Learn Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is among the most widely used email services on the planet. If you’re ready to learn more about working with Outlook, you can find information below about using the email provider and app management software for communication along with optimizing use with functions and features for scheduling meetings and creating contacts. You will also learn more about integrating Outlook with Office applications available through Microsoft 365 for performing functions with tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. 

You will find information about online learning focused on basic functions, finding certification programs, or handling advanced features associated with Microsoft Outlook.

What is Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlookis among the most used email servers on the planet. However, Outlook provides more than email access. Outlook facilitates email communication, setting up contact lists for your organization, and using the calendar to organize business meetings and other events. It also serves as a web app manager that allows coordinating and integrating Microsoft Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for the workplace or personal use. Also, Microsoft Outlook does not share data collected for integrating Office applications within Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Outlook began as Hotmail in 1996 without any connection to Microsoft before the company purchased the email site and renamed it MSN Hotmail and eventually Windows Live Hotmail. The product became Outlook.com in 2012. As stated, Microsoft provides Outlook as the center for managing its software applications for mainly work settings and personal use. Outlook allows users to conveniently access the software needed for establishing an efficient working environment, allowing an organization to communicate through email or share content using the Web or the cloud through Microsoft 365. This includes sharing content from the Office software bundle that offers a variety of functions for word processing, building databases, organizing spreadsheets, or designing promotional material.

Read more about what Microsoft Outlook is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlook is mainly considered an email facilitator but also functions as an application manager for Office software programs provided through Microsoft 365. Outlook allows users to control emails using filters and folders, locate names in the address book, or schedule emails to respond automatically when the user is unavailable. Outlook also provides a calendar for organizing meetings, events, or project deadlines.

With being able to interface with other Microsoft Office applications, Outlook functions for tasks as wide-ranging as accounting, data entry, word processing, or presentations through access to software like Excel, Access, Word, or PowerPoint. Outlook provides an efficient tool for any workplace, academic institution, or home.

In addition to many using Outlook for their personal email, business corporations, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations use Microsoft Outlook for getting projects done in addition to email communication and organizing schedules. Outlook provides an assortment of features and functions for getting work done efficiently:

• Outlook offers a variety of options for sending, receiving, and forwarding emails, as well as navigating the inbox and folders.
• Outlook interacts with other Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Microsoft Outlook users can collaborate with coworkers by exchanging Microsoft Office content easily.
• Companies and organizations can share Outlook calendars among staff members to optimize collaboration in the workplace.
• Users can sync personal data using Microsoft Outlook on computers, smartphones, or tablets.
• Outlook allows entering information into the calendar that syncs with a variety of devices.
• Personal data can be integrated into Outlook, including virtual sticky notes, calendars, address books, and to-do lists.
• Microsoft Outlook can integrate with other online services and apps, including Uber, Google Play, Facebook, Yelp, Skype, Boomerang, and Evernote.
• Microsoft Outlook has font options for professional-looking formatting and various color themes.
• Users can set the Microsoft Outlook calendar for daily, weekly, or monthly schedules to keep track of important appointments and meetings.
• Users can send out meeting requests to people listed in their contact list through the calendar feature.
• Outlook also provides security features, including data encryption for a user's mailbox after sending an email.
• Premium Microsoft Outlook automatically deactivates unsafe links containing viruses, malware, or phishing scams and can recover important files from Microsoft OneDrive.
• Users can run Skype directly through Microsoft Outlook for online chatting in real-time.

Careers that Use Microsoft Outlook

While skills with Microsoft Outlook alone might not be enough to establish a career, knowledge of how to use the email server and app management software can help coordinate Office applications available through Microsoft 365, which Outlook anchors.

Training for Microsoft Outlook can help operate essential workplace functions more efficiently for businesses, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and countless other industries. Skills with Outlook are a vital element for many computer-related jobs. Microsoft Outlook is more than simply an email server and not only facilitates how workplaces communicate but integrates Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Excel to help individuals and organizations get work done everywhere. Improving skills with Microsoft Outlook can provide valuable skills for anyone working in any office or corporate setting by providing an essential element to computer literacy.

As stated, while possessing skills for Microsoft Outlook by itself cannot lead to any specific occupation, the email and software manager can help with supporting other skills for many work settings. Outlook is a necessary tool for any work that requires email communication, organizing calendars and contact lists, or managing projects and deadlines. While knowledge of how to effectively use Microsoft Outlook may not be enough to nail down a career, skill for using the software can get you set for more efficiently working any job.

