People say that it’s the little things that make all the difference.
The same holds true when using Microsoft Outlook. With just a few simple changes you can increase your productivity in Outlook like you never thought was possible.
Do you work in a big office where you’re part of a large mail group? Does it always seem that you’re getting emails that don’t pertain to you?
Well I’m going to show you how to prioritize those emails so that you only get the emails that are meant for you.
The next improvement that I’ll talk about involves a workaround to allow Outlook to accept certain file types as safe. This is handy for coworkers who need to pass a certain file type back and forth over Outlook.
It basically makes sure that you get all of the attachments that your coworkers are sending to you and that your coworkers are getting the ones you send them.
This article is in the spirit of taking a few hours on a Sunday afternoon and cleaning your house from top to bottom after a long winter. It takes you until you‘re done to realize how out of place and unorganized things were.
That’s why today I want you to get out your virtual mop and bucket to do a little spring cleaning with your Microsoft Outlook.
Get Emails Meant for You … And Forget About that Other Stuff
Tell me if this sounds familiar. You sign onto your work computer and open up your email only to see 60 messages, of which only 20 are directed specifically to you and need to be handled right away. The other 40 are directed to your email group.
Going through each email one by one to find the emails you need to answer right now can be time consuming and tedious. You need something that will show you which emails are meant for you (and only you) and which ones are sent to everyone in the group.
Well break out your Crayolas because we are going to color code your emails!
To set this up: Open up Outlook and go to Tools, then click Organize
Click the Using Colors tab and click Turn On
Now, the default color is blue and from what I hear blue is a fairly pensive color. So, if you’re looking for a nice calming color then stick with the default.
Otherwise there are a variety of colors to choose from. My choice would have been Burnt Siena, but that color, unfortunately, didn’t make the cut.
Another nifty thing you can do (apparently I’m channeling Wally and the Beav; who says nifty anymore, honestly?) on that same tool is color coding messages you receive from a particular sender.
On the Using Colors tab type the email address that you want to color code next to the Color Messages From tab. The default color on this is Red. You can have a different color for each email address or you can group email addresses under the same color according to order of importance.
There is also a drop down box that allows you to change the Color Messages From tab to Color Messages Sent To, which in this case would color code the messages you are sending to a particular email address.
In either case, make sure you click the Apply Color button before you exit this screen.
Take advantage of this simple feature that will help you sort through the mass emails and let you get down to business.
Don’t Let Outlook Do Your Thinking for You
If you’re like me, then you collaborate with colleagues several times a day through email. Sometimes the only way to get things done in a timely manner is to email a file back and forth so that multiple people can work on it and get it ready for what you need to do.
The problem with this is that sometimes Outlook doesn’t like the file type or doesn’t know what it is and just decides to remove your attachment. You’ve seen the dialog box telling you that your attachment poses a potential security risk and asks you if you want to download the file.
So, you click yes and move on. But, sometimes you don’t even get the attachment and you end up sending a message back to your coworkers telling them you didn’t get it.
What happened to the attachment? Well, the short answer is that Outlook "frisked" your email on the way through "security" and "confiscated" some "contraband".
Outlook is more thorough than the Puerto Vallarta, Mexico airport, where I was once searched head-to-toe 4 times in a 30 minute span. Which by the way, after the 4th time they dumped out my bag and asked me if I had anything in there that shouldn’t be in there … I was thinking, "Well maybe I do." Are pants illegal? Take my pants; whatever gets me on the flight home.
The more involved answer is that Outlook has three "risk levels" that it can apply to attached files, that will determine what happens to the attachment. You may get a message that warns you about downloading attachments.
A lot of times Outlook does what it can so that you don’t get the attachment at all, and every now and then you actually get the attachment without any fanfare, which is pretty rare. For me this happens only during a lunar eclipse, on a leap year.
So when you and your coworkers are sending a particular type of file back and forth, it would be nice to make sure you get it 100% of the time. There are two ways to accomplish this.
