Cut the time you spend writing repetitive emails!

Many of the emails we send are alike. The only differences are the person we’re sending the message to and a few details in the content. The solution is a template: you write it once, save it and reuse it whenever you need it.

Which emails are worth turning into templates?

A few examples will quickly give you an idea:

• notices to customers with overdue payments;
• payment confirmations to suppliers;
• standard replies to people applying for a job at your company;
• requests for quotes to potential suppliers;
• instructions sent to new clients, such as the documents you need at the start of the collaboration.

If you follow the steps below, you’ll see how you can create a “reusable” email yourself, so you no longer waste so much time writing it from scratch every time. The steps differ slightly depending on the version of Outlook you use. They’re all described in Microsoft’s guide to email templates.

How do you create an email template in classic Outlook?

In classic Outlook (the Windows app included in Microsoft 365 and in the Office versions installed on your computer), templates are saved as files:

1. Open a new email from the Home menu, using the New Email option.
2. Write it as if you were sending it to someone, but without the personal details, just the body of the message. For example, if you’re sending a notice to customers, write the whole text except the amount due and the missed due date. If certain recipients always need to be filled in (accounting in Cc, for example), you can save them in the template.
3. Go to the File menu and choose Save As.
4. From the list of formats, choose Outlook Template and save the file in the location Outlook suggests.
5. To use the template, go to Home > New Items > More Items > Choose Form.
6. From the “Look in” list, choose User Templates in File System, then the template you created. A new message opens automatically, with the same text and the same addresses filled in.

So you’ll be able to send this email whenever you need to, without much effort. Templates saved this way can also keep attachments, images and formatting.

How do you use templates in the new Outlook and Outlook on the web?

In the new Outlook for Windows and in Outlook on the web, templates are in the “My Templates” pane, available for Microsoft 365 work accounts:

1. Open a new message.
2. Open the “My Templates” pane from the message toolbar.
3. Choose “+ Template”, give it a name, write the text and save it.
4. Next time, open the pane and click the template: its text is inserted into the message.

These templates are suited to short texts: they don’t keep attachments or images. For more complex messages, use the classic Outlook method.

How do you create templates in Gmail?

Gmail has templates too, but you have to turn them on once:

1. Under Settings > See all settings > Advanced, enable Templates and save the changes.
2. Write the message in a new window, then, from the three-dot menu, choose Templates > Save draft as template.
3. When you need it, open a new message and pick the template from the same menu.

How do you make a template truly useful?

• Clearly mark what needs filling in, for example [AMOUNT] or [DATE], so no message goes out with blanks.
• Reread the message before sending it: a template sent with another customer’s name does more harm than an email written from scratch.
• Update your templates when your company details, prices or procedures change.

For messages that don’t repeat word for word, the AI assistants in Outlook and Gmail can write a first draft from a few words, depending on your company’s license. The draft still needs rereading, though: the assistant doesn’t know the details you don’t give it.

For more information about our IT services, including setting up and managing Microsoft 365, please contact us. Our helpdesk team also helps with everyday questions about Outlook.