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Category Archives: Outlook 2007

Free Microsoft Outlook 2007 articles

How to Link Outlook 2007 Items

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Contact Activity Tracking allows you to create links that associate a contact with other items in Microsoft Outlook. When you think about it, it is a very efficient way of doing things and we all know how I love to be efficient! You can track tasks, appointments, messages, notes, or documents related to a contact. For instance, say you have just created a Task in Outlook for one of your new clients. You can now link it to the contact to which it relates. You can also link items that already exists in folders to a Contact.

Follow the steps below to learn how:

  1. Create a new item, such as a new task or message.
  2. In the message, click Options | Contacts. In all other items, click Contacts.
  3. In the Look in box, click the folder that contains the contact to which you would like to link.
  4. In the Items box, click the contact or contacts to which you want to link the item. To select contiguous items, click the first item, click the Shift key and then click the last item. To select non-contiguous items, click the Ctrl Key and select the items.
  5. To select al items, in the Edit menu, click Select All.

The Activities on the Contact items allows you to view, group, sort, and filter the set of associated items for that contact. You can double-click an item in the list to then open that item.

Follow the steps below to learn how:

  • Open the contact for which you would like to view the related items.
  • Click the Activities tab.
  • In the Show box, click the type of item that you would like to view or click All Items.

A very nice way to keep track of everything for that particular client don’t you think?

Add Comments in Outlook 2007

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A reader recently wrote to me with an inquiry regarding comments in Outlook 2003. She was lamenting the fact that she used to have the capability to insert comments into forwarded e-mail messages that looked like reviewing comments in Word. She could not determine how to do the same thing in Outlook 2007 and wondered if it was possible.

I told this reader that the only thing different was that in Outlook 2003, she used Word as her e-mail editor which is not available in Outlook 2007.

It is still possible to add snazzy looking comments to your messages in version 2007, but you will have to turn on the feature beforehand. Follow the steps below to learn how:

  1. Click on Tools | Options on the Preferences tab.
  2. Click the E-mail Options icon.
  3. Select the Mark My Comments With check box and key your name in as you would like it to appear with your comments.

You can now easily insert your comments. Just click on Reply or Forward and you can then start your commenting!

Create a New Outlook 2007 E-mail Signature

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First impressions are often lasting ones. Your e-mail signature very often portrays who you are to your recipients. If you own your own business, you might like to include a graphic or your logo as part of your e-mail signature. You may want to include an electronic business card as well. It is a fairly easy process to accomplish these tasks in MS Outlook.

Follow the steps below to learn how:

  1. In E-mail view, click on File | New | Mail Message.
  2. Alternatively, you can click on CTRL + N to open a blank mail message.
  3. Enter the text you would like your signature to include, but try to limit your signature to only the essential information. A professional signature should only consist of one or two lines.
  4. Position the cursor where you would like to insert your logo or graphic.
  5. Click on Insert | Picture.
  6. In Outlook 2007, click the Insert tab and select the appropriate command from the Illustrations group. The file should be a GIF, JPEG OR PNG format. TIFF and BMP files are to large to include in your signature.
  7. Click CTRL + A to select the entire signature and the graphic.
  8. Click CTRL + C to copy the signature to the Clipboard.
  9. Click on Tools | Options and click the Mail Format tab.
  10. Click Signature in the Signature section.
  11. Click New.
  12. Name your signature and click Next.

Outlook 2007 groups the options together, so there will be no need to click Next.

  1. Click inside the Edit Signature control and click CTRL + V to paste the signature from the Clipboard.

If you are using Outlook 2007, be sure to select the signature by name from the New Messages control.

  1. Click OK two times.
  2. On the Mail Format tab, select the signature from the Signature For New Messages drop-down list in the Signatures section.Click OK.

Now, when you create a new message, MS Outlook will automatically include the signature, including the graphic you added.

Set Up Send and Receive Groups in MS Outlook 2007

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MS Outlook assigns the same mail-checking options to all your e-mail accounts. Messages that you create are sent out when you click the Send button.

When you press F9 or click the Send/Receive button, Outlook sends any messages that are in the Outbox and then checks each account for new messages int he order in which they appear in the E-mail Accounts dialog box.

To edit the settings for the All Accounts group or to create additional groups, follow the steps below:

  1. Click on Tools | Options.
  2. Click the Mail Setup tab.
  3. Click the Send/Receive button.
  4. This displays the Send/Receive dialog box.
  5. You can now edit or create a new group, rename a group, remove a group from the list, edit, or copy a list.
  6. You can also define separate online and offline settings, which are controlled by the Work Offline choice on Outlook’s File menu.

