Microsoft Outlook is a feature-rich email client, but have you ever wanted a feature that it doesn't have? There are many third-party tools available, both free and paid, that add functionality to Outlook or enhance existing functionality.
Today we will cover five tools for Microsoft Outlook desktop app Microsoft Outlook Web vs. Desk:Which is the best for you? Microsoft Outlook Web Vs. Desktop:Which is the best for you? Outlook.com is a powerful online email client that comes free with Office Online. But can Outlook on the web compete with its desktop counterpart? Our Outlook comparison will help you decide for yourself. Read More
OutlookTools is a free suite of tools for Outlook on Windows that provides quick and easy access to Outlook settings and data folders. You can also access some Windows tools in OutlookTools, such as Registry Editor and Event Viewer.
The OutlookTools window includes a menu on the left where you can access the various tools available.
the General screen displays information about your Outlook installation and some Quick Access Buttons that provide access to Outlook and Windows tools.
If you are having problems with a PST or Outlook OST data file How to Repair Your Outlook Inbox with Repair Tool How to Repair Your Outlook Inbox with Repair Tool Did you know that Outlook comes with a repair tool? to repair PST files? We'll show you how to use this and other troubleshooting steps for Microsoft Outlook. Read More button to scan the file. The Run ScanOst it is deprecated now because it is not compatible with Outlook. But the Run ScanPst The tool will work for OST files as well.
You can also Start Outlook in safe mode directly from the General screen, which is useful if you're having problems with Outlook.
The Folder Paths The screen provides quick access to the folders that Outlook uses to store data and settings. Most of these are for reference only, but you can open the folders directly from the Folder Paths screen.
There is a temporary folder that is used when opening attachments, which is located at the bottom of the window. You can empty this folder using the Empty folder button.
HowTo-Outlook, the company that makes OutlookTools, also makes a separate tool to manage the temporary attachments folder, which we'll look at next.
the Start Switches the screen lists all the available command line switches that you can use to start Outlook in specific ways. Mouse over each switch to learn what it does. For example, you can remove all names and email addresses from AutoComplete list when you start Outlook.
Once you select a switch, you can click Start Outlook to open Outlook using that switch. If you prefer to use the switch directly on the command line, click Copy command . Then open a command line window, paste the command into the command line and press Enter .
Outlook maintains multiple Most Recent Use (MRU) lists. About the Clear MRU screen, select your mail profile at the top. Then click a button to clear that list of MRUs in the selected mail profile.
Outlook includes a security feature that blocks attachments that could harm your computer with viruses or other threats. Certain types of files, such as EXE files, sent as attachments are automatically blocked. A blocked attachment remains in the email message, but you can't access it.
the Blocked Attachments The screen displays the types of files that are blocked by Outlook. You can find out what each extension is in the Microsoft support article on blocked attachments.
To unblock a file type, check the box for the desired type in the list.
Be careful what you unlock. Outlook blocks these types of files because they can pose a risk to your computer. When unblocking file types, be sure to trust the sender when receiving attachments of those types.
the Support guides The screen provides links to various Outlook support articles on the HowTo-Outlook website. The More tools The screen contains links to free and paid Outlook add-ins and tools.
OutlookTools is a free tool, but you can Donate to help the developer keep it up to date.
When you send an attachment or open an attachment in an email message, Windows stores temporary files. All these files hang in the temporary folder, taking up space. Your files are also accessible to anyone who gains access to your computer and temporary folder.
Windows stores these temporary files in a subdirectory in the Temporary Internet Files directory on your PC. There are many ways to remove temporary Internet files, but HowTo-Outlook creates a small free tool, called OutlookTempCleaner, just to remove temporary attachments stored by Outlook.
OutlookTempCleaner does the same as the Outlook uses the following temporary folder to open attachments feature under Folder Paths in OutlookTools, except that it also allows you to see the size of the Outlook temporary folder for attachments. Click on the Folder size button.
An information dialog will appear telling you how much space will be freed by emptying the temporary folder for attachments.
Email Insights is a lightweight search client for Outlook How to fix Outlook search not working properly How to fix Outlook search not working properly Have you ever experienced an error in Outlook search? If your Outlook search isn't working, don't panic. Just work through these troubleshooting steps. Read more and Gmail. Provides fast autocomplete and fuzzy name search, and automatically corrects spelling. Email Insight lets you search faster and presents search results sorted by time and relevance, making it easy to find the email you're looking for.
When you run Email Insights, the Account Selection displays the screen. Click panorama .
Then, in the next dialog box, select the account you want to search for.