Why Learn Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlook is a staple in workplaces worldwide and functions for personal communication. Outlook integrates with other Microsoft Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to perform tasks for word processing, presentations, data analysis, and basic email communication. Anyone working anywhere from a corporate office to an academic institution to a freelance agent working at home uses Microsoft Office to communicate in the workplace and organize workplace functions. Outlook provides a gateway for access to various Microsoft Office applications for composing, editing, saving, and uploading content to maintain an efficient working environment.

Learning more about Microsoft Outlook can help optimize your email inbox for home or work or integrate new contacts from an email you’ve received into your contact list. You can pick up tips more efficiently using Outlook to get projects done. Many use the calendar to set up events or to access an Outlook account from multiple devices, including a smartphone. Training may also help with using the Outlook calendar to help with organizing meetings or managing deadlines. These lessons can add up to more seamlessly integrating Outlook with other Microsoft Office apps, using those calendar features, or connecting with other features and applications, including using the cloud through Microsoft 365 or posting on social media platforms. 

Read more about why you should learn Microsoft Outlook.

How to Learn Microsoft Outlook

Training to improve skills for using Microsoft Outlook can help you with being able to integrate Microsoft Office applications to increase efficiency in the workplace. Because many people use Outlook as their email server, they may take the software application for granted due to their familiarity with day-to-day use. They may not feel that further training is necessary. However, Noble Desktop offers a variety of Microsoft Outlook courses that can fit your needs, whether workplace duties or personal projects. These courses provide expert instructors who teach in real-time for students eager to improve on skills with Outlook for organizing calendars or to-do lists, interfacing with Office applications like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, or managing contact lists along with other advanced functions. These courses include in-person classroom training that allows participants to interact with teachers or classmates, which is a benefit that can extend beyond the classroom. There are also live online Microsoft Outlook classes that provide essentially the same level of education you would get from sitting in a classroom without having to leave the comforts of home.

Noble Desktop provides other ways to improve skills with Microsoft Outlook, including options for on-demand training. Unlike live online courses, on-demand classes allow students to learn at their own pace and on their own time, avoiding the stress of conflict with work or other commitments. There are options for on-demand Microsoft Outlook training that provides beginners or advanced students with courses from various education providers. For example, Udemy’s Get Started with Microsoft Outlook provides step-by-step instructions for people with little to no experience with Microsoft Outlook or how it integrates with other Office applications. At the same time, ONLC Training Centers offers Outlook 2019 On-Demand: Comprehensive (Part 1 & Part 2) Course Outline, an on-demand self-study course that provides comprehensive training for Microsoft Outlook.

While many people would love the opportunity to understand using Microsoft Outlook to help get work done, they might need more time to enroll in a course. However, there are options for improving skills with Outlook or using email more efficiently. While Noble Desktop does not offer free tutorials specifically focused on training for Microsoft Outlook, the Noble Desktop YouTube channel, and other video outlets provide information and tips related to using email. Noble Desktop also offers free seminars that give students options for improving skills with email communication that can fit the time of their choosing, including the free Intro to Email Marketing seminar or the free Designing Responsive Email seminar. You can also find more options for training related to Microsoft Outlook by checking out Noble Desktop’s Learning Resources for Microsoft Office.

Read more about the full guide for how to learn Microsoft Office.

Free Introductory Microsoft Outlook Course Online 

If you don't feel ready to take on a fully loaded Microsoft Outlook training course, online education providers offer free or low-cost classes for learning skills with email software. For example, Udemy offers the relatively inexpensive Get Started with Microsoft Outlook that provides step-by-step instructions for people with little to no experience with Microsoft Outlook with training on how to use the application's essential email functions or how to integrate Office applications.

You can also find YouTube channels or other video outlets to pick up lessons on fundamentals for using Microsoft Outlook.

Read about more free Microsoft Outlook videos and online tutorials.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost 

Deciding to learn more about Microsoft Outlook will depend on an individual's ambitions or goals. Many people may not have considered improving their skills with Microsoft Outlook because they may not realize the potential of having firmer knowledge of this email and app management software. While it's clear that there will be a certain degree of difficulty with learning almost anything new, the fact that people use Outlook with other applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint should make them more comfortable about learning new functions.

