What Are Outlook Email Templates and Why Use Them?

Сreating templates and other Outlook tricks can really save you time each day as you sift through your messages to respond to everyone.

💡 Outlook email templates are pre-created email drafts that you can make and save within any version of Outlook (except the mobile app). You can use these for a more elaborate message that you may send to potential clients when they reach out to you.

Regardless of the reasoning behind your desire, Outlook templates help maintain consistent tone, branding, and accuracy across emails, ensuring every message aligns with professional and organizational standards.

📌 Pro tip: While templates can save you from retyping the same messages, they’re just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to managing your inbox efficiently. The Clean Email app can help you go further by automatically organizing incoming messages, unsubscribing from unwanted senders, and setting up rules that keep your inbox clutter-free, so your templates are stored in a tidy, well-managed mailbox.

➡️ Try Clean Email for free to keep your Outlook inbox neatly organized, clutter-free, and effortless to manage.

Clean Email dashboard showing six tool tiles for inbox cleaning, with a sidebar for navigation

How to Create Templates in Outlook

Figuring out how to add templates to Outlook may seem quite complicated. Unlike most other email services, Outlook runs several different setups that all operate a bit differently. Therefore, you’ll need to know whether you are using the web app or the desktop client before adding templates to Outlook.

To create an email template in Outlook.com (on web), follow these steps:

Navigate to https://outlook.live.com/ and login to your account.
To create an email message, click on New mail in the upper left of the page, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + N.

Outlook.com inbox view with the “New mail” button highlighted in blue and yellow. Instructions above explain creating a new email by clicking “New mail”

When the message window opens, look for Apps (square button) in the top ribbon (can be under Message or Insert tab) and select My Templates.

Outlook.com message window with the “Message” tab selected, showing the “Apps” icon in the ribbon. A panel displays the “My Templates” option for quick email template access

💡 Note: If you have not already enabled My Templates, you will be prompted to do so before you can create a template.

Click + Template.

Outlook’s My Templates panel open on the right side of the email compose window, showing preset templates like “I’ll reply later” and “I’m running late,” with a highlighted “+ Template” button to add a new one

From here, a new dialog box will open for you to title and type your template.
When you finish setting up your template, press Save.

💡 Note: This method only works for the web application. It does not work for Outlook mobile.

How to create a template in Outlook desktop email client

If you prefer the classic desktop version of Outlook for Windows, here’s how to save an email template:

Navigate to the Home menu, then select New E-mail.

Outlook desktop client’s Home menu with “New Email” highlighted for creating a new message

When the message dialog box opens, format your message.
When you finish, go to File.

Open email draft in Outlook desktop client with “File” tab highlighted for saving as a template

Choose the Save As option. When the Save As menu opens, select Outlook Template as the type.

Outlook “Save As” dialog with “Outlook Template” selected as the file type in the Outlook desktop client

In the box labeled File Name, create a name for your email template.
Click Save.

How to Use Outlook Templates

Once you’re done creating email templates in Outlook, it’s time to start using them. Once again, though, the directions on how to access these templates vary based on the version of Outlook you are using.

If you are using the web app (Outlook.com), it’s very easy to access your pre-created templates. To do so, simply:

Navigate to https://outlook.live.com/ and log in to your account.
Click on New mail in the upper left of the page.

When the message box opens, find Apps (square button) in the top ribbon, and choose My Templates.

When the My Templates list opens, you will see all of the templates you have created. Click on the one you’d like to use.
Make any necessary changes, then prepare the message to send.

⚠️ Reminder: Don’t forget to add the necessary email address(es) in the To box and add a subject line to your message!

When everything is ready, press Send.

How to use a template in the Outlook desktop email client

Unfortunately, using your pre-formatted templates isn’t as easy if you’re using the classic desktop version of Outlook for Windows. Nonetheless, you can still access them by following these steps:

Open your Outlook email client.
Click New Items → More Items → Choose Form.

The Home tab is open in Outlook desktop client for Windows. The cursor is on the New Items button in the ribbon, revealing a dropdown menu where More Items → Choose Form is highlighted, guiding the user to locate saved templates

In the Choose Form dialog box, in Look In, click User Templates in File System. This will open in the default templates folder.

The Choose Form dialog box is open in Outlook desktop client for Windows. In the Look In dropdown menu, User Templates in File System is selected, displaying the folder where personal email templates are stored

💡 Note: If you saved your templates in a different folder, you will need to select Browse and find the folder before moving to the next step.

Select the template you are looking for, then click Open.

Inside the Choose Form dialog box in Outlook desktop client for Windows, a template is highlighted. The Open button is visible, indicating the next step to load the template for editing and sending

Make any changes and make sure to enter the appropriate mail addresses, then press Send.

How to Edit Templates in Outlook

Unlike Gmail, Outlook actually allows you to edit your email templates for Outlook at any time.

