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 organise 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 organisation 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 dialogue box | Ctrl + Shift + G |
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 organise 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 organising 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 |
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