Outlook Tips

Learning Microsoft Outlook One Tip At A Time

Outlook 2013 Absolute Beginner's Guide Diane Poremsky [Outlook MVP]

Outlook keyboard shortcuts

When you know the keyboard shortcuts, it's usually faster to use them than it is to mouse around menus.

The following is a list of the many of the most commonly used shortcuts. Links to a list of all shortcuts for Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2003 is at the end.

These work in Outlook's main window:

Open Mail module in Navigation paneCtrl+ 1
Open Calendar moduleCtrl+ 2
Open Contacts moduleCtrl+ 3
Open Tasks ModuleCtrl+ 4
Open Notes ModuleCtrl+ 5
Open Folder listCtrl+ 6
Open Shortcuts ModuleCtrl+ 7
Open Journal moduleCtrl+ 8
Open Folder picker dialogCtrl+ Y
Rotate Navigation pane on, off, minimizedAlt+F1
Rotate To-Do bar on, off, minimizedAlt+F2
  
Switch to InboxCtrl+Shift+ I
Switch to OutboxCtrl+Shift+ O
Open the Address BookCtrl+Shift+ B
Open Send and Receive Settings dialogCtrl+Alt+ S
Open Advanced find dialogCtrl+Shift+ F
  
Add a Quick Flag or mark completed.Insert
Reply to a messageCtrl+ R
Reply All to a messageCtrl+Shift+ R
ForwardCtrl+ F
Forward as attachment (Outlook 2007 and up)Ctrl+Alt+ F
Mark a message as readCtrl+ Q
Mark message as unreadCtrl+ U
Advance through message in reading pane, then move to next message. (Can be enabled or disabled in Tools, Options, Other Tab, Reading pane- Single key reading with space bar.)Spacebar
  
Delete an itemCtrl+ D or Del
Create a new item of the current folder typeCtrl+ N
Create a new Appointment (from any Outlook folder)Ctrl+Shift+ A
Create a new Contact (from any Outlook folder)Ctrl+Shift+ C
Create a new Task (from any Outlook folder)Ctrl+Shift+ K
Create a new Message (from any Outlook folder)Ctrl+Shift+ M
Create a new folderCtrl+Shift+ E
Create a new journal entryCtrl+Shift+ J
Create a new distribution listCtrl+Shift+ L
Create a new meeting requestCtrl+Shift+ Q
Create a new noteCtrl+Shift+ N
Create a new task requestCtrl+Shift+ U
Create a new PostCtrl+Shift+ S
  
Open HelpF1
Open Find dialog or Find pane.F3
Expand dropdown menus, use arrow keys to select from listF4
Refresh the current window (Send/Receive in older versions)F5
Move to next window element (navigation pane, message list, reading pane, or to-do bar)F6
Run spell checkF7
Send/ReceiveF9
Open VBA EditorAlt+F11

 

Reading messages:

With a message open, Move to the Previous or Next messageCtrl + < or >

 

Working with folder and list views:

Expand or collapse the folder listPlus, minus or multiply (*) on numeric keypad
Expand or collapse all groups in list viewCtrl+ Plus or minus on numeric keypad
Expand or collapse current group in list viewCtrl+ left or right arrow keys
Move between header elements, attachment row, and body in the reading paneCtrl+Tab (Shift+Ctrl+Tab for reverse)

 

When editing items

Increase or decrease font size when composing HTMLCtrl+ [ or ]
Show/hide formatting marksCtrl+Shift+ 8
Toggle form fields off and onAlt+F9
  
Send Message or meeting /task request; Save and Close other formsAlt+ S
SaveCtrl+ S
Send (enable or disable in Tools, Options, Email options, Advanced)Ctrl+Enter

 

Appointment and meeting shortcuts

You can use shortcuts to enter dates. Use w for weeks, d for day, mo for month, and y for year. Enter date in 1w format.  Use h for hours and m for minutes for times. 

Can type times as numbers only: 230 instead of 2:30 PM.

When typing times in the snooze field, shortcuts won’t work. You need to type week, day, hour or minute out.

Set up recurrence for an appointment or taskCtrl+G

 

Calendar shortcuts

Show 1 day Alt+ 1
Show 2 days Alt+ 2
Show 3 days Alt+ 3
Show 4 days Alt+ 4
Show 5 days Alt+ 5
Show 6 days Alt+ 6
Show 7 days Alt+ 7
Show 8 days Alt+ 8
Show 9 days Alt+ 9
Show 10 days Alt+ 0
Switch to Month view Alt+ = (equal)
Switch to Full Week view Alt+ – (minus)
Switch to Work Week view Ctrl+Alt+2
  
Go to a date Ctrl+ G
Go to the next or previous  day Ctrl+ left or right arrow
Go to the next or previous week Alt+ up or down arrow
Go to the next or previous month Alt+ page up or page down
Go to the start or end of the week Alt+ Home or End
Go to next or previous appointment Ctrl+ comma or period

 

Common Windows shortcuts which work in Outlook and many other programs

Select all textCtrl+ A
SaveCtrl+ S
Copy text Ctrl+ C
Paste text Ctrl+ V
Cut text Ctrl+ X
UndoCtrl+ Z
PrintCtrl+ P
Move forward through a form's fields/windowsTAB
Move backward through a form's fields/windowsShift+TAB
Close the active windowAlt+F4
Cancel edits and close a formESC
  
Move the cursor to the start of the next or previous word Ctrl+ right or left arrow

 
Learn More about Time and Date shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook 2007

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook 2003

Published May 16, 2011. Last updated on June 16, 2017.

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