In Outlook 2007 there is a new feature that allows you to separately allow or suppress checking RSS web feeds. These Options are useful if you have a dial-up connection.

Adding Items to your Custom Outlook 2007 Toolbar

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Follow the steps below to add frequently used commands to your custom toolbar:

  1. Right click any toolbar.
  2. Select Customize to open the Customize dialog box or Click on View | Toolbars | Customize.
  3. Click the Commands tab.
  4. In the Categories list, select the command category containing the command you would like to add.
  5. In the Commands list, locate the command and drag it to your custom toolbar.
  6. Repeat these steps to add other commands as needed.
  7. Click Close to close the Customize dialog box.

That’s really all there is to it!

How to Create a Custom Toolbar in Outlook 2007

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You have lots of control over the appearance and content of the toolbars in MS Outlook 2007.

You can modify the existing toolsbars in Outlook 2007 but usually you will want to create your own toolbars. After you add a new toolbar, you can then add buttons and menus, but because both menus and toolbars are considered toolsbars in Outlook 2007, the creation process is the same .

Follow the steps below to create your own toolbar:

  1. In Outlook 2007, right-click any toolbar.
  2. Select Customize to open the dialog box, or click on View | Toolbars | Customize.
  3. Int he Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.
  4. Click New.
  5. Type a name for your toolbar.
  6. Click OK.

Outlook 2007 will open a blank toolbar for you.

I told you it was easy!

Find Huge Attachements in Outlook 2007

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Are you tired of receiving the notice that your mailbox has gone over its size limit in MS Outlook?

Well you can now take care of that in short order! Follow the steps below to find out how:

  1. Click on Tools | Avanced Find | More Choices.
  2. In the Size drop-down menu, select greater than.
  3. Enter a kilobyte variable.
  4. Click Find Now.

Then drag those huge messages to your personal folder or, better yet, delete the suckers!

Subscribers: Outlook 2007 Reminders

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I receive hundreds of e-mails every day and to be honest, sometimes it is very difficult to keep up with. I check my e-mail at set points throughout the day and read every e-mail as I do so, but I I absolutely do not have time to answer every e-mail I receive when I read it!

I am sure that some of you are shaking your heads in agreement as you read this. If that is so, then you are going to like this tip because it shows you how to use a feature in MS Outlook that will prompt you to answer those e-mails long after (hopefully not too long!) you have read them.

There are a couple of features in MS Outlook that you can use to alleviate this problem for you.

Follow along with the step below:

07-outlook-follow-up-flag

  1. When you right-click on the message, you will find that the Follow Up choice opens as a submenu.
  2. You can now quickly select one of the Quick Flag times offered or choose Add Reminder, which will open the dialog box.

07-outlook-cust-flw-up-flag

  1. Now, set your preferences.
  2. Click OK.

MS Outlook will remind you about this item if the flag has not been cleared by the due date you have set for it.

When an e-mail message has a Follow Up Flag you will see text that says Follow Up.

So there you have it! You no longer have any excuse for not answering your e-mail!

Using Outlook 2007 Sticky Notes

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MS Outlook electronic sticky notes are just like like the ones you stick to the edges of your monitor. They are helpful reminders that you need to have close by.

Follow the steps below to create a sticky note:

  1. Click on File | New | Note.
  2. Key in your text into the Note area.
  3. You can move the note so it is visible or hide by by clicking the Close button in its top right corner.
  4. To view a note, click the Notes button at the foot of the pane on the left of the Outlook window and click the Note to view it.
  5. To delete a note, simply right-click it and select Delete or categorize it by right-clicking it, and selecting a category from the list.
  6. You can even send a Note to someone via e-mail by right-clicking the Note and selecting Forward. Outlook will open a new Mail Message window with the Note already in place as an attachment.

It doesn’t get any easier that this!

Set Custom Reminder Sounds in Outlook 2007

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When an Outlook appointment is due, by default, MS Outlook is set to do something to tell you about it. You are the one who decides what Outlook does in that regard.

Follow the steps below to learn how:

  1. To change the default settings for all new appointments, click on Tools | Options and the Preferences tab.
  2. In the Calendar area, enable the Default reminder checkbox and set up the amount of time before an appointment that you will receive a notice about it. Fifteen minutes is the default but you can change it to whatever you prefer.
  3. On the Other tab, click Advanced Options | Reminder Options to set other options such as whether the reminder is displayed by default and whether a sound will be played and if so, which sound.
  • Remember that you can use the Windows Sound Recorder to record your own custom sound to use if you like!