If you’d like to do so in the web app, simply repeat the steps to access the Outlook templates, described above:

Open Outlook.com and click New mail → Apps → My Templates.
When your templates list opens, hover over the template you’d like to edit. You will see an option to Delete (trash can) or Edit (pencil + paper). Click Edit.

Outlook.com with My Templates panel open; highlighted template shows Edit icon

You can now make changes to the template title or text. When you’re done, press Save.

💡 Note: These directions are mostly the same for those wanting to know how to delete Outlook templates. Instead of selecting Edit in Step 3, you will just press Delete.

If you want to edit a template through the classic desktop application, access your Outlook templates as described above:

Open your client application and choose New Items → More Items → Choose Form.
In the Choose Form dialog box, in Look In, click User Templates in File System.

💡 Note: If you saved your templates in a different folder, you will need to select Browse and find the folder before moving to the next step.

Select the template you are looking for, then click Open.
Now, you will make any edits you’d like to the email, but do not press send.
Instead, select Save As → Outlook Template.

Save just as you would with a new template.
When you press Save, you will be asked if you want to override the previous version. Select Yes.

Outlook desktop client Save As window showing an email template being saved, with a confirmation prompt asking to replace the existing file

Let Clean Email Optimize Your Outlook Experience

Although creating templates can help you as you learn how to optimize Outlook, it isn’t a total solution. What you really need is an inbox management tool that will help you clear away the clutter and organize all of your messages so you can save even more time — and Clean Email is just that tool.

💡 Note: With Clean Email, you can manage emails and organize your inbox if you’re using the Outlook.com email service provider (or any other mail provider with IMAP). The app doesn’t directly synchronize with the email accounts you have in your desktop Outlook email client.

In fact, Clean Email offers a lot of handy features that can help you really organize your inbox to its fullest potential and even reach the Outlook Inbox Zero. For example, the Unsubscriber tool lets you unsubscribe from newsletters and marketing messages with just a few simple clicks.

You can also change where new messages appear and send them to dedicated Read Later folders so they aren’t clogging your main inbox.

Clean Email’s All Mail view with a sender’s settings menu open, highlighting the option to “Deliver to Read Later” to move messages out of the main inbox

Similarly, the Auto Clean feature helps remove labor off your plate by automating email tasks you typically do on a daily basis. To set this up, you simply create a new Auto Clean rule by selecting the emails you want to manage, choosing your preferred action (such as archive, move, star, or delete), and saving the rule within the Clean Email app.

Clean Email’s Auto Clean setup screen showing selected emails, the “Create Rule” button, and a dropdown to choose actions such as archiving messages automatically

Clean Email includes several other helpful features as well that make you use all of the email management best practices that experts recommend for increased productivity. You can access all of these tools not only in the web app, but also on Mac desktop, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices, making it easy to stay productive no matter where you manage your inbox.

Best Practices for Email Communication

Using email templates in Outlook isn’t just about saving time, it’s also about improving the quality and consistency of your communication. Here are some best practices to help you get the most out of your email templates:

Define the purpose: Before you create a template in Outlook, think about what it’s for and who it’s for. Is it for client outreach, internal update, or customer support? Tailor your message template accordingly.
Customize as needed: While templates are designed to save time, don’t forget to personalize each email message before sending. Add specific details or adjust the message body to fit the recipient and context.
Access templates efficiently: To use a saved email template in Outlook, go to New Items → More Items → Choose Form, then click User Templates in File System. Select the template you need, make any necessary edits, and send your message.
Keep templates up to date: Regularly review your user templates to ensure they reflect your current needs and branding. Edit outdated templates or remove those you no longer use.
Save templates in accessible locations: If you work in a team, consider saving templates in a shared folder or cloud storage, so everyone can access the latest versions. Use the Save As feature to save your email template in a different folder if needed.

By following these best practices for creating and using email templates in Outlook, you’ll optimize your workflow, reduce errors, and ensure your communications are always professional and effective.

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Outlook Email Templates - FAQs

Can you create email templates in Outlook?

Yes, you can easily create Outlook templates just as you can in Gmail and other email services.

How do I access Outlook templates?

You can access your email templates in Outlook in several different ways. However, most people utilize the "My Templates" section or create a ribbon shortcut to access them.

What is the fastest way to create a template in Outlook?

The easiest way to create new templates is by composing a new message, then going through the steps to save that email as a template.

Where is my Outlook templates folder?

If you are saving your templates to your computer, they are likely stored in the default location where all Microsoft templates are stored. On a PC, you can find them by searching for %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates\

How do I manage email templates in Outlook?

Unlike Gmail, it’s fairly easy to manage your email templates for Outlook. You just need to select Open Templates, then you can see all the existing templates, make edits, or delete templates you no longer need.

How To Create And Use An Outlook Email Template