How to create email templates and canned responses in Outlook
Learn two ways to reuse emails in the Outlook desktop app: quick templates you can drop into any reply or new email, and full Outlook template files that already hold the subject, CC and BCC.
By Nur Islam- 6:53 video
- 8 steps
- 3.6K views
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If you answer the same questions or send the same meeting details every week, you are either retyping them or hunting for an old email to copy. Both waste time and lead to mistakes.
The first method uses View Templates in a new email. You save short text blocks with a title, then insert one into a reply or new message with a click. It is best for canned responses.
The second method saves a complete email as an Outlook Template (.oft) file. It keeps the subject, body, CC and BCC, so you only add the recipient. It works for new emails, not replies.
What you need
- The Outlook desktop app with a Microsoft 365 or Outlook account
- The text you send often (for example a project update reply or meeting invite details)
Step by step
0 of 8 done-
01
Open View Templates
In Outlook, create a new email. On the Message tab, look at the far right and click View Templates. A panel opens with a few sample templates and a + Template option.
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02
Add a template
Click + Template. In the title box, write a name that reminds you what it is for, for example
Reply to project update request. The title is only for you and is not added to the email. Type or paste the message below it and click Save.Add as many as you need. The video adds a project update reply and a Zoom meeting invite with the full meeting details.
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03
Use a template in a reply
Open the email you want to answer and click Reply. Click View Templates and select the template. Its text drops into the reply. Add anything personal, such as the person's name, and send.
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04
Use a template in a new email
Create a new email, click View Templates and pick the template. With this method you still type the subject and the recipient yourself.
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05
Build a complete email template
Create a new email and paste the body, for example your Zoom meeting invite. Write the subject line. Add any fixed CC addresses.
The BCC field is hidden by default. Open the Options tab and click Bcc to show it, then add the BCC addresses.
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06
Save it as an Outlook Template
Click File and select Save As. Set Save as type to
Outlook Template. The file name defaults to the subject, which you can keep. Choose a location, such as the desktop, and click Save. Close the draft. -
07
Send an email from the template
Double-click the
.oftfile. Outlook opens a new email with the subject, body, CC and BCC already filled in. Add the recipient, remove any CC or BCC you do not need this time, and send. -
08
Update the template
Open the template, change the subject or text, then use File and Save As again. Choose
Outlook Templateas the file type and save it over the old file. Using plain Save will not update the template file.
Tips and common problems
- The title of a View Templates entry is only a label for you. It does not appear in the email.
- View Templates works in replies and new emails, but you still type the subject. Use an
.ofttemplate when the subject, CC and BCC should always be the same. - BCC is hidden in a new email until you turn it on from the Options tab.
- When you edit an
.ofttemplate, always save with Save As and theOutlook Templatefile type. - These steps are for the Outlook desktop app. For New Outlook there is a separate video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4gN8UmO-9M
Which method should you use?
| View Templates | Outlook Template (.oft) | |
|---|---|---|
| Works in replies | Yes | No |
| Works in new emails | Yes | Yes |
| Saves subject | No | Yes |
| Saves CC and BCC | No | Yes |
| How to open it | Click View Templates in the email | Double-click the saved file |
Questions
How do I create a canned response in Outlook?
In a new email, go to the Message tab, click View Templates, then + Template. Give it a title, type the reply and save. In any reply, click View Templates and select it.
Can an Outlook template include the subject, CC and BCC?
Yes, if you save the whole email as an Outlook Template (.oft) file with File, Save As. Opening that file gives you a new email with the subject, CC and BCC already set.
Can I use an .oft template to reply to an email?
Not in this method. The .oft template opens as a new email. For replies, use View Templates.
