the Rule Description. Click Next.

     5. In Step 1, click the actions you would like Outlook to take with the messages.

     6. Again, edit the Rule Description in Step 2. Click Next.

     7. Identify any Exceptions you would like to apply to the rule. Click Next.

     8. Name the rule and indicate whether you would like to Run This Rule on Messages Already in the Inbox and whether you would like to Turn On This Rule.

     9. Review the Rule Description in Step 3.

     10. Click Finish to create the rule.

   You can create as many rules as you like and either keep them running all the time or turn them on only when you need them.

 

Organize Mail

Create and Use Folders

To manage your Inbox, create subfolders to store messages.

• To create a new subfolder, right-click Inbox and choose New Folder from the shortcut menu. Name the folder, verify that it will contain Mail and Post Items, and select Inbox as the location to place the folder.

• To place existing messages in a new subfolder, drag and drop the messages from the Inbox into the new folder.

Delete Items

When you delete messages, they move to the Deleted Items folder. You can delete a message by pressing the Delete key or by dragging and dropping the message in the Deleted Items folder.

• To empty the Deleted Items folder, right-click the folder and choose Empty “Deleted Items” Folder.

• Outlook also can empty the Deleted Items folder every time you exit. Choose Tools ► Options and on the Other tab, click the Empty the Deleted Items Folder upon Exiting checkbox.

Save Multiple Attachments

When you receive an e-mail message with multiple attachments, you can save them all at once by choosing File ► Save Attachments from the open message.

Find Messages

• To find all messages with the same subject, right-click the message and choose Find All ► Related Messages.

• To find all messages from the same sender, right-click the message and choose Find All ► Messages from Sender.

• To find messages that contain a specific word or phrase, click the Find button on the Standard toolbar to open the Find pane.

  

  • In the Look For text box, enter the word you want to find.

  • Click the Search In drop-down list to select the mail folders you want to search. Click Find Now.

  • To clear the search, click the Clear button on the Find pane.