Introduction
If you have ever been a part of the corporate world or started a business, you must have had an encounter with outlook at some point. It has been at the top of the game for a long-time. The application has enabled thousands, if not hundreds, of employees to work efficiently and save ample time. Of course, all the credit goes to Microsoft’s innovative team of developers and thinkers. Let us know outlook productivity hacks and the five unknown outlook productivity hacks to help you are given in this article.
The five unknown outlook hacks
What if we tell you that you can boost your outlook productivity even more with the application?
Today’s blog post shares five unknown outlook productivity hacks to help you ace the day.
1.Recover the deleted messages
Accidentally deleting a vital message is every employee’s nightmare because one can never retrieve Email messages once it’s permanently lost in the trash box. Or can they?
The good news is that if you have a Microsoft Exchange account, there is still hope. You can access the server to recover even permanently deleted emails. There are two methods to retrieve the data.
The first method includes looking for Items in the Trash or deleted Items folder. Search for the item and move it to another folder. One cannot recover a permanently deleted folder. However, they can recover the messages from those deleted folders.
Steps to recover Items from the Trash folder
Step 1: Open Outlook and log into your account.
Step 2: Click on the “Trash” or “Deleted Items” folder.
Step 3: Search for the item that needs to be moved.
Step 4: Move the item back to the appropriate location.
(Important Note: If your Outlook account shows a “trash” folder instead of a “deleted items” folder, then your account will not support the recovery of permanently deleted items.)
The second method is to look for the recoverable Items folder. Here, you’ll find items that have been deleted accidentally and permanently. Once an item is recovered, you can find it in the deleted items folder. During the retrieving process, ensure that you are online and connected to the mail server.
Steps to recover the permanently deleted messages
Step 1: Open Outlook and log into your account.
Step 2: Go to the “Email folder” and select “Deleted Items.”
Step 3: Select “Recover Deleted Items” from the “Folder” menu.
Step 4: Select the items that you wish to recover.
Step 5: Click on “Ok.”
2.Schedule your email deliveries
When it comes to Email Marketing, timing matters the most. While reading an email on Monday morning and Friday evening, customers’ mindsets are poles apart. The former would bring more engagement and leads.
But what if you drafted an Email during the weekend?
The traditional approach is to set a reminder or remember when to hit send. Luckily, Outlook users can schedule their emails for the next week or month.
Steps to schedule your email deliveries
Step 1: Open Outlook and log into your account. Next, Compose your Email.
Step 2: Select “more options” from the “tag option” in the ribbon.
Step 3: A delivery box will show up. Click on the “do not deliver before” option and set the date and time for delivery.
Step 4: Once you finish composing the Email, click “send.”
Once you do this, the Email will stay in the outbox until the delivery time.
3.Recall or replace an email message
Did you impulsively send an Email to the wrong person or forget to share an important attachment? Are you cringing over the possible consequences and drafting an apology Email?
If you are an Outlook user – Stop. You can retrieve your Email and even replace it with the right one. However, there are a couple of limitations to this technique. For instance;
- You and your recipient must have an Office 365 or Microsoft exchange account.
- One cannot retrieve messages that are protected by Azure.
- Recall Email is only possible for people using Outlook on Windows OS. People using Outlook web and Outlook Mac are not eligible.
- The message should be unread by the recipient.
Steps to recall or replace an email message
Step 1: Open Outlook and log into your account.
Step 2: On the left side of the screen, there is a folder pane. Choose the “Sent Items” folder.
Step 3: Open the message. At the top of the screen, you will find either a classic or simplified ribbon.
- Classic ribbon: Select actions > recall this message
- Simplified ribbon: More commands (…) > actions > recall this message
Step 4: Select “delete unread copies of this message” or “delete unread copies and replace with the new message” and click “Ok.”
Step 5: If you want to replace an older message with a new one, compose the message and click on the “send” button.
4.Arrange meetings based on time zones
If your business focuses on international markets or if you travel a lot for work, you may have to adjust the meetings based on the time zones of your client. Luckily, Outlook offers a feature where one can manually change their time zone. Once it is changed, the entire calendar is subsequently updated based on the new time zone. It ensures that we don’t disturb anyone’s sleep or dinner with surprise conference calls.
Steps to change your timezone
Step 1: Open Outlook and log into your account.
Step 2: Click on the “gear icon” on the right side of the screen.
Step 3: Select “View all the Outlook Settings.”
Step 4: On the left panel, select “general.” Select the “language and time” section in the panel beside it.
Step 5: Select “Current time zone” and enter the new time zone.
Step 6: Click “save.”
5.Ignore the unwanted conversations
Have you ever entered an Email conversation that was accidentally sent to you? Or because someone thought that you might be interested in it?
If you have been there, you can relate to how energy-draining and annoying it can be. When you try to exit the thread by sending a personal Email, it only makes things worse because they respond by hitting the “reply all” button. Outlook has a straightforward solution to this problem – the Ignore button. This feature of Outlook moves all the Emails in a particular thread to the “Deleted Items folder.”
Steps to ignore an unwanted conversation
Step 1: Open Outlook and log into your account.
Step 2: Click on the Email thread that you wish to Ignore.
Step 3: Click on the “Ignore conversation” option in the Ribbon.
OR
Step 3: Select the Email thread and press “Ctrl + Delete”
OR
Step 3: Select “Ignore” from the pop-up menu.
Step 4: A confirmation tab will appear. Check the “Don’t show this message again” box to ignore the conversations.
Conclusion
Microsoft Outlook is a robust platform that is used by hundreds of businesses. It has helped brands centralize their communication and data and boost productivity. The hacks we shared today can help reduce unnecessary distractions and make them more efficient at work. Do you have any other unique hacks or tips related to Outlook that you’d like to share? Please share it with us in the comment section below.
FAQs
1.How do I make Outlook more organized?
One can keep their Outlook account more organized by
- Sorting the Emails by priority: You can create three separate folders for your convenience – to do, follow up, and later. Another way is to leave high-priority Emails in the inbox.
- Creating Automatic rules: Creating rules will sort out the Emails as soon as they reach the inbox. For instance, you can create rules that Emails from a particular sender or subject will move to a separate folder.
- Using color coding for easy recognition: Visual coding of the Emails can help us immediately differentiate between urgent and important ones.
2.How do I turn off read receipts in Outlook 365?
To turn off the read receipts in Outlook 365, select settings > Mail > Message handling. Choose how to respond to the receipts under “Read receipts.”