Because many people may be complacent about using Microsoft Outlook, learning how to better integrate Office applications with Outlook can provide users with a better understanding of using related Microsoft software. This includes basic tasks like composing documents, analyzing data, or creating professional-looking presentations. Users may also benefit from becoming familiar with Outlook because it serves as the gateway for Microsoft 365, which provides a selection of Office applications for work or personal projects.

Read more about how difficult it is to learn Microsoft Outlook.

How Does Learning Microsoft Outlook Compare to Other Applications/Languages/Fields?

Because Microsoft Outlook is considered the industry-standard platform for email communication and scheduling for workplaces worldwide, many companies and educational institutions use the software to work seamlessly with Microsoft Office applications. However, the cost of subscribing to Microsoft 365 could be prohibitive for many individuals or organizations. Fortunately, there are free email alternatives to Outlook or less expensive and also compatible with Office applications.

If someone is looking for an alternative email server to Microsoft Outlook, Google offers Gmail, which is available free of charge. Gmail provides comparable functions to what you find with Outlook, including a calendar for scheduling meetings and appointments, access to Google Meet, a video conferencing application, 15GB of Google Drive cloud storage per user, and spam, phishing, and malware protection. In addition to those features, Gmail offers Smart Compose, an assistive software with the Google Docs Editors suite that helps with spelling and grammar. It's crucial to note Gmail has more users than Outlook mainly because people often use the free personal version as their backup email account. And although the popular personal version is free, Gmail Workplace Individual and Gmail Workplace Business currently cost $7.99 per user a month and $12.99 per user a month, respectively. Both Gmail Workplace versions offer calendar features that facilitate sharing content for collaboration in working environments.

Another alternative to Microsoft Outlook would be Yahoo! Mail, which provides free email service. As with Outlook and Gmail, Yahoo! Mail allows users to organize their mail into customizable folders. Users can also customize layouts for their accounts, including displaying previews for messages with only a click or two. Yahoo! Mail also provides smartphone users options, including viewing online receipts, connecting to or unsubscribing from online accounts through their email inbox, and tracking packages or receiving notifications.

Learn more about the difficulties with learning Microsoft Outlook.

How to Decide the Best Way to Learn Microsoft Outlook

Because so many people use Microsoft Outlook in their day-to-day activities, many of them may not realize the capabilities that its functions and features offer. While most people might not want to spend any money for learning something they believe they already know, taking a free online class or watching an online video that gives them tips for better-using Outlook could unlock possibilities with an application they use every day by applying new techniques for interfacing with a variety of Office applications.

Learning how to integrate Office applications efficiently using Outlook allows users to operate effectively in any type of workplace for managing calendars, contacts, and other tasks. While possessing knowledge of Outlook cannot alone cannot provide the foundation for a career, a deeper understanding of the email service and app management software can lend strong support to whatever occupation you choose. Noble Desktop offers live online Microsoft Outlook courses that train individuals at costs between $119 and $1,228.

Some people may feel that additional training for Microsoft Outlook is unnecessary or too expensive. However, there are less expensive alternatives for improving skills with Outlook, including video tutorials or low-cost classes. For example, Accelerate Computer Training offers Outlook: Organize Your Mail, Schedule, Contacts, and Tasks as an in-person course in Los Angeles or through virtual learning for $99.

Learn Microsoft Outlook with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

If you’re looking to improve on knowledge of using Microsoft Outlook, Noble Desktop has courses that provide training for a better understanding of the software application. This includes in-person classes available in New York City, along with live online courses offered at times that may fit your schedule at varying costs.

Noble Desktop offers in-person and live online Microsoft Office courses that provide hands-on training from expert instructors. These courses provide training that includes lessons for Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Project, and Outlook, which serves as the hub for access to this bundle of integrated Microsoft Office applications. These classes can be taken inside a classroom or live online. 

Students can enroll in Microsoft Outlook Level I for lessons on the fundamentals of the application. This one-day course focuses on teaching participants about using Outlook efficiently with lessons on setting up email folders, automating email, managing calendars and to-do lists, or organizing schedules and contact lists that can all contribute to improving workflow.

People may elect to take the Microsoft Outlook Level II class. This follow-up course builds on the training established in the Level I course. Level II emphasizes lessons for configuring email accounts, performing advanced searches, filtering spam, learning about working with advanced calendars, and handling contact lists.