12. Manage window elements
In this chapter
Personalize the Outlook app window
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Customize user interface fonts
Practice files
No practice files are necessary to complete the practice tasks in this chapter.
The Outlook user interface has a default configuration that is suitable for the way that most people interact with it, but you have many options for configuring the appearance and arrangement of the app window elements to suit your preferences.
You can modify window elements to free up screen space or to gain efficiencies based on the specific functions you perform when working in Outlook. You can change the size of the Folder Pane, put frequently used commands at your fingertips by adding them to the Quick Access Toolbar, hide ribbon tabs that you don’t use, or centralize the commands that you do use on a custom tab.
You can take things a step further and customize the fonts that are used in the module panes. You can change the basic font for all the content in a specific module view, or specify a font treatment for items that meet specific conditions.
This chapter guides you through procedures related to personalizing the Outlook app window, customizing the Quick Access Toolbar, customizing the ribbon, and customizing the user interface fonts.
Personalize the Outlook app window
In Chapter 1, “Outlook 2016 basics,” I discussed the four primary areas of the Outlook 2016 app window in which you work with Outlook items: the Folder Pane, content area, Reading Pane, and To-Do Bar. Throughout this book you’ve worked with email messages, appointments, contact records, and tasks in each of these areas and experienced some of the ways in which you can modify the display of the window elements.
You might find that the default arrangement of these areas is ideal for the way you work. But if you view the app window on a low-resolution screen, don’t need all the available tools, or would like more space for the main work area, you can easily change the appearance and layout of the workspace of each of the app window elements.
You manage the display of most window elements from the View tab of the ribbon. Your preferences are preserved from session to session. When you restart Outlook, the app window elements will appear the same way they did when you last exited the app.
See Also
For information about managing the People pane, see “Display message participant information” in Chapter 3, “Send and receive email messages.”
You can configure the layout of the Folder Pane, Navigation Bar, Reading Pane, and To-Do Bar by using commands in the Layout group of the View tab of the ribbon. You can also work directly from each element.
Layout commands are the same on the View tab of any module
Configure the Folder Pane
You can increase the space available for the content pane by hiding or minimizing the Folder Pane. The minimized Folder Pane is a vertical bar on the left side of the app window. It displays buttons for the folders that you designate as favorites, and you can pop it out temporarily to access other folders. When the Folder Pane is open, a section at the top of the Navigation Pane displays links to the favorite folders.
The minimized and temporarily expanded Folder Panes
By default, the Favorites section contains links to the Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, and Deleted Items folders of your primary email account. You can add and remove folders from the section, or you can hide the section.
To hide or display the Folder Pane
1. On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Folder Pane button, and then do either of the following:
• To hide the Folder Pane, click Off.
• To display the Folder Pane at its standard width, click Normal.
To change the Folder Pane width
1. Point to the right border of the Folder Pane.
2. When the cursor changes to a double-headed arrow, drag the border to the left or right.
To work from a minimized Folder Pane
1. To display the Folder Pane as a vertical bar on the left side of the app window, do either of the following:
• At the top of the Folder Pane, click the Minimize the Folder Pane button.
• On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Folder Pane button, and then click Minimized.
Buttons on the minimized Folder Pane give you one-click access to the folders included in your Favorites list.
2. To temporarily display the Folder Pane content, at the top of the minimized Folder Pane, click the Expand the Folder Pane button.
3. To return to the standard Folder Pane width, click the Expand the Folder Pane button, and then in the upper-right corner of the temporary pane, click the thumbtack.
To work with favorite folders
1. Do any of the following:
• To display or hide the Favorites section of the Folder Pane, click Favorites in the Layout group on the View tab.
• To add a folder shortcut to the Favorites section, right-click the folder in the Navigation Pane, and then click Show in Favorites.
• To move a folder shortcut within the Favorites section, drag the folder name.
• To remove a folder from the Favorites section, right-click the folder, and then click Remove from Favorites.
Configure the Navigation Bar
The default Navigation Bar is at the bottom of the Folder Pane. It displays buttons that link to the four primary Outlook modules, and an Options button that gives you access to other modules. Alternatively, you can display the Navigation Bar across the bottom of the app window, just above the status bar, with text labels instead of buttons. In either format, you can display from one to eight module links, and specify their order.
The full Navigation Bar displaying five reordered links
To configure the Navigation Bar
1. To open the Navigation Options dialog box, do either of the following:
• On the Navigation Bar, click the Options button (...), and then click Navigation Options.
• On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Folder Pane button, and then click Options.
