MOS Outlook Associate cheat sheet

Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is customized via File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar or the QAT drop-down arrow; items added there persist across sessions unless the profile is reset.

Backstage (File tab) holds account settings, Options, Import/Export, Cleanup Tools, and Manage Rules & Alerts; it replaces the older Office button menu.

The Navigation Bar (bottom of the folder pane) switches between Mail, Calendar, People, Tasks, Notes, and Shortcuts; shortcuts appear only when enabled in the Navigation Options dialog.

Compact vs. Normal view is set with View > Change View; Compact view stacks messages and shows fewer columns, while Normal view shows the full reading pane layout.

Search results are scoped by the search tab ribbon: Current Folder, Subfolders, All Mailboxes, or All Outlook Items; the scope changes which data stores are queried.

AutoArchive settings live in File > Options > Advanced > AutoArchive Settings; they apply per folder and control aging to an archive .pst file.

Delegates are granted via File > Account Settings > Delegate Access, with separate permission levels (Reviewer, Author, Editor) for calendar, inbox, and other folders.

Trust Center (File > Options > Trust Center) governs attachment blocking, macro security, and automatic download of pictures; changes require Outlook restart in some cases.

A profile bundles accounts and data files; multiple profiles are created in Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles and selected with 'Prompt for a profile to be used'.

Reply sends to the sender only; Reply All includes sender plus To/Cc recipients; Forward includes no original recipients and requires choosing new recipients.

Rules are created from Home > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts; a rule can be server-side (runs while Outlook is closed) only if all conditions and actions are server-supported.

Quick Steps bundle multiple actions (move, categorize, forward, mark read) into a single ribbon button; each Quick Step can be edited or reset to default.

Conditional formatting (View > View Settings > Conditional Formatting) changes font color for messages matching criteria such as From, Subject, or Sent To.

Conversation view groups related messages by thread; Conversation > Clean Up removes redundant earlier messages in a thread while keeping the latest.

Attachment blocking is controlled in Trust Center > Attachment Handler; Outlook blocks certain extensions by default and these cannot be overridden by the user alone.

Clutter and Focused Inbox are separate features; Focused Inbox splits the Inbox into Focused and Other tabs and is configured per mailbox.

Junk Email Options (Home > Junk > Junk Email Options) sets the protection level and Safe Senders, Safe Recipients, and Blocked Senders lists; Safe Senders can bypass filtering.

Sensitivity and encryption: Options > Encrypt sets an IRM/OME policy; Delay Delivery and Direct Replies To are in the Tags group on the message ribbon.

Calendar permissions (Reviewer, Author, Editor, Publishing Editor, Owner) are set in Calendar Properties > Permissions; each level grants a fixed set of read/write rights.

Shared calendars are added via Open Calendar > From Address Book or via Calendar Groups; delegate calendars appear under People's Calendars.

Recurrence patterns (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) are set in Appointment > Recurrence; 'End after N occurrences' and 'End by date' are mutually exclusive options.

Scheduling Assistant (Scheduling button) shows free/busy for attendees; the 'All Attendees' row and the suggested times list are only available when attendees are invited.

Meeting responses (Accept, Tentative, Decline, Propose New Time) update the organizer's tracking tab; the organizer can view responses under Tracking.

Calendar Groups combine multiple calendars into one view; the group itself does not merge data and each calendar retains its own permissions.

Time zones: Calendar > Time Zones shows a second time zone; an appointment's time zone is set in the appointment's Time Zones dialog and does not shift when the display zone changes.

Publish or share: Calendar > Share > Publish Calendar produces an ICS/HTML link with a permission level; Share Calendar sends an invitation to view a calendar.

Categorize appointments with color categories; the Calendar view can filter by category, and categories are shared across mail, contacts, and tasks.

A contact group (distribution list) is created in People > New Contact Group; members can be contacts, other groups, or one-off email addresses.

Contact folders are separate stores; the default Contacts folder is 'Contacts' and additional folders are created with Folder > New Folder under the People module.

Electronic business cards (vCards) are attached per contact in Contact > Details; the card image and vCard file are separate settings.

Mail merge from contacts uses Mailings > Mail Merge in Word with the Outlook Contacts folder selected as the data source.

Global Address List (GAL) entries are read-only in Outlook; changes must be made by the Exchange administrator, while local contacts are editable.

Contact linking associates a contact with items such as appointments or tasks; the linked items appear on the contact's Activities tab.

Suggested Contacts (or the recipient cache) stores addresses typed into messages; the cache is cleared via the X in the address field or by deleting the Suggested Contacts folder.

Sharing contacts uses Share Contacts (delegation) or Send as vCard; the recipient receives a copy, not a live link, unless a shared folder is used.

Search People supports name, company, and phone fields; the address book drop-down chooses among GAL, Contacts, and other address lists.

Tasks support Status (Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Waiting, Deferred), % Complete, Priority, Start Date, Due Date, and Reminder fields; Status and % Complete are linked.

Recurring tasks are set in Task > Recurrence; completing one occurrence creates the next occurrence based on the pattern.

Assigning a task sends a task request; the assignee becomes the owner and the assigner receives status updates only if the assignee sends them.

To-Do Bar and Tasks peek show flagged mail, tasks, and calendar items; flagged messages appear in the Tasks list with a due date.

Notes are stored in the Notes folder; notes can be categorized, assigned color, and forwarded, but they do not support reminders or due dates.

Task views (Simple List, Detailed List, To-Do List, Prioritized) change displayed columns; View > Change View switches among them.

Flagging a message with Follow Up sets a due date and reminder; the flag can be cleared or marked complete from the message or the To-Do Bar.

Task folders can be created under Tasks; tasks can also be moved to other folders, and the default Tasks folder is 'Tasks'.

Notes can be forwarded as attachments or as text; the note's color and category are set in the Note ribbon or via right-click.