For all of you tech savvy veterans, I’ll show you a way to modify your registry to allow certain file types to be passed through Outlook. And for all of you novices, or even you veterans that don’t feel like messing with the registry (it can be dangerous so don’t feel like you don’t have options), I’ll show you a free product you can download that will help you accomplish this using a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
Warning: Registry Changes Are Not For the Meek
To add certain file types to Outlook’s "low risk" watch list we need to start out by opening up the Registry Editor.
Before you do this I want to stress that changes to the registry are very serious and should not be done unless you know exactly what you are doing. Also, and this is the most important thing, back up your registry before you make any changes. Even if something is done incorrectly you can always get things back to the way they were.
Now that we have the disclaimers out of the way, go ahead and go to your Windows Start Menu and Click Run. Type regedit and click OK
This will open your Registry Editor.
- Click the Plus Sign next to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder (if it’s not already clicked)
- Click the Plus Sign next to the Software folder
- Click the Plus Sign next to the Microsoft folder
- Click the Plus Sign next to the Windows folder
- Click the Plus Sign next to the CurrentVersion folder
- Right click the Policies folder
- Move your cursor over New and select Key from the menu and name this key Associations
- Right click the Associations folder and move your cursor over New and select String Value
- Name the String Value LowRiskFileTypes
- Double click the LowRiskFileTypes string and enter the file types that are frequently attached in Outlook. For example .exe;.flv
This will include all executable files and Flash player files, although, I wouldn’t recommend adding executable files to the list.
Registry Editing is Not My Thing
If you’re like most people, you’re not going to want to make changes to your registry through your registry editor.
In an effort to make things easier, there is a free program called OutlookTools that will allow you to make the registry changes you need to make without the hassle of going into the registry itself.
To start out, click this link and once you reach this page you will see screen shots of each tab in the OutlookTools program. Under the screenshots is a brief description of what each tab does.
- Scroll about half way down the page and click Download
- Once you have OutlookTools downloaded and installed, open it, and the main screen will default to the General tab
- Navigate to the last tab called Blocked Attachments
- Each check box you check will allow that type of attachment to be unblocked, so you can attach those file types in Outlook emails
- Click Save
Now, I know this seems incredibly easy compared to manually editing the registry, but I don’t ever want to give you the quick fix without first explaining why it works.
What you do in OutlookTools is changing your registry, just like you did manually within the Registry Editor. It’s always good to know what’s behind the GUI, and it’s always good to take some of the hassle out of using Outlook.
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Thanks, Zach, for the info on color coding messages from a particular sender. I’ve done some experimenting but now want to get my colors back to the default. Is there an easy way to do this?
Lisa:
If you’ve colored messages from a particular sender, the only way to really change things back to the default is to go through the steps I’ve outlined above, place the senders email address in the box after “Color Messages” “From”, and change the color to Auto. This will get things back to what you’re used to.
If you’ve changed the color for some senders and you have some of their old emails saved, with the “Using Colors” box open, you can just click on that saved email and the email address of the sender will be automatically populated in the box mentioned above. Again, just change the color to “Auto” and click “Apply Color”.
If you’ve changed the “Show Messages Only Sent to Me” setting you can click the “Turn Off” button, which I’m sure you probably already know. But anyway, that’s the quickest way I’ve found to change things back to default.
Good, very informative.
Thank you so much
You have a really cool way of describing what to do and the screen shots of the steps are invaluable.
Many thanks for your time.
NOW
is there a cost for the 2007 video for Outlook? We just installed the Office 2007 and sure would like some explanations of all this new cool stuff.
Many thanks
Jackie
I’m glad to hear that the article helped! You can take a look at our Outlook 2007 course and all of our other courses at http://www.trainsignal.com.
i cannot read my mails from outlook.The box does not show incoming mail
Hi!