Specify the form and content of the Navigation Bar
2. In the Navigation Options dialog box, do any of the following:
• To configure the Navigation Bar to span the app window above the status bar and display module links as names, clear the Compact Navigation check box.
• To configure the Navigation Bar as part of the Folder Pane and display module links as buttons, select the Compact Navigation check box.
• To display more or fewer module links, enter or select a number (from 1 to 8) in the Maximum number of visible items box.
• To change the order of the module links, in the Display in this order pane, click a module that you want to move. Then click the Move Up or Move Down button. The Navigation Bar displays the module links from left to right in the order they appear in the pane from top to bottom.
3. Click OK to apply your changes, or click Reset to return the Navigation Bar to its default settings.
Display module peeks
In either Navigation Bar configuration, you can “peek” at the current content of the Calendar, People, or Tasks module by pointing to the module link or button. The Calendar peek displays this month’s Date Navigator and today’s appointments, the People peek displays the contacts you’ve saved as favorites and a search box, and the Tasks peek displays your upcoming tasks and a new task entry box.
Peeks give you a look at current info without changing modules
If you want to have the information available all the time, you can dock one or more peeks to the right side of the app window in a pane called the To-Do Bar. You can display and configure the To-Do Bar for each individual module.
Pin peeks to the To-Do Bar for easy access
To display peeks
1. On the Navigation Bar, point to (don’t click) the Calendar, People, or Tasks button or link.
To pin peeks to the To-Do Bar
1. Do either of the following:
• Display the peek that you want to add to the To-Do Bar. In the upper-right corner of the peek, click the Dock the peek button.
• On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the To-Do Bar button, and then click any inactive peek to pin it to the To-Do Bar. (A check mark indicates a pinned peek.)
If the To-Do Bar isn’t already open, pinning a peek displays it. Peeks are displayed on the To-Do Bar in the order that you add them. To change the order, remove all peeks other than the one you want on top, and then select other peeks in the order you want them.
To remove peeks from the To-Do Bar
1. Do either of the following:
• On the To-Do Bar, in the upper-right corner of the peek, click the Remove the peek button (the X).
• On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the To-Do Bar button, and then click any active peek to remove it from the To-Do Bar.
Important
Changes you implement might make your Outlook window appear different from those shown in this book. I depict the Outlook window with the Folder Pane open, the compact Navigation Bar, the Reading Pane displayed on the right side of the window, and the To-Do Bar off except when they are used in a procedure.
To hide the To-Do Bar in the active module
1. On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the To-Do Bar button, and then click Off.
Tip
You configure the To-Do Bar content and presence for each individual module.
To resize the To-Do Bar or its content
1. Do either of the following:
• To change the width of the To-Do Bar, point to the left edge of the To-Do Bar, and when the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow, drag to the left or right.
• To change the height of a peek, point to the separator between two peeks, and when the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, drag up or down.
Configure the Reading Pane
The Reading Pane displays the content of the currently selected item. You can display the Reading Pane on the right side or bottom of the content area, or close it entirely. It is most often used in the Mail module, but you can configure it as you like individually in any module.
To display or hide the Reading Pane
1. On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Reading Pane button, and then do one of the following:
• To display the Reading Pane to the right of the content area, click Right.
• To display the Reading Pane below the content area, click Bottom.
• To hide the Reading Pane, click Off.
To resize the Reading Pane
1. Do either of the following:
• When the Reading Pane is open on the right side of the app window, point to its left edge.
• When the Reading Pane is open at the bottom of the app window, point to its top edge.
2. When the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, drag the left edge left or right, or the top edge up or down.
To configure Reading Pane functionality
1. On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Reading Pane button, and then click Options to open the Reading Pane dialog box.
Single key reading advances the content of the Reading Pane
2. In the Reading Pane dialog box, select or clear the check boxes to configure the reading functionality the way you want it.
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
The commands you use to control Outlook are available from the ribbon, located at the top of the app window and in each Outlook item window. As you use Outlook, you will become familiar with the locations of the commands you use most frequently. To save time, you can place frequently used commands on the Quick Access Toolbar, which is located, by default, in the upper-left corner of the app window. To save even more time, you can move the Quick Access Toolbar from its default position above the ribbon to below the ribbon, to lessen the distance from the content you’re working with to the command you want to invoke.
Outlook has separate Quick Access Toolbars for the app window and each item type window. In the app window, the default Quick Access Toolbar displays the Send/Receive button and the Undo button. In the individual item windows, the default Quick Access Toolbar displays the Save, Undo, Redo, Previous, and Next buttons.
