Microsoft Outlook 2013 looks different from previous versions, so we created this guide to help you minimize the learning curve.
First things first: Add your account
Before you can send or receive messages, you have to connect your email account. If your company uses Microsoft Exchange, Outlook 2013 will attempt to set up your email account for you.
If you use Internet-based email (such as Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo!), enter your name, email address, and password to set up your account.
Change the Office Theme
Microsoft has redesigned Office 2013 to provide a clean, uncluttered experience — like a blank piece of paper. If you want to see the different areas of Outlook more distinctly, you can change the Office Theme.
Use your File > Office Account settings to change the Office 2013 color scheme for all of your computers, or use the Outlook Options to change the color scheme on just this computer. You can choose from White, Light Gray, or Dark Gray.
Things you might be looking for
Use the list below to find some of the more common tools and commands in Outlook 2013.
[table_dd]
| To… | Click… | And then look in the… |
|---|---|---|
| Apply stationery or backgrounds to a message | File | Click File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts. On the Personal Stationery tab, click Theme. |
| Send automatic replies when you’re out of the office | File | Under Account Information, click Automatic Replies > Send automatic replies, and then choose your options (this feature requires a Microsoft Exchange Server account). |
| Insert a picture or clip art | Insert | From a new mail message, click Illustrations, and then click one of the following: Pictures, Online Picture, Shapes, Smart Art, Chart, or Screenshot. |
| Manage email messages by assigning rules | Home | In Mail view, click Move > Rules. |
| Insert a symbol or special character | Insert | From a new mail message, click Symbols > Symbol. |
| Apply or adjust the timing of an animation | Animations | Animation, Advanced Animation, and Timing groups. |
| Add holidays to your calendar | File | Click Options > Calendar. Under Calendar options, click Add Holidays. |
| Share a calendar | Home | From the Calendar view, in the Share group, click E-mail Calendar > Share Calendar (this feature requires a Microsoft Exchange Server account), or Publish Online. |
[/table_dd]
Mail isn’t the half of it
Communication is important, but your time is important, too. Outlook 2013 has updated how you manage your time, your people, and your tasks.
Create an email signature
To create a new email signature, do the following:
- Click File > Options > Mail. Under Compose messages, click Signatures.
- In the E-mail Signature tab, click New, and then type a name for the signature.
- In the Edit signature box, type the text that you want to include in the signature, then use the built-in tools to format it.
If you’ve already created a signature, you can copy it from one of your sent messages and then paste it here.
Automatically add a signature to messages
To automatically add a signature to new email messages, do the following:
- From any view, click File > Options > Mail. Under Compose messages, click Signatures.
- Under Choose default signature, choose the signature to add to New Messages. If you want, choose a different signature for Replies/forwards.
- To manually add a signature to a new message, from a new message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then click the signature that you want.
