Microsoft Outlook is the most popular email client due to the large usage by employees in corporate companies. In addition, many people also use Outlook for personal use as you can buy it a packaged app with Office 365 subscription. For some of us, email is the life of business and quickly navigating through the Outlook interface will help to save lots of time. Here we provide, popular keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Outlook to get things done quickly. If you are also using Gmail, check out the complete list of keyboard shortcuts for Gmail.
Adding Shortcut for Folder in Outlook
Outlook has many purposes like sending emails, scheduling appointments and managing tasks. You can view the shortcut icons at the bottom of the sidebar to navigate to these folders quickly. You can click on the three dots button to view additional shortcut folders as shown below.
You can add shortcut to any of the folder in this navigation list. Click on the “Shortcuts” option and right-click on the “Shortcuts” menu. Click on the “New Shortcut” and choose the folder to add a shortcut in the navigation section.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Microsoft Outlook
Since Outlook has multiple usages, we have categorized the shortcuts based on the purpose and listed below.
1. Navigational Shortcuts
Use {control + number} keys to quickly access the corresponding sections of the shortcuts in the navigation. Remember, the below shortcuts are for the default Outlook settings. However, you can drag and move the position of the shortcut icon in the navigation. For example, if you have moved calendar icon to first position then “Control + 1” will open Calendar section.
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| CTRL + 1 | Switch to Mail |
| CTRL + 2 | Switch to Calendar |
| CTRL + 3 | Switch to Contacts |
| CTRL + 4 | Switch to Tasks |
| CTRL + 5 | Switch to Notes |
| CTRL + 6 | Switch to folder list |
| CTRL + 7 | Switch to Shortcuts |
2. Shortcuts for Search
Outlook has different search options to find menu items, mails and look for text within an email. Many people use “Control + F” in Outlook email for searching specific text in email. However, this will not work and open a reply to the email you are reading. You can simply use F4 shortcut to search text within an email.
Below is the list of search shortcuts you can use in Outlook.
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| CTRL + E | Search for a message or item |
| CTRL + Shift + F | Use advanced search |
| ESC | Clear the search results |
| F4 | Search for text within a message or item |
3. Shortcuts for Creating New Items
Every time selecting the new item by clicking on the “New Items” drop-down menu is a tedious task. Use the below shortcuts to quickly create new emails, appointment or task.
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| CTRL + Shift + M | Create a message |
| CTRL + Shift + E | Create a folder |
| CTRL + Shift + A | Create an appointment |
| CTRL + Shift + Q | Create a meeting request |
| CTRL + Shift + C | Create a contact |
| CTRL + Shift + L | Create a distribution list |
| CTRL + Shift + T | Create a task |
| CTRL + Shift + N | Create a note |
4. Mail Shortcuts
Finding the correct email address of a person is a difficult task in larger organizations. Generally, you can type the name in the address and click on the “Address Book” to find the name. Alternatively, you can also click on the “Check Names” to quickly filter the names from the address book. Instead of every time clicking on the “Check Names” button, simply press “Control + K” keys to find a name or open the suggestion box.
Below are some of the quick shortcuts to speed up your emails.
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| CTRL + K | Check names |
| ALT + S | Send message |
| CTRL + R | Reply to an e-mail |
| CTRL + Shift + R | Reply all to a message |
| CTRL + F | Forward a mail |
| CTRL + Q | Mark as read |
| CTRL + U | Mark as unread |
| CTRL + Shift + G | Show flag for follow up |
5. Calendar Shortcuts
Some people like secretaries and assistants may need to work with Calendar for most of the time in a day. Below are some useful Calendar shortcuts to save your time.
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| ALT + 1 | Show 1 day view in the calendar |
| ALT + 2 | Show 2 days view in the calendar |
| ALT + 3 | Show 3 days in the calendar |
| ALT + 4 | Show 4 days in the calendar |
| ALT + 5 | Show 5 days in the calendar |
| ALT + 6 | Show 6 days in the calendar |
| ALT + 7 | Show 7 days in the calendar |
| CTRL + G | Switch to a date |
| CTRL + Right Arrow | Go to the next day |
| CTRL + Left Arrow | Go to the previous day |
| ALT + Down Arrow | Go to the next week |
| ALT + Up Arrow | Go to the previous week |
| ALT + Page Down | Go to next month |
| ALT + Page Up | Go to previous month |
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