How to Understand an Outlook Express Email Page

Outlook Express lets you write, reply to and forward email. Outlook Express also includes an address book and folders for easy organization. Follow these steps to utilize Outlook Express.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet access
• Outlook Express

The Menu Bar

1. Double-click the Outlook Express program icon on your desktop or click "Start" and find Outlook Express in the program menu.

2. To perform various functions, use the menu bar at the top of the Outlook Express screen. The menu bar includes the "File," "Edit," "View," "Tools," "Help" and "Message" menus.
   Click "File" to create, save or print emails, create new folders or import and export the address book.

3. Use "Edit" on the menu bar to make changes to individual emails. For example, if you want to copy an email, click "Edit," and then "Copy." Click "Find," and then "Message" to locate an email. Click "Delete" or "Empty the Deleted Items folder" to delete emails.

4. Click "View" to change the appearance of your Outlook Express page. You can sort emails by date, priority or subject. Click "Layout" on the "View" menu to change the setup or view of your whole page.

5. Use the "Tools" menu to send and receive emails, open the address book, change message rules, accounts or settings.

6. Click the "Message" menu to create, reply to or forward an email.

7. Use the "Help" menu to find information about the Outlook Express program as well as information on using the program.

The Toolbar

8. Click "Create Mail" or "Write Mail" to open a blank email.

9. Click "Reply" or "Reply All" to answer a specfic email.

10. Use "Forward" to send a received message to another person. The original email and any attachments will accompany the forwarded email.

11. Click the "Print" icon to print your email or a selected portion of it.

12. Use the "Delete" icon to delete a highlighted or selected email message.

13. Click "Send and Receive" to send an email you have just completed, or click "Send and Receive" to see if any email messages are arriving.

14. Click the "Addresses" icon on the Outlook Express toolbar to open your address book. The address book holds an alphabetical list of all your email contacts.

15. Use the "Find" button on the toolbar to find a message that you are searching for. The find tool will search through all of your Outlook Express folders until it finds the email you want.

The Folders List

16. View the "Folders List" at the upper left of the Outlook Express screen under the toolbars. The "Folder List" includes a list of email folders.

17. Click the "Inbox" to see all the emails that have arrived. Look at the right side of the screen to view all incoming email. The outbox displays any emails waiting to be sent.

18. View the "Sent" folder to see a list of all the email messages that you have sent to people. You can use this list to review any messages you emailed to others.

19. View the "Deleted" folder to see a list of email messages you deleted. You can empty this folder by clicking "Edit" then "Empty Deleted Items Folder" on the menu bar.

20. Save any emails you have not finished writing, in the "Drafts" folder by clicking "File," and then "Save" on the "Menu" bar. Click the "Drafts" folder to see the emails you are not done writing. Retrieve the emails you want to open and finish writing by double-clicking the email message in the "Draft" preview pane on the right of the screen.

21. View the "Contacts" list below the "Folder" list for an alphabetical list of all the email contacts in your address book.

[igiveup]

on 7/26/2009 Some of my inbox messages are hidden becaue a View has been applied...so it says. How do I correct this problem...I want to see all of my messages but when I hit key to show all messages they remain hidden until I reopen outlook express. Please help.