The following FAQ provides information to commonly asked questions about Outlook.

Contents

• How do I create a signature?
• How can I recover messages I've deleted?
• How can I add an attachment to an email I am sending?
• What attachment file types are restricted or blocked?
• What if I need to send a file that is on the blocked file types list?
• When I send a message with an attachment, why does the attachment icon appear in the body of the message?
• Where can I see my University of Chicago email and calendaring online when I don't have access to the Outlook application?
• What happened to distribution lists?
• Why won't Outlook send any messages?
• How can I recover deleted messages?
• How do I turn on automatic replies (formerly Out of Office Assistant)?
• If I have automatic replies turned on and someone schedules me in a meeting, do the meeting attendees get the auto-reply notification?
• How do I view a shared calendar on Windows and Mac?
• I want to let people know I'm busy when they look at my calendar, but I want to keep the contents of a specific meeting hidden. Is this possible?
• How can I prevent the publishing/searching of my free/busy information?
• How do I open someone's calendar to view free/busy times?
• What are my options when I get a meeting invitation?
• Do I have to accept a meeting for it to appear on my calendar?
• When you invite someone to a meeting, does the meeting appear as tentative on that person's calendar?
• What happens if I have a tentative appointment on my calendar and then I delete the email notification without accepting the appointment?
• What happens when I delete a meeting?
• Why am I not receiving email notifications when someone schedules me for a meeting?
• Can I set my calendar to display in other than 30-minute increments?

How do I create a signature?

See the following Microsoft Support articles to learn how to create an email signature:

• Create and add a signature to messages (Windows)
• Create and insert a signature in Outlook for Mac

Also please refer to UChicago's branding guidelines when creating your signature.

How can I recover messages I've deleted?

See the following Microsoft Support articles to learn how to recover deleted Outlook items, including deleted contacts:

• Recover deleted items in Outlook for Windows
• Recover a deleted contact in Outlook
• Video: Recover deleted contacts [1:03]

How can I add an attachment to an email I am sending?

See the following Microsoft Support articles to learn how to attach a file to an email:

• Attach files or insert pictures in Outlook email messages
• Attach a file or folder to a message in Outlook for Mac

What attachment file types are restricted or blocked?

See the Microsoft Support article Blocked attachments in Outlook for a complete list of blocked attachment types.

What if I need to send a file that is on the blocked file types list?

If your attachment is blocked because of file type, you have several options:

• Option 1: Rename the file so that the file type is not one on the blocked list. For example, rename myfile.exe to myfile.exx. Be sure to tell the recipient to change the file name back.
• Option 2: Compress the file using a file compression program such as WinZip or WinRAR. This option reduces email size and conserves email system resources. Ensure your recipients know how to uncompress the file.
• Option 3: Do not include the attachment via email. Instead, use a file-sharing service like UChicago Box to host the message and share it from there.

When I send a message with an attachment, why does the attachment icon appear in the body of the message?

If you select the rich text format, the attachment icon appears in the message itself, instead of in the message header.

Note: Many non-Outlook email clients display rich text format poorly or cannot read it at all, which is why this format is not recommended.

Where can I see my University of Chicago email and calendaring online when I don't have access to the Outlook application?

When you don't have access to your Outlook application, you can read emails at Outlook for the Web at portal.office.com. You can access Outlook on the Web with your CNetID and password. You may be prompted to complete the two-factor authentication process as well.

What happened to distribution lists?

Distribution lists are now called contact groups. See these Microsoft Support articles for more information:

• Create a contact list or distribution list in Outlook for Mac
• Create a contact group or distribution list in Outlook for PC

Outlook 2016 for Mac is designed to make sending and receiving email as simple as possible. It also features Calendar, People, and Tasks to facilitate communications and scheduling. If you have questions about how to perform certain functions or need to troubleshoot issues, this FAQ aims to provide answers and solutions.

Why won't Outlook send any messages?

First, ensure that you have installed all available Outlook updates, as well as any Apple software updates for your Mac. Installing these updates, even if they don't seem directly relevant, can often resolve the issue of not being able to send emails, especially if you are using Safari. If the problem persists, please refer to the following support articles from Microsoft:

• I'm not receiving email or other items in my Exchange account in Outlook for Mac
• I can't send or receive messages with Outlook 2016 for Mac

How can I recover deleted messages?

1. Check the Deleted Items folder for your messages.
2. Select the email(s) and drag them to your desired folder or your Inbox.
3. Right-click on the selected emails and choose Move to a folder, create a new folder, or copy the message to another folder.
   