You can add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar directly from the ribbon, or from the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
The Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box
You can display a list of commands that do not appear on the ribbon by clicking Commands Not In The Ribbon in the Choose Commands From list on the Quick Access Toolbar or Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
You can customize the Quick Access Toolbar in the following ways:
You can add any command from any group of any tab, including any tool tab, to the toolbar.
After you add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar, you can reorganize them and divide them into groups to simplify the process of locating the command you want.
If you want to start over, you can reset the Quick Access Toolbar to its default configuration.
Tip
The settings on the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box apply to the app window or to the item window, depending on where you were working when you displayed the page.
As you add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar, it expands to accommodate them. If you add a lot of commands, it might become difficult to view the text in the title bar, or all the commands on the Quick Access Toolbar might not be visible, defeating the purpose of adding them. To resolve this problem and also position the Quick Access Toolbar closer to the file content, you can move the Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon.
Tip
Even though most commands are now available on the ribbon, you can still invoke many commands by using keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see Appendix B, “Keyboard shortcuts.”
To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar from the ribbon
1. Do either of the following:
• Right-click a command on the ribbon, and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar. You can add any type of command this way; you can even add a drop-down list of options or gallery of thumbnails.
• At the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button. On the menu of commonly used commands, click a command you want to add.
Commonly used commands are available from the menu
To display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box
1. Do any of the following:
• At the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button, and then click More Commands.
• Click the File tab and then, in the left pane of the Backstage view, click Options. In the left pane of the Outlook Options dialog box, click Quick Access Toolbar.
• Right-click any ribbon tab or empty area of the ribbon, and then click Customize Quick Access Toolbar.
To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar from the Outlook Options dialog box
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the Choose commands from list, click the tab the command appears on, or click Popular Commands, Commands Not in the Ribbon, All Commands, or Macros.
3. In the Choose commands from pane, locate and click the command you want to add to the Quick Access Toolbar. Then click the Add button.
To display a separator on the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the right pane, click the command after which you want to insert the separator.
3. Do either of the following:
• In the left pane, double-click <Separator>.
• Click <Separator> in the left pane, and then click the Add button.
To move buttons on the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the right pane, click the button you want to move. Then click the Move Up or Move Down arrow until the button reaches the position you want.
To move the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Do either of the following:
• At the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button, and then click Show Below the Ribbon or Show Above the Ribbon.
• Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box. In the area below the Choose commands from list, select or clear the Show Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon check box.
To reset the Quick Access Toolbar to its default configuration
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the lower-right corner, click Reset, and then click either of the following:
• Reset only Quick Access Toolbar
• Reset all customizations
3. In the Microsoft Office message box verifying the change, click Yes.
Important
Resetting the Quick Access Toolbar does not change its location. You must manually move the Quick Access Toolbar by using either of the procedures described earlier.
Customize the ribbon
Even if Outlook 2016 is the first version of the app you’ve worked with, by now you’ll be accustomed to working with commands represented as buttons or lists on the ribbon. The ribbon was designed to make all the commonly used commands visible so that people can more easily discover the full potential of the app. But many people perform the same set of tasks all the time, and for them, buttons (or groups of buttons) that they never use might be considered just another form of clutter.
If you don’t want to entirely hide the ribbon, you can modify its content. From the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box, you can control the tabs that appear on the ribbon, and the groups that appear on the tabs.
On this page, you can customize the ribbon in the following ways:
You can hide an entire tab.
You can remove a group of commands from a tab. (The group is not removed from the app, only from the tab.)
You can move or copy a group of commands to another tab.
You can create a custom group on any tab and then add commands to it. (You cannot add commands to a predefined group.)
You can create a custom tab. For example, you might want to do this if you use only a few commands from each tab and you find it inefficient to flip between them.
If you make changes to the ribbon configuration and don’t like them, you can easily reset everything back to the default configuration.
Important
Although customizing the default ribbon content might seem like a great way of making the app yours, I don’t recommend doing so. A great deal of research has been done about the way that people use the commands in each app, and the ribbon has been organized to reflect the results of that research. If you modify the default ribbon settings, you might end up inadvertently hiding or moving commands that you need. Instead, consider the Quick Access Toolbar to be the command area that you customize and make your own. If you add all the commands you use frequently to the Quick Access Toolbar, you can hide the ribbon and have extra vertical space for document display. (This is very convenient when working on a smaller device.) Or, if you really want to customize the ribbon, do so by gathering your most frequently used commands on a custom tab, and leave the others alone.
To display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box
1. Do either of the following:
• Display the Outlook Options dialog box. In the left pane, click Customize Ribbon.
• Right-click any ribbon tab or empty area of the ribbon, and then click Customize the Ribbon.