I was transferred to this page while I was searching for some help on how to search the mails in Outlook. Apperently, it seemed that I need to manually Index the mails. But there’s no such info on this page. Can you please guide me know how can I index the mails, so that I can search for mails just by typing some words in the textbox in toolbar.
The article has given very good info, and in a very readable text. I already started experimenting with the color coding.
Thanks ahead,
Vaibhav
More detailed information on some of the topics requested in the comments can be viewed on our Outlook 2007 video training course. Learn more about our Outlook 2007 course at: http://www.trainsignal.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=88
Thanks!
What is Inbox repair Tool and how to use it?
I am a small business, home office. I cannot get any of my hotmail addresses (2) into Outlook – I have imported the contacts without an issue.
Also when I try to run/download the Connector – it tells me that Outlook is open, close it – Outlook is NOT open – only thing open is the internet download.
HELP PLEASE.
Great article………I have been color-coding my e-mails for some time now – works great!
However, I am not able to color code all of the addresses I would like. Can you tell me what the number limit is? I can’t seem to find that information anywhere. I want all of my family and friends to be one color each?? OR, am I doing something wrong??
I have a question… I have personalized my outlook the way I want it, but my one problem is that I cannot figure out how to get new messages to be a different font when they show up in my inbox. Right now I have to look at every line to see if they have an (1 item, 1 Unread item) next to it. I am in the Air Force so we get alot of email everyday and I would like to be able to decipher right away as to who sent me a new message or not. If you could help that would be great. Thank you!
Well, this is good but long
Thanks anyway!
Thank you. My outlook personalization will make me so much more productive in the time I spend trolling through my mail.
Lorraine:
Sorry it took so long for me to respond. I’ve been sick and out of the office for sometime now. As far as I know, there are no limits on this so get creative with the colors!
Amanda:
Your “new” messages, or unread messages should show up in your Inbox in bold. You can also check to make sure that the messages are Arranged by: Date and the Newest Message is: On Top. These two sorting options are available directly above the area where your messages are displayed. Also, you can go to Tools, Organize, Using Views, and select Unread Messages in This Folder. That will of course direct any of your unread messages to the folder selected. I hope this helps!
Updating contacts in multiple lists.
I cannot find out how to make a change to a contact that updates that contacts in each list or group where it has been copied to.
I have to manually go to the contact and update it in each list or group where I have placed it.
Any advise
i want the name of the sender to be displayed in the inbox
I have recently been re-introduced to Outlook in a new work environment and have put together my own version of Outlook GTD based on ideas and approaches from my own work experience and many online sources adapted to suit my method of working.
It can be viewed on my website at the following address as it is too long to post here. I would be interested in any feedback either positive or negative (constructive of course).
http://www.bcaservices.com.au/computer.html#outlook
Peter Wills
How do i import all e mails from my gmail to outlook. Currently it is showing just 8 in inbox whereas the total count is 146
Somen:
Take a look at this link for instructions on exporting emails from GMail to Outlook:
http://betapundit.blogspot.com/2006/03/how-to-use-outlook-to-backup-your.html
How do we change permanent movement from junk e-mail to inbox
any brainstorming answer means simple i am not techi so that can help me out..
Chandrashekhar:
Take a look at this link that provides the instructions for adding a name to your Safe Sender’s List:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HP052433571033.aspx
Why did Outlook moved my all of my e-mails to from my e-mail account to outlook?
Can I restore them back to my e-mail account?
I just don’t want to use Outlook any more. I would appreciate your help.
Help! 2 situations.
Every time I try to delete mail, I get an error message about scanpst.exe and the inbox repair tool. When i follow the instructions, ( go to program files, microsoft office/office 12 etc.) it doesnt work!!! This is driving me crazy. I have outlook 2007 and vista.
My sent mail is now going to the outbox instead of the sent mail box like it was.
This all started when I started getting the errors have been detected message.
By the way i can delete mail from the junk mail box – but that is it!!
Help!
