Do you spend ages dragging emails into folders, forwarding the same replies, or flagging messages for follow-up? Outlook’s ‘Quick Steps’ can automate all of that, turning multi-click jobs into a single tap. Here’s how to use it:

Why it’s useful:

Quick Steps are great for saving time on repetitive actions. You can set up shortcuts to do things like:

– Move invoices into a specific folder and mark them as read.
– Forward a client message to your manager with a standard intro.
– Flag emails from important customers and categorise them in one go.
– Reply with a template and archive the thread immediately after.

How to set it up:

– Open Outlook and go to the Home tab.
– Look for the Quick Steps group in the ribbon, then click Create New.
– Give your step a name, choose the actions you want it to perform, and (optional) assign a shortcut key.
– Click Finish.

If you regularly deal with the same kinds of emails, Quick Steps can cut hours off your inbox admin over the course of a week. It’s one of those features that’s easy to miss, but once you start using it, you won’t go back.