To permit or prevent the display of a tab
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize the Ribbon list, click the tab set you want to manage:
• All Tabs
• Main Tabs
• Tool Tabs
3. In the Customize the Ribbon pane, select or clear the check box of any tab. (The File tab isn’t included in the tab list, because you can’t hide it.)
To remove a group of commands from a tab
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize the Ribbon list, click the tab set you want to manage.
3. In the Customize the Ribbon pane, click the Expand button (+) to the left of the tab you want to modify.
4. Click the group you want to remove, and then in the center pane, click the Remove button.
To create a custom tab
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. Click the tab after which you want to insert the new tab.
3. On the Customize Ribbon page, click the New Tab button to insert a new custom tab below the active tab in the Customize The Ribbon pane. The new tab includes an empty custom group.
Creating a new tab and group
To rename a custom tab
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize the Ribbon pane, click the custom tab. Then click the Rename button.
3. In the Rename dialog box, replace the existing tab name with the tab name you want, and then click OK.
To create a custom group
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. On the Customize Ribbon page, in the right pane, click the tab you want to add the group to. Then click the New Group button to add an empty custom group.
1. Click the custom group, and then click the Rename button to open the Rename dialog box in which you can specify an icon and display name for the group.
Assign an icon to label the group button when the group is narrow
2. In the Rename dialog box, do the following, and then click OK:
• In the Display name box, replace the current name with the group name that you want to display.
• In the Symbol pane, click an icon that you want to display when the ribbon is too narrow to display the group’s commands.
To add commands to a custom group
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize the Ribbon list, expand the tab set you want to manage, and then click the group you want to add the commands to.
3. In the Choose commands from list, click the tab the command appears on, or click Popular Commands, Commands Not in the Ribbon, All Commands, or Macros.
4. In the left list, locate and click the command you want to add to the group. Then click the Add button.
To reset the ribbon to its default configuration
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. In the lower-right corner, click Reset, and then click either of the following:
• Reset only selected Ribbon Tab
• Reset all customizations
Customize user interface fonts
As screen resolutions increase and screen sizes decrease, it gets harder to read on-screen content. It hadn’t occurred to me to do anything about it until a Canadian colleague showed me that he had increased the size of his Folder Pane font. You can’t modify the Folder Pane font anymore, but you can modify the font of the module content, and of items that meet specific criteria. This has been a great favorite of my onsite training clients, and you might like it too.
You can change the font used in the message list of the Mail module. You can set the fonts for all items, or for items that meet specific criteria.
You can change the font color for unread messages
You can also change the fonts of the row and column headings in table-style views.
A custom column heading font
You change the fonts of each module view independently, from the Advanced View Settings dialog box for that view.
You can change the default fonts for messages and column headings
To change the heading and body fonts for a table view
1. Display the module view that you want to customize.
2. On the View tab, in the Current View group, click View Settings to open the Advanced View Settings dialog box for the current module view.
3. Click the Other Settings button to open the Other Settings dialog box.
The default settings
4. Do either of the following to open the Font dialog box:
• To change the heading font, click the Column Font button.
• To change the body font, click the Row Font button.
The Font Style and Size options might differ from those in the standard Font dialog box
5. In the Font dialog box, set the font, font style, and font size that you want to use for the heading or body text in the current module view. Then click OK in each of the three open dialog boxes.
To change the font of all items or items that meet a specific condition
1. Open the Advanced View Settings dialog box for the module view you want to modify.
2. Click the Conditional Formatting button to open the Conditional Formatting dialog box.
3. Click the Add button to create a new rule, named Untitled, and activate the Condition button.
The rules are specific to the current module view
4. Replace the rule name with a descriptive name for your own reference, and then click the Font button.
5. In the Font dialog box, set the font, font style, and font size that you want to use, and then click OK.
6. If you want to apply the font to all items, click OK in each of the open dialog boxes and in the message box requesting confirmation that you want to apply the font to all items.
7. If you want Outlook to use the font only for items that meet specific criteria, click the Condition button to open the Filter dialog box.
Define the conditions that invoke the formatting rule
8. On the Contacts, More Choices, and Advanced tabs of the dialog box, define the conditions of the rule that applies the selected font formatting. Then click OK.
To reset a view to its default settings
1. Open the Advanced View Settings dialog box for the module view you want to reset.
2. Click the Reset Current View button, click Yes in the confirmation message box, and then click OK to close the Advanced View Settings dialog box.
Personalize the Outlook app window
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Customize user interface fonts
Personalize the Outlook app window
Start Outlook, display your Inbox, and then perform the following tasks:
1. Configure the Navigation Bar options to display the full-width Navigation Bar with the maximum number of module links, organized in the order that you’re most likely to use them.
