Composing Messages

Outlook for Mac

In this section, learn the basics of composing messages in the Outlook 2016 for Mac application.

Start a New Email Message

1. Ensure you are in the Mail module, then click the New Email button in the top-left corner of the Ribbon to begin composing a message.

2. This will open up a new message composition in a separate window. Format your message as you wish using the options available in the Ribbon of the message composition window. Click Send when you are finished composing your message.

Enter a Recipient Email Address / Find an Email Address

1. In the To... field you can begin typing a name or email address of someone from your contacts. You may then be provided with possible suggestions based on people you have emailed before. 

2. Select the person you are looking for, or hit Enter when done, and the name/email address will turn into an address bubble. 

Tip: Pressing the Check Names button in the Ribbon will allow you to check the names/addresses that you are typing to confirm they are real addresses.

3. To find a receipient using the Global Address List (GAL), you can click the address book button at the end of the To field to open the directory. You may also click the address book buttons at the end of the Cc and Bcc fields to open the directory.

4. You can then search the Global Address list to find the user you are looking for. Once you have found them, click the corresponding buttons at the bottom of the Search People window to place addresses into the To, Cc, or Bcc fields, respectively. You may add multiple users from this window if you wish. Close the Search People window when finished. 

Add an Attachment

There are various methods to add attachments to email messages. The attachment size is limited to 25 MB, however, this ultimately depends on how your email application encodes the message.

1. To add an attachment to your email message, click the Attach File button in the ribbon of the message composition window. 

2. Browse your computer's files in the window that appears. Once you have found the file(s), click Choose.

Note: You can also attach a file by dragging and dropping it from your desktop into the top section of the message composition window.