It is probably the most advanced email client alongside Gmail. Unlike the latter, Outlook.com (the defunct Hotmail) has an application for macOS and Windows, which gives it extra productivity by not depending on browsers. The web version of Outlook also has a number of advanced tools, and this time we have compiled some of the most interesting.
View IP address of an email in Outlook and Hotmail
Especially useful if we want to know the real origin of an email. In Outlook this process is really simple.
Within the email that we want to analyze, we will click on the three points in the Options bar and then on See origin of the message.
After clicking on the latter, Outlook will display a window like the one we can see just above this paragraph. Within this conceptual menu we will have to search for the following text field through the key combination Command + F if we are on macOS and Linux and Control + F if we are on Windows:
- sender IP
Together with this field we can see the IP address of the original email. It will be enough to access a location website to locate the IP within a map.
Create automatic replies in Outlook.com
Create categories to classify emails in Outlook
Today, Outlook has two options for classifying emails within the client's tray: folders and categories. The advantage of the latter is that we can identify the different emails with colors .
The simplest way to categorize an email is to right click on it and click on Categorize . By default, Outlook will enable a series of color-based categories (Blue Category, Purple Category…). If we want to create custom categories with unique names and colors, we will have to click on the option Manage categories or on New category .
Convert an email to PDF with Outlook.com
Did you know that you can export an email to PDF from Hotmail's own options? It will suffice with 
.
Depending on the operating system, the options will allow us to choose the export format. The key is to select PDF instead of Print Sheet to save the email in PDF format, as we can see in the image above. We can also print the mail in any of the printers that we have previously connected.
Create rules to automate actions in Outlook
As a good email client, Hotmail and Outlook have a whole compendium of tools that allow us to automate actions. In both applications we can find these tools with the name of Rules. Just click on the gear on the top bar of the application and then select See all Outlook settings .
Within the advanced configuration of Outlook we will click on Mail and finally on Rules . Now we will only have to fill in the data to create a new rule. In Condition we will indicate the rule that must be fulfilled to later indicate an action in the corresponding section. For example "When the body of the message includes the word offer , the email will be sent to the Trash" or "If the recipient is [email protected] the email will be sent to the Important folder".
Synchronize Gmail emails with Outlook
If what we want is to unify the Gmail inbox with that of Outlook, the Microsoft application enables this action through the advanced options. Before proceeding, however, we will have to go to Gmail.com and configure the respective options. In this article we explain all the steps in detail.
Once we have configured Gmail correctly, we will only have to go to the Synchronize email option in the Mail section within the Outlook settings and add our Gmail address to synchronize emails with Outlook. To find the emails Google Outlook will create a folder with the same name as our email address.
Create a signature for messages in Hotmail and Outlook
The signature is another of the elements that we can configure in Hotmail to further personalize our emails. "Kind regards, María Belén", "You can contact customer service through the phone number 612 34 56 78", "Office hours from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 20:00" ...
To configure this parameter we will have to go back to the Advanced Configuration of Outlook. In the Mail section, and more specifically in the Write and reply option , we will create a personalized signature following the pattern indicated above.
Below the text field we can indicate if we want to include the signature in all emails (responses to an email, message threads ...) or only in those that we write from Outlook.com. We can also add images and formatting to the letter if we wish.
Delete all spam and Outlook subscriptions in one fell swoop
It is not an isolated case. Whether through carelessness or sheer sloppiness, our email client inbox tends to fill with advertisements and promotions from countless third-party subscription lists, services, and companies. To remove all these subscriptions at a stroke we can refer to the advanced configuration of Outlook .
In the Mail section in the Subscriptions option we can see a complete list with all subscriptions to lists and services. We will only have to click on Cancel subscription to stop receiving spam emails.
Filter emails by size to delete them later in Outlook
If we want to free up space in the inbox of our Outlook client, a good way to proceed is based on resorting to native Microsoft commands . Simply enter any of the text strings that we will see below to filter the emails by the size they occupy.
We can proceed in two ways: either indicating an amount of MB or using the default size of Outlook.
By preset size
- Message size: very small - Emails smaller than 10 KB.
- message size: small - Emails between 10 and 25 KB in size.
- Message size: Medium - Emails between 25 and 100 KB in size.
- Message size: Large - Emails between 100 and 500 KB in size.
- Message size: very large - Emails between 500 KB and 1 MB in size.
- Message size - Huge - Emails larger than 5MB in size.
By exact size
- message size:
- message size:> N : emails whose size is greater than the amount specified in N. For example, message size:> 123 MB
Unformat a text in Outlook
A very common problem with Outlook and other email clients has to do with formatting inheritance when writing a draft. If we have written the message in an alternative editor (Word, Pages, Google Documents ...), the normal thing is that it "sticks" with the original format.
To write a plain text, we will only have to click on the three Options points in the mail text bar and select Remove formatting with the selected text . The format will automatically disappear.
Best keyboard shortcuts for Outlook and Hotmail
Whether in the web version or in the desktop version of Outlook, Microsoft's mail client supports a good number of combinations and keyboard shortcuts with which to automate certain actions . Let's look at some of the most interesting ones.
Outlook email shortcuts
- Create an email : Control + N (Command + N)
- Send an email : Control + Enter (Command + Enter)
- Reply to an email : Control + R (Command + R)
- Reply to all senders in an email : Shift + R
- Forward an email : Shift + F
- Save draft of an email : Control + S
- Discard Draft Email : Escape
- Select all messages in an email : Control + A (Command + A)
- Delete all messages from an email : Escape
- Insert a link or hyperlink : Control + K (Command + K)
Outlook inbox shortcuts
- Open an email : O or Enter
- Close an email : Escape
- Open the following email : Control +. (Command +.)
- Open the previous email : Control +, (Command +,)
- Undo the last action : Control + Z (Command + Z)
- Trash an email : Delete or Delete
- Permanently delete an email : Shift + Delete
- Create a folder : Shift + E
- Mark an email as read : Control + Q (Command + Q)
- Mark an email as spam : J
- Mark an email as unread : Control + U (Command + U)
- Archive an email : E
Outlook navigation shortcuts
- Search for words in an email : Alt + Q
- Show help : Shift + /
- Go to Mail : Control + Shift + 1 (Command + Shift + 1)
- Go to Calendar : Control + Shift + 2 (Command + Shift + 2)
- Go to Contacts : Control + Shift + 3 (Command + Shift + 3 (
- Go to Tasks : Control + Shift + 4 (Command + Shift + 4)
- Go to Inbox : G then I
- Go to Drafts : G then D
- Go to Sent : G and then S
