Outlook shortcuts you should know about

For years, email has been one of the standard means of communication. Using mail clients at work has long been part of the everyday for many people when it comes to sending messages in a fast and easy way. In programs like Outlook you can set up out-of-office messages and easily organize appointments in an integrated calendar.

Like many other solutions, Outlook also offers keyboard shortcuts that simplify and speed up work processes. Here, we’ll introduce you to the most important and helpful Outlook shortcuts.

The most used Outlook keyboard shortcuts

Like with all other Microsoft Office products, Outlook gives you the option to use shortcut keys to simplify your work with the software. The table below highlights some of the most common shortcuts to use in the email client.

Action Outlook shortcut keys
Copy content Ctrl + C
Cut content Ctrl + X
Paste content Ctrl + V
Print email Ctrl + P
Mark all Ctrl + A
Edit marked selection Shift + Arrow keys (left or right)
Reverse action Ctrl + Z
Repeat action Ctrl + Y
Save email Ctrl + S
Save as Function key F12
Close window Alt + F4
Switch between open windows Alt + Esc
Show properties of marked object Alt + Enter
Show preview Alt + P
Switch between Outlook windows Tab

Outlook hotkeys for better email management

For most users, Outlook hotkeys specifically made to simplify email organization will come in handy. Below are the most common ones.

Action Outlook shortcut keys
Change to inbox Ctrl + Shift + I
Change to outbox Ctrl + Shift + O
Create new email Ctrl + N
Send email Ctrl + Enter key
Answer an email Ctrl + R
Answer all in an email Ctrl + Shift + R
Answer with meeting request Ctrl + Alt + R
Forward email Ctrl + F
Forward email as attachment Ctrl + Alt + F
Mark email as read Ctrl + Q
Mark email as unread Ctrl + U
Open marked email Ctrl + O
Delete and ignore email Ctrl + Shift + D
Open contacts directory Ctrl + Shift + B
Open next unopened email Ctrl + Dot
Go back to previously opened email Ctrl + Comma
Change to next email in list Arrow up
Change to previous email in list Arrow down
Unmark email as junk Ctrl + Alt + J
Open the flagged emails dialog box Ctrl + Shift + G
Tipp

Did you send an email too early? Read our article on how to reverse send an Outlook email.

The most important Outlook shortcuts for the integrated calendar

In the calendar view, you can organize and view your appointments even faster using the matching Outlook hotkeys.

Action Outlook shortcut keys
Create new calendar entry (only works in calendar view) Ctrl + N
Go to a date Ctrl + G
Jump to next appointment Tab
Jump to previous appointment Tab + Shift
Accept appointment Alt + C
Decline appointment Alt + D
Show day view Alt + H
Show weekly view Alt + W
Show monthly view Alt + M
Switch to first day of current week Alt + Pos1
Switch to last day of current week Alt + End
Show same day in previous week Alt + Arrow up
Show same day in coming week Alt + Arrow down
Show first day of the month Alt + Image up
Show last day of the month Alt + Image down
Show next day Ctrl + Arrow to the right
Show previous day Ctrl + Arrow to the left

Add elements and files in Outlook via shortcut keys

The following Outlook shortcuts let you add elements or files like appointments, contacts, or notes, without having to open the corresponding tab or press the corresponding button.

Action Outlook shortcut keys
Create new appointment Ctrl + Shift + A
Create new contact Ctrl + Shift + C
Create new group of contacts Ctrl + Shift + L
Create fax Ctrl + Shift + X
Create new folder Ctrl + Shift + E
Create new email Ctrl + Shift + M
Create new note Ctrl + Shift + N
Create new Office document Ctrl + Shift + H
Create search folder Ctrl + Shift + P
Create new task Ctrl + Shift + K

Outlook shortcuts for organizing your contacts

As with the calendar and emails, there are special Outlook keyboard shortcuts for the contact view, which make it easier for you to handle datasets.

Action Outlook shortcut keys
Create new contact Ctrl + N
New phone call Ctrl + Shift + D
Search for a contact or another element F3 or Ctrl + E
Activate contact search F11
Show first contact in address book Pos1
Show last contact in address book Ende
Show first contact starting with a specific letter Shift + letter
Show next contact Arrow down
Show previous contact Arrow up
Send email to a specific contact Ctrl + F
Close contact Esc

More useful Outlook shortcuts

Whether for the calendar, contacts, notes, or emails – the following Outlook hotkeys let you seamlessly switch between the client’s different areas.

Action Outlook shortcut keys
Switch to email view Ctrl + 1
Switch to calendar Ctrl + 2
Switch to contacts Ctrl + 3
Switch to tasks Ctrl + 4
Switch to notes Ctrl + 5
Switch to folder list Ctrl + 6
Switch to attachments Ctrl + 7
Tip

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