If you’re one of the millions of people using Microsoft’s Outlook platform, take a look at these top 5 tips to make your days easier and more productive.

Schedule emails

Want to send a message so it reaches the recipient at the most opportune time? Well you can, with Outlook’s scheduling function. Instead of simply clicking ‘Send’ on an email, hit the down arrow to see the ‘Send later’ option. From here you’re presented with some quick suggestions, or you can use the calendar to select a specific date and time you want the email to be sent.

See time zones ahead of your meeting

If you’re scheduling a meeting with someone from across the miles, you’ll want to ensure it occurs at a reasonable time for you both. Thankfully, Outlook’s Time Zone feature solves this. To activate it, simply create a new meeting then go to Scheduling Assistant. From here you click the Time Zones button (with a globe icon), then search for the city in which your contact lives. You’ll then see your time and theirs when organising that specific meeting, so you can be sure you’re not inviting them to a meeting at 2am!

See who’s in a meeting

Some users have reported finding it difficult if not impossible to see who will be in a meeting – especially if they’re an attendee not the organiser. It can be done, though. From the meeting within Calendar, just select ‘Response Options’ to see who was invited. Click on it and you’ll also be able to see how they responded to the meeting request.

Snooze or ignore

If there’s an ongoing email chain that’s distracting or which you have no need to be included on, you can snooze it (to opt out of notifications for a set time), or ignore it altogether. To activate this, simply open an email from the string in question, click the three dots in the toolbar, then select ‘Ignore’; or ‘Snooze’ and then set your timeframe.

Open multiple windows

You needn’t just have one Outlook window open if you’re jumping between tasks. If you need to see emails, your calendar, and a meeting all at the same time, just open a separate tab for each. This way you can get everything up on screen without constantly going back and fore. This is especially handy for those with Windows 11, who can utilise the Snap tools to lay out tiles on their desktop so everything looks neat whilst also filling the screen effectively.