Outlook 2010: Getting to Know Outlook 2010

Outlook 2010 Getting to Know Outlook 2010

Page 1 Introduction Outlook 2010 is a personal information manager included in the Microsoft Office 2010 suite, commonly used in the workplace. While Outlook is perhaps best known as a tool for sending and receiving email messages, it also includes powerful features for managing calendars, contacts, and tasks.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to navigate the Outlook 2010 interface, the Ribbon, and Backstage View. We'll also talk about how to set up Outlook.

Microsoft also offers a free webmail service through Outlook.com. While they share some functionality, Outlook.com is not intended as a replacement for Outlook 2010. Visit the Outlook preview page from Microsoft to learn more.

Page 2 All About Outlook 2010 To use Outlook 2010, you will navigate between several different views, including Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Video: Getting to Know Tasks. Because of these robust productivity features, Outlook 2010 Outlook is often used in many offices and workplaces to help employees communicate, manage their time, and organize meetings.

This tutorial will cover the basic features of Outlook 2010, including how to use the Mail, Contacts, and Calendar views. Many of Outlook's features are geared toward those who plan to use Outlook in the workplace, but much of this tutorial will still apply if you plan to use Outlook on your personal computer. Watch the video (2:59). Need help?

Getting to Know the Outlook Interface If you're familiar with Outlook 2007 or 2003, you'll notice several changes to the 2010 interface. The main change is the addition of the Ribbon, which appears in all the Office 2010 applications. Outlook 2010 also uses Backstage View, which we will cover later in this lesson.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to become more familiar with the Outlook 2010 interface.

Page 3 The Ribbon The tabbed Ribbon system was introduced in Outlook 2010 to replace traditional menus. The Ribbon contains multiple tabs, each with several groups of commands. You will use these tabs to complete the most common tasks in Outlook, such as composing an email, scheduling a meeting, or adding a contact. The commands on the Ribbon will change depending on which view you have selected: Mail, Calendar, Contacts, or Tasks.

To Minimize and Maximize the Ribbon: The Ribbon is designed to respond to your current task, but you can choose to minimize the Ribbon if you find that it takes up too much screen space.

1. Click the arrow in the upper-right corner of the Ribbon.

Minimizing the ribbon

2. The Ribbon will be minimized. To maximize the Ribbon, click the arrow again.

Maximizing the Ribbon

Page 4 Backstage View Backstage view gives you various options for managing accounts, saving and printing items (like an email message or calendar), and more. Though it is similar to the File Menu from earlier versions of Outlook, Backstage view will expand to fill the entire screen, unlike a traditional menu. The options in Backstage view will change depending on which view you have selected.

To Access Backstage View: 1. Click the File tab on the Ribbon. Backstage view will appear.

Clicking the File tab

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using Backstage view.

Page 5 Setting up Outlook 2010 You'll need to set up Outlook before you can start using the application to manage your email, contacts, calendars, and tasks. The setup process will vary depending on how you plan to use Outlook:

If you plan to use Outlook in the workplace with an employer-provided email account, it's likely that your account will already be set up when you start using Outlook. If not, your office IT department or supervisor will help you with the setup process.

If you plan to use Outlook on your home computer with a personal email account, either from an internet service provider or a webmail service like Hotmail or Gmail, it's easy to get started.

Using Outlook with a Personal Email Account

©1998-2013 Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. While Outlook is most commonly used in the workplace, there are several reasons you might want to use it at home. If you use more than one email account—for example, one for personal email and one for work email— you can add multiple accounts to Outlook, allowing you to read and manage all of your messages at the same time. You'll also have the added convenience of using a desktop application to keep all your information, such as your contacts and calendar, together in one place.

To Add a Personal Email Account: In our example, we'll add a Gmail account.

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view. 2. Locate and select Add Account below Account Information.

Adding a new account

3. The Add New Account dialog box will appear. 4. Enter your name, email address, and password, then click Next.

5. Outlook will configure the account. This process can take several minutes.

6. Once the configuration is complete, click Finish.

7. The email account will be added to Outlook.

The first time you open Outlook on your home computer, the Add New Account dialog box will appear immediately. Follow the instructions in the procedure above to add your personal email account.

Adding a Gmail account will not import other Google services, such as your Gmail contacts or Google Calendar. If you want to access your Gmail contacts and Google Calendar through Outlook, you can use Google Apps Sync.

Page 6 Challenge!

©1998-2013 Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Open Outlook 2010 on your computer. Try switching between different views. 2. Click through the tabs and notice how the commands on the Ribbon change. 3. Minimize and maximize the Ribbon. 4. Access Backstage view.