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Email using Outlook 2011 (on MacOS X)

NOTE: This Guide is for Staff and PhD students with Apple Macs, and whose email is hosted on the University's Exchange mail system.

Setting up Outlook 2011

  1. Launch Outlook from the Applications folder or the dock
  2. If you haven't used Outlook before, you will be asked to create an account - click Add Account and then Exchange Account
  3. Enter your Email address, leave the Method set to User Name and Password
  4. In the User name field, enter ad_us\ followed by your username (e.g. ad_us\ano23)
  5. Enter your Password and check that Configure automatically is ticked
  6. Click on Add Account

The Default Account will be displayed in the Accounts panel, initially with an amber icon which will change to green after a short time. You can close the accounts window and you should start to see your email in the Outlook window, although it is likely to take some time depending on the size of your account.

Getting started, reading and sending emails

When you use Outlook for the first time, we suggest starting with a few minor adjustments to make the interface more familiar. From the View menu:

  • select Reading Pane and then Below
  • ensure Navigation Pane is ticked
  • select Arrange By and ensure Show in Groups is not ticked

Read your email

  • click on an email to see a preview
  • double-click to open it in a new window

To sort the message list, click on a header. Click again to reverse the order.

Send a message

  1. click on New and choose Email Message
  2. a blank message will open in a new window
  3. enter the recipients' email addresses in the To and Cc fields
  4. give your mail a Subject, type the message and click Send

Find an address

Type the first few characters in the To or Cc field.

  • if you have emailed someone from Outlook before, a list of possible names will appear while you type
  • for staff at Sussex, click on the Check Names button at the top right of the window

Check spelling and grammar

  • click on Options and then Spelling to check the spelling in your message
  • hold down Ctrl and click on a word to look it up

Respond to a message

  • Reply just to the sender or Reply All to include all recipients in your reply (all the addresses listed in the To or Cc fields)
  • Forward a message to a new recipient

Managing your mail

In Outlook your entire mail store - Inbox and other folders - is known as your Mailbox. A subdivision of this is known as a Folder.

Create a new folder

  • click on the place where the new folder should be located (e.g. Inbox)
  • click on the the New icon and select Folder
  • type a name for your folder and press enter

Move a message into a folder

  • drag it from the message list onto the appropriate folder icon

All of the emails in your folders count towards your personal mail quota. To make space for new emails, make a regular habit of deleting messages you no longer need. Make sure you act on warnings about your quota as you will be unable to send or receive until you reduce your email.

Deleting messages

Delete an email

  • click on the message to highlight it and then click the Delete button in the tool bar
  • if you are viewing a message in a new window, click on the Delete button

Empty the Deleted Items folder

In Outlook, a message is moved to the Deleted Items folder and will stay there (and still count towards your mail quota) until you empty the folder. To empty the folder:

  • click on the deleted items folder, and Ctrl+click, then choose Empty Folder

Attachments

Attachments on incoming messages are listed just above the main message.

  • drag into a folder on your computer to save it
  • double-click to open it
  • click the Preview button for a quick peek inside

Remember the Save As Rule - when you double-click to open, save it to your Documents folder using Save As before you make any changes. Otherwise, it is saved in a temporary location and changes may be lost.

Send an attachment

  1. click on the Attach button in the Message window when you are writing a new message
  2. browse for the file to be inserted

The message will appear as an icon in a new Attached field in the message headers.

created on 2010-01-01 by Soo Lyth
last updated on 2012-04-17 by Andy Clews