2. Display the Calendar peek, and pin it to the To-Do Bar. On the Date Navigator, click a day next week to display that day’s schedule in the peek.
3. Display the People peek, click in the search box, and enter the name of someone you know is in your contact list. When the contact information appears in the peek, right-click it, and then click Add to Favorites to add the contact to the People peek.
4. Add the People peek to the To-Do Bar, and then click the name of the person you added in step 3 to display his or her contact information.
5. If necessary, resize the peeks on the To-Do Bar so there is sufficient space for the content of each.
6. Minimize the Folder Pane.
7. Temporarily expand the Folder Pane, and add a folder to the Favorites section at the top of the pane.
8. From the minimized Folder Pane, open the folder that you added to the Favorites section in step 7.
9. Display the Reading Pane on the right side of the window, and then on the bottom. Consider circumstances under which each location might be a good choice.
10. Configure the Navigation Bar, To-Do Bar, Folder Pane, favorite folders, and Reading Pane to suit the way you work.
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Display your Outlook Inbox, and then perform the following tasks:
1. Move the Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon. Consider the merits of this location versus the original location.
2. From the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu, add the Empty Deleted Items command to the Quick Access Toolbar.
3. Display the Calendar module. Notice that the Quick Access Toolbar is the same as in the Mail module because you’re still in the app window.
4. From the Home tab of the ribbon, add the following commands to the Quick Access Toolbar:
• From the New group, add the New Meeting command.
• From the Options group, add the Show As command.
Notice that the New Meeting command is presented on the Quick Access Toolbar as a button, and the Show As command as a list, just as they are on the ribbon.
5. Point to the commands you added to the Quick Access Toolbar and then to the same commands on the Home tab. Notice that ScreenTips for commands on the Quick Access Toolbar are identical to those for commands on the ribbon.
6. Display the People module. From the New group on the Home tab, add the New Contact command to the Quick Access Toolbar.
7. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box, and then do the following:
• In the Choose commands from list, click Commands Not in the Ribbon.
• From the Choose commands from pane, add the Options button to the Quick Access Toolbar.
• In the Customize Quick Access Toolbar pane, move the New Contact command above the New Meeting command.
• Insert separators before and after the New commands.
• Insert two separators before the Empty Deleted Items command (the first command you added to the default toolbar).
8. Close the Outlook Options dialog box and observe your customized Quick Access Toolbar. Note the way that a single separator sets off commands, and the way that a double separator sets off commands.
9. Redisplay the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
10. Reset the Quick Access Toolbar to its default configuration, and then close the dialog box. Notice that resetting the Quick Access Toolbar does not change its location.
Customize the ribbon
Display any Outlook module, and then perform the following tasks:
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
2. Remove the Send/Receive tab from the ribbon, and add the Developer tab (if it isn’t already shown).
3. Create a custom tab and name it MyShortcuts.
4. Move the MyShortcuts tab to the top of the right pane so that it will be the leftmost optional ribbon tab (immediately to the right of the File tab).
5. Change the name of the custom group on the MyShortcuts tab to Backstage, and select an icon to represent the group.
6. Create another custom group on the MyShortcuts tab. Name the group New Items, and select an icon to represent the group.
7. In the Choose commands from pane, display the commands from the File tab, and add the Account Settings and Automatic Replies commands from the pane to the Backstage group. Then display commands that aren’t in the ribbon, and add the New Office Document and New Recurring Appointment commands from the pane to the New Items group.
8. Close the Outlook Options dialog box and display your custom tab. Click each of the commands to observe what it does. Notice that you can now access all these areas of the app with one click.
9. Change the width of the app window to collapse at least one custom group, and verify that the group button displays the icon you selected.
10. Restore the app window to its original width and redisplay the Customize Ribbon page of the Outlook Options dialog box.
11. Reset the ribbon to its default configuration, and then close the dialog box.
Customize user interface fonts
Display the Tasks module in Detail view, and then perform the following tasks:
1. Change the column heading and body fonts to fonts of your choice, and observe the effect.
2. Switch to To-Do List view, and notice that the fonts in this view of the module were not affected.
3. Display the Mail module in Compact view.
4. Change the default font for all items to a font of your choice.
5. Create a conditional formatting rule to format the message list font of messages that were sent only to you in a different color. Save the changes and observe the effects.
6. Locate a message that has the conditional formatting you created in step 6. Open the message and notice that the module view rule doesn’t affect the font in the message window.
7. Reset the Compact view of the Mail module and the Detail view of the Tasks module to their default settings.