Essential Outlook automations and shortcuts to boost productivity

Last update: 21/06/2025

  • Master the most used shortcuts to compose and reply to emails without a mouse.
  • Learn to quickly navigate between mail, calendar, tasks and contacts
  • Manage appointments, meetings and reminders efficiently with the keyboard
outlook

Microsoft Outlook It is one of the most widely used tools in both professional and personal environments for managing email, calendar, and other aspects of daily productivity. What many people don't know is that, By mastering Outlook automations and shortcuts, the performance possibilities of this tool multiply.

In short, a more agile navigation For those who work daily with a lot of emails, appointments, or tasks. In this article, we'll show you all the most important shortcuts you can use for managing your email and calendar, organizing contacts and tasks, and other key features.

Essential shortcuts for composing and managing emails in Outlook

For those who use Outlook primarily as an email client, there are a number of shortcut keys that are a good idea to memorize from the start.

  • Ctrl + N: Create new message
  • Ctrl+Shift+M: It also serves to compose a new email from anywhere in the program
  • Ctrl + R: Reply to sender
  • Ctrl + Mayus + R: Reply to all recipients
  • Ctrl + F: Forward mail
  • Ctrl + D: Delete selected message
  • Alt + S o Ctrl+Enter: Send current message
  • Alt+I: Attach files
  • F7: Check spelling
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These shortcuts allow you to perform key actions without lifting your hands from the keyboard., which is crucial if you are answering many emails in a row or writing long messages.

Outlook shortcuts

Outlook Shortcuts to quickly navigate through 

Not only can you create and manage emails quickly, you can also navigate between different sections of the program with great agility using these Outlook shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + 1: Go to email
  • Ctrl + 2: Open the calendar
  • Ctrl + 3: See the contacts section
  • Ctrl + 4: Access tasks
  • Ctrl + Y: Choose folder to open

With these keys, you can keep track of your entire organization without having to click through different tabs or menus.

Outlook calendar has many shortcuts to maximize its use

The calendar in Outlook is one of its pillars and also has many shortcuts to get the most out of it:

  • Ctrl + Shift + A: Create a new appointment
  • Ctrl + Shift + Q: Create meeting request
  • Alt+H, M, R: Another way to create a meeting
  • Ctrl + G: Go to a specific date
  • Alt + Page Down: Go to the next month
  • Alt + Page Up: Go to the previous month
  • Ctrl + Right Arrow: Next day
  • Ctrl + Left Arrow: Previous day
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Also, you can display different time periods by changing the number used with Alt:

  • Alt+1: One day
  • Alt+7: A full week
  • Alt+0: Ten days

With these resources, you can schedule and view your meetings at a glance, without visual distractions.

Quick actions for appointments and reminders

More Outlook shortcuts: When managing multiple meetings or appointments, these shortcuts will come in handy:

  • Alt + A: Open an appointment when a notice appears
  • Alt + S: Snooze reminder
  • Alt + D: Dismiss reminder
  • Alt+V, M: Open notification window

Outlook shortcuts

Quick management of contacts, notes and tasks

Outlook also allows you to perform quick actions on contacts, notes, and tasks:

  • Ctrl + Shift + T: Create new task
  • Ctrl + Shift + V: Move an item (email, task, or appointment) to another folder
  • Alt+H, A, B: Open address book
  • Alt+H, C, G: Create calendar group

These tools are perfect for those working with complex groups or distribution lists.

Internal functions and customization in Outlook

There are certain Outlook shortcuts that help us navigate through its internal functions:

  • Ctrl + E o F3: Jump to search field
  • Ctrl + M o F9: Manually synchronize email
  • Ctrl + Shift + G: Mark or unmark conversation
  • Recoil: Archive selected conversation
  • Ctrl + Q: Mark as read
  • Ctrl + S: Mark as unread
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These features prevent you from getting lost in messages or folders and allow you to always stay up to date with what's happening in your inbox.

Accessibility and visual customization options

Outlook adds shortcuts for users who work with accessibility features:

  • Alt+Ctrl+Shift+M: Enable MSAA information for readers like JAWS
  • Alt+F, T, A → Alt+P: Assign sound to a notice

You can also zoom in on the emails:

  • Ctrl + +: Zoom in
  • Ctrl + -: Zoom out

These handy Outlook shortcuts are ideal for those who need visual or auditory customization of their environment.

With all these shortcuts well internalized, it is possible work much more agilely in Microsoft OutlookFrom creating emails to scheduling events or managing tasks, These key combinations can significantly reduce clicks and scrolling on the screen.Although it may seem like a lot to memorize at first, you'll soon find that you'll be using them automatically and noticing the improvement in your daily productivity.