4. If your messages are not in your Deleted Items folder, follow Microsoft's instructions for recovering deleted messages.

Tip: Keep your default permissions set to Free/Busy time. This allows others to see when you are busy if they try to invite you to a meeting, but will not allow them to see your calendar or what you're doing when you're busy. However, if you do not want this information available, select None.

How do I turn on automatic replies (formerly Out of Office Assistant)?

• Send automatic out of office replies from Outlook (Windows)
• Send automatic Out of Office replies from Outlook (Mac)
• Set up an automatic reply [video 3:23]

If I have automatic replies turned on and someone schedules me in a meeting, do the meeting attendees get the auto-reply notification?

Yes. The Out of Office auto-reply message will be sent.

How do I view a shared calendar on Windows and Mac?

• Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook
• Open a shared Exchange calendar in Outlook 2016 for Mac
• Open a shared Mail, Calendar, or People folder in Outlook for Mac

I want to let people know I'm busy when they look at my calendar, but I want to keep the contents of a specific meeting hidden. Is this possible?

Yes. See Make an appointment or meeting private for instructions.

How can I prevent the publishing/searching of my free/busy information?

This can be done by adjusting your permissions settings. Set your calendar so your free/busy information is private under calendar permissions.

Notes:

• A person with delegate access or permission to read your shared folders could view the contents of your private contacts and events by using other applications. To help protect your privacy, be sure to keep private items in a separate address book or calendar you don't share with anyone.
• When you synchronize your contacts and events, private items are synchronized and are visible to other people with whom you are sharing your contacts and events.

• This is not the recommended option if others need to schedule meetings with you.
• People given rights to your calendar can still see it, but they cannot do a free/busy search against it. If there are already appointments on your calendar before these settings are changed, those appointments will still be searchable. Entries added after the change will not be.
• These steps do not prevent someone from inviting you to a meeting.

How do I open someone's calendar to view free/busy times?

Unless you have delegate rights, Outlook does not have an option where you can open and view an individual's calendar (even though you can see the busy time blocks).

• Look up someone's schedule in Outlook for Mac
• Add another person's calendar to my calendar view
• Open and view multiple calendars

What are my options when I get a meeting invitation?

There are four options for you to choose from when you receive a meeting invitation:

• Accept—You have accepted the time and date for the meeting and it will appear in your calendar.
• Tentative—You have not firmly accepted the time and date for the meeting and can change your response via your calendar. This is the default.
• Decline—You have declined the time and date for the meeting and it will no longer appear on your calendar.
• Propose New Time—You can propose a new time and date, and an email with your proposed time and date will be sent to the original sender.

See the links below for additional information:

• Accept or decline a new meeting proposal in Outlook for Mac

• Propose a new meeting time in Outlook for Mac

• Propose a new meeting time in Outlook

Do I have to accept a meeting for it to appear on my calendar?

Not necessarily. Two cases will result in your meeting being placed on your calendar as tentative even if you don't accept it:

• If your Outlook Mail client is configured to display the Reading Pane, and you preview the meeting notification.
• The Reading Pane is turned off, but you open the meeting notification.

When you invite someone to a meeting, does the meeting appear as tentative on that person's calendar?

No. However, the invited person may inadvertently place it as Tentative themselves.

What happens if I have a tentative appointment on my calendar and then I delete the email notification without accepting the appointment?

If you delete the email notification before you accept the "tentative" appointment, it will also delete the appointment from your calendar.

What happens when I delete a meeting?

Although you can delete a meeting request directly from your Inbox, you should properly process the meeting request by either accepting or declining it.

• If you delete a meeting you created from your own calendar that has attendees, Outlook will prompt you to send an email cancellation to the other attendees.
• Always use the Remove from Calendar command to process meeting cancellations from your Inbox. Avoid processing meetings directly from the Calendar module.
• If you did not create the meeting, Outlook will prompt you to send a response to the organizer. If you do not, the organizer will not know you are no longer attending.

Why am I not receiving email notifications when someone schedules me for a meeting?

Any one of the following will prevent email notifications from being sent:

• You have added a Delegate and selected that requests should be sent to "My delegates only".
• Your calendar is set to auto-accept meeting requests.
• You have set Author permissions on your calendar, allowing someone to schedule a meeting directly on your calendar.

Can I set my calendar to display in other than 30-minute increments?

Yes. This Microsoft article explains how.