If there’s one thing that can speed up email writing, it’s a template. In Microsoft Outlook, you can create your own custom templates and reuse them. Whether you insert a template and send the email as is or make minor edits to it, the bulk of your message will be ready To Use This guide shows how to create, use, and edit email templates in Outlook on Windows, Mac, and the web.
How to create an email template in Outlook
It’s easier than you might think to create an email template in Outlook. Just type your message and save it as a template.
Create a template in Windows
- Open Outlook, go to the “Home” tab and select “New Email” on the left side of the ribbon.
- In the writing window that opens, type your message in the body of the email. Alternatively, also include a subject line and one or more recipients as part of the template.
- If you have a default signature that appears automatically, that will also be added to the template. However, this will display the signature twice. It will appear once in the template and again when you connect the email with the template. To avoid this, remove the signature from the template you create.
- When you’re done with your message, go to the “File” tab and select “Save As.”
- In the dialog box that appears, select “Outlook Template” in the “Save as type” drop-down list, then give the template a title in the “File Name” field.
- By default, Outlook templates are saved to:
c:usersyour_usernameappdataroamingmicrosofttemplates
. If you prefer to save it somewhere else, select the location.
- Click “Save”.
advice: To make it even easier, you can schedule your emails in Outlook.
Create a template on Mac
- Open Outlook on your Mac, go to the “Home” tab and select “New Email” on the left side of the ribbon.
- In the compose window, type your message in the body of the email and optionally include a subject line and recipients as part of the template.
- As with Windows, if you’ve set a default signature, you may want to remove it from the template so it doesn’t appear twice.
- When finished, select “File -> Save as Template” in the menu bar.
- In the dialog box, choose a location for the template, give it a name, add optional tags, and click “Save.”
Create a template online
- visit Outlook on the webLog in and select “New Mail” on the left.
- Do not enter a message in the new email box that appears. Instead, click “More Options” (three dots) on the right side of the toolbar and select “My Templates.”
- When the sidebar opens, click “Template” at the bottom to add a new template.
- Enter a title for the template, then add your message below. Select “Save”.
- When you’re redirected back to the main sidebar screen, you’ll see your new template listed.
How to use the Outlook email template
When you’re ready to use your email template, it only takes a minute to insert it into your message.
Use an email template in Windows
If you use Outlook on Windows, how it opens depends on where you saved the template.
Open a template from the default location
If you used the default Outlook location provided, you can open the template from within Outlook.
- Go to the “Home” tab, open the “New Items” drop-down menu and select “More Items -> Select Form”.
- In the Select Form window, select “File System User Templates” in the “Look In” drop-down list at the top.
- Select the template in the list below and click “Open”.
- You’ll see your template in the new email compose window. Edit the message, subject line or recipients, schedule it, or just send it on its way.
If you chose a different location to save your template than the default location, you will need to open your template differently.
Open a template from a selected location
- Open File Explorer, navigate to the location of your template, and then double-click the file to open it.
- The template will open in a new email compose window in Outlook, ready to use.
Use an email template on Mac
- When you’re ready to use your Outlook template on Mac, choose “File -> New” and select “Email from Template” in the menu bar.
- Navigate to the template, select it and click “Open”.
- You will see your template pop up in the new compose email window.
Use an online email template
- Select “New Mail”, click “More Options” on the right side of the toolbar and select “My Templates”.
- Select the template in the sidebar. You’ll see the template appear in the new message window and can close the sidebar.
- Add your recipients, make any necessary changes and send the email.
How to edit an existing template
If you want to make changes to a template you’ve created, it works just like making changes to a file, such as a Word document. Open it, edit it, and then save it to replace the existing template.
Edit a template in Windows
- Follow the steps above to open the template.
- With the template in the new email compose window, make your changes.
- When you are done making the changes, select “File -> Save As” from the menu and locate the template. Again, you must select “Outlook Template” in the “Save as type” drop-down list. Select the name of the template and select “Save”.
- You will be asked if you want to replace the existing file. Select “Yes” to replace the template with the new template.
You can open the template and use it as described earlier and see the changes you made.
Edit a template on a Mac
- Open the email template on the Mac as described earlier and make your changes. Select “File -> Save As Template” from the menu bar.
- Navigate to the template and select it, then click “Save.” When prompted, select “Replace” to replace the existing template with the updated template.
Edit a template online
- Open the “My Templates” sidebar as previously described and click the “Edit Template” icon (pencil and paper).
- Make your changes and select “Save”.
How to delete an Outlook email template
If you want to completely remove a template you’ve created in Outlook, you can do so in just a few steps.
Delete a template in Windows
- Open File Explorer and enter the default path in the box at the top or navigate to the location where you saved the template. Again, the default path is below, and you must replace “your_username” with your actual username.
c:usersyour_usernameappdataroamingmicrosofttemplates
- You should see your Outlook templates listed. Right click on the one you want to remove and select “Delete”. You won’t be asked to confirm this, so make sure you want to remove the template before clicking “Delete”.
Delete a template on Mac
Open “Finder” and navigate to the location where you saved the template. Right-click “Move to Trash” or drag the file to the “Trash” folder in your Dock. Again, you will not be asked to confirm this action.
Delete a template online
Open the “My Templates” sidebar and click the “Delete Template” (trash can) icon next to the template you want to remove.
Like the other platforms, you will not be asked to confirm.
Common questions
What is the Outlook email template file format?
By default, Outlook templates are saved with the extension .oft on Windows and .emltpl on Mac. For example, you’ll see your template file name displayed as “template.oft” in Outlook on Windows or “template.emltpl” on a Mac.
Can I include CC and BCC recipients in an email template?
You can add all recipients including CC and BCC recipients in an email template. This is useful if you send the same or similar message to the same people often.
Note that all recipients will be entered automatically each time you open the template. You can edit or remove them before sending the email if necessary. If you accidentally include the wrong recipients, you may be able to remember an email sent in Outlook, but this only works for the desktop app.
Why can’t I save a template in Outlook on the web?
Are you getting a message such as “Your template could not be saved. Please try again later.” When trying to save a template in Outlook on the web? Microsoft states that My templates feature is limited to 32 KB.
To fix this, you can delete an existing template and then add the new template or reduce the size of a new or existing template by removing content from it.
Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Sandy Writtenhouse.
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