Thanks
Hi, Can you help me please. My wife was sorting through looking for an obscure email as we haven’t deleted as much as we should(!), and somehow changed the Inbox view deleting the daily and weekly divisions, which I find quite useful!.
How do I get them back? I’ve scanned the help files and although I’ve learned HEAPS, I’ve not yet found the answer to this.
Cheers
Ben
Ben:
Try going to View>>Arrange By>>Date
Make sure Date has a check mark by it. My guess is that another view is checked.
Hope that helps!
When I receive my email, it goes to my unread mail in favorite folder. Once I view them they are deleted. How do I change this? I would like to keep my read mail.
Gloria
hi zach can u help me….
i have set up in outlook one acount whit hotmail. (mapi), another 2 with gmail (pop3), n i want all my incoming mail in one folder, but i cant do that, its there possible??, i try to set up hotmail whit pop3 but i cant
thx..
Recently I have found that older emails stored in my Inbox have been disappearing, however the count still shows over 190 items. In addition, within the last 3-4 weeks I find that when I open Outlook 2007 the inbox shows no emails at all. ( The header states “There are no items to show in this view”. When I reboot it may show the new emails, but sometimes not.
I checked and re-established the View settings but the problem is not solved.
All emails in my other folders are not affected, only the inbox is affected.
I saved the .PST file and then uninstalled Office and reinstalled it. The problem persists.
When I go to Mailbox Cleanup and search for emails older than 1 day, All the emails in my inbox appear along with all the other folders contents, so I know that the emails are still in my computer.
Can you assist me with this problem, or direct me to someone who could? It was suggested that I reformat the hard drive and reinstall all programs as a last resort.
Thank you,
Michael Grossfeld
Jupiter, FL
Michael,
That’s the type of problem that I wish I had a quick fix for off of the top of my head but it seems that it’s a bit more complex than a quick fix could handle. Before you format you machine, I would definitely contact Microsoft and find out if this is something they’ve seen before and if it’s something that could be fixed.
I want to color my e-mails but I followed your directions and found that my “organize” option was dimmed.
Why did this happen and what can I do to correct it?
Thank you for your great suggestions and directions.
Chardonai
Chardonai:
Options like “organize” will typically be grayed out if you haven’t activated Outlook. This is really simple to do; go to Help, Activate Product. Once the product is activated you will be able to use all those options you weren’t able to use before
Thanks for your question and thanks for reading!
Zach
hi . when i was reading my email today, all the mail in the inbox folder disappeared but the other folders are not affected, when i recieve a new mail it also disappears after some seconds befoere i could read it.
can you plezse assist me to recover my mail
regards
Thabo
Thabo,
Do you have a filter set on the view of your Inbox?
For example, if you have auto preview on and have mail set to be marked as read after “X” number of seconds, and you filter to view only unread mail, this can cause the behavior you’re seeing. Click on View > Current View and see if Messages is what’s checked.
If not, change it to Messages and see if that corrects that issue.
This response was taken from: http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/aspnet/31662024/2007-incoming-email-disa.aspx
Use that link to find more information on this topic.
Thanks for reading and thanks for your question!
Zach
We just switched to Outlook from Eudora. All emails came to the inbox. When we do the “Add to Blocked Senders List” it would move that email to the junk email folder, but next time we get an email from the same address it would be in the inbox again. My husband and a technician clicked on some stuff which my husband is pretty sure he undid again. But what is happening now is that all emails go the the junk email folder. If we click on “Not Junk” it will move the email to the inbox, but next time an email from the same sender will end up in the junk email folder again. So it is the reverse of what in was before. No matter what my husband tried, he can not change that. In addition, while emails with html code are displayed properly in the inbox, the html code is displayed in the junk email folder instead, rendering the emails rather unreadable.
Does anybody out there have any idea how to fix both these issues. We are extremely frustrated at this point. Help please!
Thank you!
Gisela Leitermann.
