• Open Mail application
• What you'll see in Mail
• Create a new message
• Working with drafts
• Open a message in a separate window
• Folder list
• Search and built-in filters
• Message list
• Reading pane

Note: All the instructions below assume you are within the "Mail" application.

 Open Mail application

1. Log into Outlook on the Web (OWA).
2. Open the app launcher tool in the top left of your Outlook window and select Outlook as shown below.

   

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What you'll see in Mail

This is where you'll find your messages.

1. Create a new message by clicking New mail icon.
2. Search mail and people and folder list - The Search mail and people area allows you to search for specific messages. Use the folder list to traverse your folder structure. It may include other folders, such as Favorites and archive folders. You can collapse this pane by clicking the folder icon at the top. You can expand and collapse folders in this view by clicking the triangle icons next to the folder names.
3. The Message List is a list of the messages in the current folder or search result. Each entry in the list view has additional information, such as how many unread messages there are in a conversation, or if there's an attachment, flag, or category associated with any messages in the conversation. A conversation can have one or more messages. When a conversation is selected, you can delete it, add a flag, or add a category by clicking the icons. At the top of the list view are filters that you can click to quickly find messages that are unread, that include your name in the To or the Cc line, or that have been flagged. In addition to the filters, you'll see the name of the folder you're viewing and the view that you've selected.
4. Reading pane allows you to view message content or respond to selected messages. 

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Create a new message

To create a new message:

1. Click New mail icon above the folder list. A new message form will appear in the reading pane.
2. To add recipients, you can type the name of anyone who is in your contacts folder or organization's address list, or you can type the email address in the To or cc field. The first time you enter a particular person's name, Outlook on the web searches for that person's address. In the future, the name will be cached so it will resolve quickly.
3. Add a subject.
4. Type the message you want to send.
5. To add an attachment, click Insert at the top of the new message screen and browse to the file you want to attach.
6. When you're done and your message is ready to go, click Send.

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Working with drafts

If you can't finish writing a message right away, or want to wait a bit before you send it, you can click away from it and come back to it later to finish it. Outlook on the web automatically saves your message as you create it and adds it to your drafts folder. When you're ready to send your message:

1. Find the Drafts folder in the folder list and click on it.

   

2. Click on the message you were working on to see it in the reading pane.
3. After you have made the desired changes, click Send.

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Open a message in a separate window

By default, you read and create messages in the reading pane, but that isn't always what you need. Sometimes you need to be able to view a message in a separate window.

When you're composing a new message or replying to or forwarding a message that you've received, you can pop it out into a new window by clicking the pop out icon located in the upper corner of the message.

To open a message that you're reading in a separate window, click the extended menu icon "..." and select 'open in separate window'.

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Folder list

The folder list will show the default folders that are created for all mailboxes, plus any folder that you create. Depending on the setup in your organization, you may also see Favorites and Archive folders.

You can close the folder list by clicking the left arrow icon at the top of the list. Click any folder in the list to view its contents.

You can right-click any item in the folder list to see a menu of things you can do that will affect folders--such as create a new folder, delete an existing folder, or empty the Deleted Items folder.

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Search and built-in filters

You'll find a search window at the top of the folder list.

• To search for specific items, enter the desired search string--a list of suggestions will appear underneath, and you can click on one of those to search for that item. Or you can finish entering your own search and then press Enter to start your search. To clear your search, click the "X" icon at the right of the search window.

  

• The built-in filters -- all, unread, to me and flagged, are a way to quickly choose what to display in the message list. "All" shows all messages, "Unread" shows message that haven't been marked as read, "To me" shows all messages where your name appears in the To or Cc list, "Flagged" shows all messages that have been flagged.

  

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Message list

The message list shows the messages in the current folder. The messages displayed can be managed by selecting a filter or using search. The message list has tools to let you take care of some tasks quickly.

• By selecting icons at the right of the message list, you can delete a message or conversation, or add a flag. Other icons will show you which messages have attachments, importance of (high or low), and how many unread items there are in a conversation.
• By right-clicking a message, you can see a menu of options, such as mark a message read or unread, move it to another folder, or create a rule based on that message.
• By clicking the triangle to the left of a message, you can expand a conversation to see all messages in that conversation.
• Use the drop-down arrow at the top of the message list to select the "Sort By", "Sort Order", or "Conversations" mode you want to view your messages in.

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Reading pane

The reading pane is where messages are displayed. Not only can you read messages in the reading pane, you can respond to them without opening a new window (as seen down below) . By default, it appears to the right of your screen.

• Select REPLY, REPLY ALL or FORWARD at the top of a message to respond to it. A blank message will appear in the reading pane at the top of the conversation.
• Use "Mark as read" and "Mark as unread" to change the read status of a message.
• View a menu of more options by selecting the extended menu icon, "...".
• The reading pane appearance can be managed by going to Settings (gear icon) | Options | Mail | Layout | Reading pane.

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