Enter your search term in the search box. As you type, suggestions are listed below the search box. If you see your search term in the list, select it with your mouse or use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select the term you want.
press Enter or click the Search icon to perform the search.
You can also open additional tabs to perform multiple searches in the same window. Each tab is tagged with the search term for that tab.
Do you use Google and Outlook calendars? If so, are you looking for a way to keep the two calendars in sync? You can add your Google calendar to Outlook 7 ways to view Google calendar on your Windows desktop 7 ways to view Google calendar on your Windows desktop You don't have to use the default Windows calendar app. You have options! We show you seven Google Calendar hotspots available on your Windows desktop. Read More
Outlook Google Calendar Sync is a free tool that provides one-way and two-way synchronization between your Google and Outlook calendars. You can sync from Google to Outlook, Outlook to Google, or sync both ways, combining the two calendars. Event attributes such as subject, description, location, attendees, reminder events, availability, and privacy are synced. Only new attributes or attributes that have changed are updated.
When you open Outlook Google Calendar Sync, you need to choose the Outlook mailbox and Google calendar you want to sync. About the panorama tab, select Default Mailbox or Alternate mailbox and then select the mailbox you want to use. If you have more than one calendar for the selected mailbox, select the calendar you want to sync from Select Calendar the dropdown list.
Then click on Google tab, click Recover calendars , and select the email account that contains the calendar you want to sync from the Select Calendar the dropdown list.
You will be prompted to sign in to your Gmail account in your default browser. Click Allow in your browser when prompted to give Outlook Google Calendar Sync permission to access your calendar.
You will then be presented with a code that will allow Outlook Google Calendar Sync to access your Google calendar. Select the code, copy it, paste it in the Authorization code box in the Authorize Google Access dialog, and click OK .
Click the Sync Options and select an Address in the How section. Select whether you want to copy Google entries to Outlook or Outlook entries to Google. Or, you can sync entries in both directions, if you've entered items in both calendars separately.
Select the Date range under When , and Attributes to include under What . You can also change the way the app works in the Application Behavior tab.
Once you've chosen your settings, click Save .
To sync your calendars, click the Sync tab and then click Start Sync . The progress and the result are displayed in the Synchronize tab.
The next time you want to sync the same calendars, open Outlook Google Calendar Sync and click Start Sync . Your settings will stay the same if you saved them.
Stellar PST Viewer is a free tool that scans a corrupt Outlook PST file and allows you to view all items (emails, contacts, journals, calendars, tasks) in the file and save individual items or all items, in different formats. .
When running Stellar PST Viewer, select a PST file using the Select Outlook File button. You can also use the Find Outlook File to browse for a PST file. By default, PST files are in C:\Users\%username%\Documents\Outlook Files\ folder.
All your emails, contacts, journals, calendars, tasks are listed in a tree structure on the left side of the main window. You can select an item, right-click it, and select a format to save the item as.
Grammarly enables you to communicate more effectively by making your emails, documents, social media posts, and more clear, effective, and error-free.
Grammar flags possible problems in your text and suggests corrections for spelling, grammar, verbosity, style, punctuation. Grammarly explains the rationale for each suggested fix, letting you decide if and how you want to fix each issue.
Download the Office Add-in from the Grammarly site. You will first need to log in to your account. Then install the add-in in Outlook and Word, if you choose.
As you write a new email or reply to an email, Grammarly checks your message for various problems. Correction suggestions are displayed in a panel on the right side of the message window.
These are just some of the tools available for Outlook to help you improve your productivity. 3 Quick Productivity Tips Every Microsoft Outlook User Should Start Using 3 Quick Productivity Tips Every Microsoft Outlook User Should Start Using If Outlook is your email client of choice, here are a few simple yet effective tips that can help increase your productivity by a notch or two. Read more . We also offer some tips to help you improve your use of Outlook. 10 Quick Tips to Improve Your Outlook 10 Quick Tips to Improve Your Outlook Are you using Outlook to its full potential? Become an Outlook master with our selection of lesser-known tips and tricks and watch your productivity take off. Read more.
The Outlook desktop app is part of Office 365, which is not free. If you prefer to use a free email client, we have explored the best free alternatives. 3 Best free alternatives to Microsoft Outlook. 3 Best free alternatives to Microsoft Outlook. Do you find Outlook too expensive, too overwhelming, or just don't want to use it? a Microsoft product? You have options! We have compiled the best alternatives to Microsoft Outlook. Read More
What tools do you use with Outlook? Do you have any other helpful tips for using Outlook?