Hi Gisela,
It looks like this might be an issue with your Junk Mail options. Here’s what you can do. Under the Actions tab, select Junk Email Options; here you can adjust your options for which emails are sent directly into your Junk Mail folder instead of your Inbox. If you select the first option that says No Automatic Filtering your problem should be solved. If it’s not let us know and we’ll try to help.
Kasia
How do I remove the date separator for my inbox? Can’t I just have a listing of emails received by date … with out having to look at each day? Think old Outlook.
Help?
Carol,
You should be able to click the line that says “Arrange By”. The Date option should have a check next to it. Down towards the bottom of this menu you should uncheck “Show in Groups” This should solve your issue.
Thanks for reading and thanks for your question!
Regards,
Zach
I have the same problem [?] as below which did not seem to be answered …. however on one machine all my accounts come up in one inbox [which is what I want] but on my other machine they come up in individual accounts and I cannot seem to get them to all come up in a single inbox.
LuisRo Says:
June 24th, 2009 at 12:20 am
hi zach can u help me….
i have set up in outlook one acount whit hotmail. (mapi), another 2 with gmail (pop3), n i want all my incoming mail in one folder, but i cant do that, its there possible??, i try to set up hotmail whit pop3 but i cant
thx..
hi zach
can you help me
when I follow your instructions
& want to make a certain group
with color green
like (zach@microsoft.com)
a error message comes on
” You cannot add another color rule because you have exceeded the maximum number of rules for this folder ”
plaesae explain zach
what does this mean ?
Hi Zach…can i include a search folder having all mails like the one in Lotus Notes…please guide me.
Skywalkr82,
Here is a Search Folder guide that I think might be helpful:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/CH010380001033.aspx
Thanks for reading!
Sigmund,
Here is a link to a forum that addresses this issue. Take a look at the last post from the Exchange MVP. Even though they are discussing an older version of Outlook; the resources she mentions may be helpful:
http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-1853496.php
Thanks for reading!
Zach,
I am continually getting emails that are not directed to me, by that i mean that the sent to address at the top of the emial contains mark or some part of my address in it but the rest is different, and sure i can block them and it is sent to the JUNK file, but i still have to decide to delete them. I some how have got onto a distribution list and every one in one contry or another who has a fortune to share has picked me for there scam.
Can all of this be done automatically for me if my full email address is not correct?
Please help, this is getting to be a real pain!!
Mark
Mark,
You may not be reading this because you may be a billionaire by now with all of the riches you’ve been promised.
But, just in case none of those promises came through, here’s what I’d do.
When you get one of these emails, right click it, click Rules, and click Create Rule.
You can create a basic rule, but in your case I would suggest going to the Advanced Options button and opening up the advanced Rules Wizard. Here you can get pretty granular with the specific conditions for your rule. You’ll probably want to check the box next to “sent to …” This will allow you to set up the rule for any email that is sent to whatever email address is in the sent to field of that specific email. Then I would probably select the from checkbox as well as the with…in the subject checkbox.
Once you’ve chosen your rule conditions, click next to select the action for this rule. In this case, it sounds like you’ll want to chose “delete it” or “permanently delete it”.
Click next once you make you selection. On the following screen you can choose any exceptions to the rule. Take a look at them and decide if any of them apply to your situation before hitting next.
Once you hit next, the last thing you’ll do is choose a name for your rule. Then in Step 2 of the Finish Rule Setup screen, the “Turn on this rule” checkbox will be preselected. Leave this checked. The checkbox right above it that says “Run this rule now on messages already in (name of folder you’re in right now)” needs to be checked to make sure you perform the rule on the email you just received.
Click Finish and repeat as necessary for other junk emails that come in.
Once you get a couple of these rules set up, pretty much everything you don’t want will be deleted behind the scenes before you even have to deal with it. Just make sure you don’t set something up like this for emails you want to be receiving!
Thanks for your question and thanks for reading!