10 Tips To Be More Efficient With Outlook
The outlook is a very powerful tool but most users don’t get the most out of it. We offer you some tips, to make your work with this program faster, more efficient and enjoyable.
Backup: this advice is placed first for a good reason, and that is that a lot of data is stored in Outlook and nobody likes to lose this type of information. Making a backup is as simple as copying a file (a .pst file to be more exact). Using the Export function is not the best way to create a proper backup. Microsoft has added the free backup add-in application that helps you locate PST files and assign them a location. It also has the reminder function to create a backup when Outlook is closed. If you want to copy all Outlook data and have this done automatically it is advisable to use ABF Outlook Backup
Close Outlook before turning off the computer: when you turn off your PC, the applications that are running are automatically closed. This procedure is not recommended for Outlook as it works with external servers and the shutdown process is slower, so Windows will automatically close the Outlook tool and PST file corruption or even loss may occur. If you have other applications linked to Outlook you must also close them before turning off the computer or Outlook will not close. To check if Outlook is completely closed, we run the task manager and verify that the Outlook.exe process is not listed.
Save your contacts: When you write a contact’s address in a new email, Outlook will suggest addresses and contacts. This is a very useful feature but it can be dangerous because it makes us forget to put the contacts in their corresponding folder. Autosuggestion for Outlook 2007 and earlier is based on previously used address caches to which we have sent some mail. They have no relationship with the contacts folder. To quickly save a contact in this folder, right-click on the address and select “Add to Outlook Contacts”. To import the Autosuggestion cache into Outlook you can enter Import contacts from nk2-file. To delete a name from the list of Suggested Contacts, select it with the arrows and press the Delete key.
Disable the antivirus scanner: integrating an antivirus scanner into Outlook may seem like a smart idea but it really isn’t, since we have a tool that analyzes the files that are downloaded to the computer, we are already sufficiently protected. Having an integrated antivirus can cause a lot of problems with sending, receiving and viewing messages. You can also reduce the speed of Outlook. The best solution is to disable it, we will have more efficient use of Outlook with the same level of security.
Disable add- ons you don’t use: some of the applications you install on your computer also install add-ons in your Outlook settings. These installed add-ons make Outlook work more slowly or present errors because the version of these add-ons and the version of Outlook are not compatible or for other reasons. In any case, it is best to uninstall all those add-ons that you do not use. In this guide, you can find how to do it.
No matter, yes connect: when you have an extra PST file and want to see what’s in it, don’t use the Import function. You can directly open that file with the command: File> Open> Outlook data file. If there is something in that file that you want to store in your original PST file, use copy or move items from one folder to another.
Importing is not the best way to restore a backup copy of a PST file. In the account settings, you can assign to which PST file you want your new emails to be delivered. There are very few cases in which it is recommended to use the Import function.
Do not connect to PST files that are in a network share: it is one of those things that at first sound good but really is not a good idea.
As PST files are databases, they rely heavily on the specific actions of the hard drive to perform the appropriate actions. This is not possible when you connect this type of file to the network if you do it can lead to poor performance and data corruption or file loss. Microsoft has declared this configuration is unsupported. One solution is to keep the original stored on the computer and use Outlook Addin to create backup copies on a shared resource.
Use more than just rules to organize the mail: the rules are a good way to sort your emails but having too many rules can make it more complicated to manage the rules than the emails themselves. Also, improper use can create duplicates and when you connect to an Exchange server, the number of rules may be limited by the size of these rules. Therefore, it is good to look at the other email management options offered by Outlook.
The instant search feature in Outlook is also very powerful and you can really find in an instant the email you were looking for.
Use the “To”, “CC”, “CCO” and “From” fields correctly: this tip is useful for any email tool and not just for Outlook. Knowing how to use each of the different fields can prevent confusion or inconvenience to the recipient. In general, the uses of each field are the following:
« To «: Specify the address of the person or persons with whom you are going to communicate. When we use the “CCO” field (see below) specify your own email here.
« CC«: This field is used when you want to send the message to an additional person for informational purposes and you want to notify the recipient that that person is being informed. In general, the people included in this field have no specified actions on the message. When the recipient selects “answer all” the person who appears in CC is also notified.
« CCO «: This field is used to include an additional person who will receive the message, without the recipient knowing it. It is also used to send the same message to several people but who do not know each other, so as not to expose their addresses publicly. When the recipient chooses to “answer all” people in BCC do not receive a follow-up.
“Of”: In Outlook 2010, this field is automatically displayed when you have multiple email accounts configured to select the outgoing email account
