TechTips

Outlook is one of the most used email applications in the business world.  It has an interface that is easily recognized and easy to use.  However, there are times that it would make sense to change the interface to suit a particular job, or to improve productivity.  This article will discuss some of the most common ways that Outlook’s user interface can be changed.

The most common changes deal with how Outlook presents messages, and how they are read.  Outlook has a feature called the “Reading Pane” that can show an email message without having to open the message in a new window by double clicking on it.  This option is located under the View ->  Reading Pane menu.  You will see three options: Right, Bottom, and Off

Selecting the “Right” option will place the Reading pane in a column to the right of the message list window.

Selecting “Bottom” will place the Reading pane as a window directly below the message list window.

Selecting “Off” will turn the Reading pane off.

An option that is related to the Preview Pane is the “Auto Preview” option.  This option will cause Outlook to show a portion of the email message just below the message in the message list Window.

This option is located under the View menu.  Select  “Auto Preview” to enable or disable this feature.  Of course, these options can be used in combination if desired.

Another option that you may be interested in is the “To-Do Bar.”  This option turns on a column on the far right side of the Outlook window that contains a view of your Calendar, and a list of Tasks:

This option is located under the View menu as well.  You will see several options, three that control the bar’s appearance (“Normal”, “Minimized”, and “Off”) and three that control the bar’s content ( “Date Navigator”,” Appointments”, and “Task List”).  These options are enabled or disabled by clicking on them, allowing you to see only what you wish to see.

One last item to consider is the “Outlook Today Window.”  This is the window that you see when you click on your Inbox:

This view offers a lot of information in just a glance.  Also, it can be customized as well.  If you look on the top, right corner of the window, you will see a button labeled “Customize Outlook Today”.  You can select what Items you wish to see information on, and select a style in how it is presented.

Of course, this is just the tip of a very big iceberg.  You can change the font and font sizes used by Outlook.  You can customize how your messages look.  You can even tell Outlook where to put mail as it arrives, how to group messages and what fields are displayed, and more.