Tips for using Outlook’s notes feature

How to find and use the notes feature

You can find notes in Outlook’s navigation pane towards the bottom of the page, where you can toggle between email and calendar. Click the three dots to find the note option. Create a new note by clicking on the New Note feature in the Home navigation tab. From there, type in your text, and close it with the x in the corner—don’t worry, it automatically saves.

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The first line of the message becomes the file name, so title your note to automatically tag it with content you’ll remember. Update a note by returning to the notes feature, double-clicking the note you need to update, and adding the additional text. Change the size, color, and appearance of the note itself to suit your organizational needs.

Using the notes feature within Outlook rather than an external system like Sticky Notes—or literal sticky notes—jogs your memory and coordinate tasks right from your email and calendar. You can also send notes to other people in case they’re an important part of your task or could also use the reminder. If they’re Outlook users, the note will function the way it does for you; otherwise, the note will appear as a plain text message.

Organizing your Outlook notes

Outlook automatically organizes your notes in the default Icon setting by date, or date modified, but you can use other customization options too.

• Changing how you view your notes. View your notes through a list or chronologically within the last 7 days.
• Titling your notes consistently. Take advantage of the first sentence saving convention and label tasks with the action required. For instance, all your calls can be “call” and your to-dos become “to-do”.
• Color-coding. Assign each type of task its own color, much the same way you can categorize flags or tasks in your inbox.
• Adding notes to your desktop. Save notes to your desktop like you might save email messages. Word of caution: If you edit them on your desktop, they won’t sync with Outlook to update the note’s content within the program. If you use Outlook notes externally, this might not matter as much to you.

Getting accustomed to using Outlook notes can be a major step forward for your organization and even collaboration. Use these tips to point you in the right direction.