25+ Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts to Work Faster & Save Time

If you're like most of us, email takes up a lot of your day. But if you really think about it, you probably use many of the same Outlook tasks over and over. Finding those tasks in the drop-down menu can take a bit of time (especially if you haven't memorized where they are).

There's a better way!

Outlook shortcuts are quicker and easier. Plus, there's no searching through drop-down menus. The Outlook shortcut keys can be done right from the keyboard. There are navigation shortcuts, search shortcuts, and many more. All you need to do to start using them is to learn a few dozen Outlook hotkeys.

In this tutorial, I'll go over the time-saving Outlook shortcuts you really need to know. I'll reveal the Outlook hotkeys for some of the most frequently used Outlook tasks.

Guide to Inbox Zero Mastery (Free eBook Download)

Before going further in learning how to use Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts, be sure to grab our Free eBook: The Ultimate Guide to Inbox Zero Mastery. It's packed with inbox organization strategies and killer tips for managing all your incoming email more efficiently.

Now let's dig into the material on how to compose an email with Outlook. 

Save Time With These Useful and Easy MS Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts

According to a study from Carleton University, the average worker spends between two and three hours on email every day (30% of their time). If this looks like your day and you’re not using Outlook shortcuts, you may be wasting time. While we may only be talking about a minute or two per task, if you’re a heavy email user those minutes could add up.

In this post we’ll look at four of the most common email uses:

1. Creating/sending email messages
2. Managing your email inbox
3. Navigating to different sections of your email
4. Searching your email for items
   

Let's take a look at how MS Outlook Keyboard shortcuts can help you save time in each of these areas.

1. How to Create Messages Quickly With Outlook Hotkeys

One of the most common uses for email has to do with creating sending messages. This category involves more than just composing and new message, though. It also includes creating replies to messages, forwarding messages to others, and more. Here are seven quick Outlook shortcuts that'll shave time off the message creation process:

Here’s an example of how this works:

Let’s say you'd like to email a link to an article you just read to your boss.

Normally, to do this using the Outlook menu system you’d first take your hands off the keyboard. Then you’d use the mouse to click the Insert tab. Finally, you’d click the Link icon to get the Insert Hyperlink dialog box to display.

Outlook keyboard shortcuts can save quite a bit of time. To open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box all you'd do is type CTRL + K.

Here's a look at the dialog box:

To learn more about how to compose and send messages using Microsoft Outlook, review this tutorial:

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  How to Compose & Send New Emails With Microsoft Outlook

  

  Laura Spencer

  18 Jan 2018

2. How to Manage Your Inbox

Another common email task is managing messages. This includes sending completed messages, deleting unwanted messages, organizing messages in folders, flagging important messages, and more. Here are some Outlook shortcut keys to help you manage your inbox efficiently:

Here’s an example of how this works:

Let’s say you’ve just received a very important email that requires you to follow up on it. But you’re afraid you’ll forget to do the follow up. Message flags are ideal for this purpose.

Normally, to flag a message using the Outlook menu system you’d first take your hands off the keyboard. Then you’d use the mouse to make sure you were on the Home tab. Next, you’d click the Tags icon. From the drop-down menu you’d select Follow Up > Custom… to open the Custom dialog box.

With Outlook keyboard shortcuts you never have to take your hands of the keyboard to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. Simply press CTRL + Shift + G and the Custom dialog box opens automatically:

Here’s a tutorial that can help you discover even more ways to organize your MS Outlook inbox:

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  How to Organize Your Outlook Email Inbox Efficiently

  

  Laura Spencer

  19 Jan 2018

If you’d like to learn more about general email organizational principals, be sure to download our free eBook: The Ultimate Guide to Inbox Zero Mastery.

3. How to Navigate Quickly with Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts

There’s a lot to Outlook. Not only does it include your inbox, but there’s also an Outlook calendar, tasks list, contacts, and more. Relying on Outlook’s menu system to get to the part of Outlook where you need to be can slow you down. Try these timesaving Outlook shortcut keys instead:

Here’s an example of how this works:

Let’s say you’ve just received a message that contains an important task in the body of the email. You want to add a new task immediately with the message still open before you forget. You don’t want to turn the message itself into a task since it contains other, unrelated information.

I’ve not been able to find a way to do this using the Outlook menu system without first closing the open email. So, first you’d take your hands off the keyboard so you can use the mouse. Then you’d close the email by clicking the x in the upper right corner. Next, you’d use the mouse to make sure you were on the Home tab. Then, you’d click the New Items icon. From the drop-down menu you’d select Task to open the New Task window.

Whew! If that sounds a bit complex, that’s because it is!

In contrast, to use the Outlook keyboard shortcut you’d just press CTRL + Shift + K. The New Task window opens without closing the email you’re looking at:

Learn more about using Outlook to manage your schedule and tasks in this tutorial:

• 

  MS Outlook Calendar: How to Add, Share, & Use It Right

  

  Laura Spencer

  08 Feb 2018

4. Keyboard Shortcuts to Help You Use Search

The search capabilities are one of the most important features of any software tool and MS Outlook is no different. In Outlook email a search tool is included in the following areas:

• Calendar
• Contacts
• Notes
• Tasks
• Mail view
  

No matter what part of Outlook you’re working in, Outlook search shortcuts can help you find what you’re looking for quickly:

Here’s an example of how the search shortcuts work:

You can use the Search box to do this.

Normally, to search for a specific message you’d first take your hands off the keyboard. Then you’d use the mouse to move to the Search box and type a phrase. Next, you’d click below the Search box to bring up the Advanced Search drop-down. From the drop-down menu you’d select Attachments to see a list of all the email messages with an attachment and the word you entered in the Search box.

With Outlook search shortcuts you can open the Advanced Find box. Simply press CTRL + Shift + F and the Advanced Find dialog box opens automatically. Type in any words you want to search for on the Messages tab, then switch to More Choices tab to specify Only items with: one or more attachments. When you’ve entered all parameters, click the Find Now button. Here’s a look at the Advanced Find dialog box:

Learn more about using Outlook to search for messages in this tutorial:

• 

  How to Find Missing Emails in MS Outlook (Where Is My Email?)

  

  Laura Spencer

  16 Apr 2018

How to Add Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts to Your Daily Routine

Many people are intimidated by the vast number of keyboard shortcuts available in MS Outlook. This tutorial has only touched on some of the more common shortcuts.

If you hesitate to use Outlook hotkeys because you're afraid you can't learn them all, remember that you don't need to learn them all. You just need to learn the shortcuts that'll help you the most. And you don't need to learn those all at once.

Here's an easy way to get started with shortcuts. Pick a handful of shortcuts that you know will save the most time. Put those shortcuts on paper and post it near your computer. (If you like one of the keyboard shortcut tables in this tutorial, you could print that out and post it instead.)

Now, it's easy to glance at the paper to help prompt your memory as you work.

More Helpful Email Tips and Strategies

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Conclusion

You've just discovered how to bring up the Outlook commands you use most often quickly and efficiently using Outlook keyboard shortcuts. You can find a complete list of all keyboard shortcuts in MS Outlook on their support site. If Outlook is your email software, it only makes sense to learn the Outlook shortcut keys to perform the tasks you do often. Why not start using Outlook hotkeys today?