Automate common or repetitive tasks with Quick steps in Outlook
Applies To
Outlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2024 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016 Outlook on the web New Outlook for WindowsQuick steps apply multiple actions at the same time to email messages. This helps you quickly manage your mailbox. For example, if you frequently move messages to a specific folder, you can use a Quick step to move the message in one click. Or, if you want to pin an email and mark it as unread, a Quick step can simplify the task in one click.
Note: Quick steps cannot be undone by using a menu command or a keyboard shortcut like Ctrl+Z. This is because Quick steps can contain actions such as Permanently Delete that are not able to be undone.
Select a tab option below for the version of Outlook you're using. What version of Outlook do I have?
Note: If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select Classic Outlook and follow those steps instead.
Create a new Quick step
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In new Outlook, select Mail from the navigation pane.
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From the Home tab, select the drop-down menu next to Quick steps and select Manage quick steps.
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In the Settings window, under Quick steps, select +New quick step.
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Type a name for the new Quick step.
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Under Choose an action, select the action that you want the Quick step to do. Select Add another action for any additional actions. If you're done now, select Save, or continue with additional options to further customize your quick step.
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In the Optional section add a description to Customize your quick step. Your custom description will appear when you hover over the Quick step in the ribbon.
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To create an optional keyboard shortcut, in the Choose a shortcut box select the keyboard shortcut that you want to assign. Ctrl+Shift 5-9 are the available options.
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Click Save.
Modify an existing Quick step
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In Mail, select the Home tab. Select the drop-down menu next to Quick steps and select Manage Quick step.
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Find the Quick step you’d like to change and select the icon to Edit quick step.
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Under Choose an Action, change or add the actions that you want this Quick step to do.
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You can update the Quick step name, add a shortcut, add a keyboard shortcut, and update the description.
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To rearrange the order in which the Quick steps are displayed on the Home tab, select the up or down arrows of the Quick step you’d like to move. Click Save.
You can view the new order in the Quick step section on the ribbon.
Quick Steps apply multiple actions at the same time to email messages, helping you quickly manage your mailbox. For example, if you frequently move messages to a specific folder, you can use a quick step to move the message in one click. Or, if you forward messages to your manager or peers, a one-click quick step can simplify the task.
Quick Steps are located on the Home tab in Outlook:
The default quick steps included with Outlook can be customized. You can also create your own to make a Quick Steps gallery of actions that you take most often in your mail.
Default Quick steps
You can customize any of the default Quick Steps. When you use some quick steps for the first time, you are prompted to configure them. For example, if you want a quick step to move messages to a certain folder, you must specify the folder before you can use the quick step.
Default Quick step in Outlook include the following:
|
Quick step |
Action |
|---|---|
|
Move to: |
Moves the selected message to a mail folder that you specify and marks the message as read. |
|
To Manager |
Forwards the message to your manager. If your organization uses Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft 365, your manager's name is detected in the Global Address List and inserted in the To box, or you can specify the recipient. |
|
Team E-mail |
Forwards the message to others in your team. If your organization uses Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft 365, your team members names are detected in the Global Address List and inserted in the To box. |
|
Done |
Moves the message to a specified mail folder, marks the message complete, and then marks it as read. |
|
Reply & Delete |
Opens a reply to the selected message, and then deletes the original message. |
|
Create New |
Create your own Quick step to execute any sequence of commands, name it, and then apply an icon to help you identify it. |
To configure or change existing Quick steps
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In Mail, select Home.
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In the Quick step group, select the More
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In the Quick step box, select the quick step that you want to change, and then select Edit.
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Under Actions, change or add the actions that you want this quick step to do.
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If you want, in the Shortcut key box, select a keyboard shortcut that you want to assign to that quick step.
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If you want to change the icon for a quick step, select the icon next to the Name box, select an icon, and then select OK.
Create a Quick step
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In Mail, select Home.
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In the Quick step group, in the Quick step gallery, select the Create New quick step.
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In the Name box, type a name for the new quick step.
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Select the icon button next to the Name box, select an icon, and then select OK.
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Under Actions, choose an action that you want the quick step to do. Select Add Action for any additional actions.
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To create a keyboard shortcut, in the Shortcut key box, select the keyboard shortcut that you want to assign.
Note: New quick steps appear at the top of the gallery on the Home tab in the Quick steps group. Although changed quick steps keep the same location in the gallery, you can rearrange them in Manage Quick steps.
Create a Quick step
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In Outlook on the web or Outlook.com, select Mail from the navigation pane.
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On the Home tab, select Quick steps, and then select Manage quick steps.
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In the Settings window, under Quick steps, select +New quick step.
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In the Name box, type a name for the new Quick Step.
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Under Choose an action, select the action that you want the Quick Step to do. Select Add another action for any additional actions. If you're done now, select Save, or continue with additional options to further customize your quick step.
Modify an existing Quick step
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Select Mail from the navigation pane.
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From the ribbon, select the drop-down menu next to Quick steps and select Manage Quick steps.
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Find the Quick step you’d like to change and select the icon to Edit quick step.
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Under Choose an Action, change or add the actions that you want this Quick step to do.
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To see a custom description of the Quick step when your cursor is over the Quick step in the ribbon, in the Optional section, add a description to Customize your quick step.
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To create an optional keyboard shortcut, in the Choose a shortcut box, select the keyboard shortcut that you want to assign. Ctrl+Shift 5-9 are the available options.
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Click Save.
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