Getting started with Outlook 2013

Outlook is mainly used in business. It is therefore equipped with all kinds of options, such as agenda management and sending invitations for appointments. But basically it is a mail program that is also fine for the home user. Anyone who has Office 2013 or has a subscription to Office 365 has the program.

For a more current version of this article, read “Getting Started with Office Outlook 2016.”

The mail program needs at least one email address from you to receive and send messages. To add an e-mail address from your provider, you must have some information. These are your email address, your username and the incoming and outgoing mail server.

The first time
The first time you use Outlook 2013, the program will start with a utility. That will help you add an email address. The utility works very easily.

• click on Next one and follow the instructions.
• Fill in your first and last name and the password of your email address.
• click on Next one.
• The utility checks your settings and adds the email address to the program. If the data is not found automatically, you can enter the missing or correct information manually.

When this is done, the program will start automatically. Now you can optionally add other email addresses.

Do you have an email address that ends in Hotmail.com, Live.com, or Outlook.com? That’s good. In Outlook 2013, this email address is very easy to add. From the Outlook 2013 main screen, do the following:

• click on File.
• click on Add Account.
• Enter your name, your email address and your password (twice).
• click on Next one.
• Outlook checks your data. A window will appear where you have to enter your password again from Hotmail/Outlook.com/Live.com. click on OK.
• Wait patiently for the system to finish checking everything. Then click on Complete.

Do you have a Gmail email address? This address is very easy to add in Outlook 2013. From the Outlook 2013 main screen, do the following:

• click on File.
• click on Add Account.
• Enter your name, your email address and your password (twice).
• Then click on Next one.
• Outlook checks your data. Wait patiently for the system to finish checking everything. Then click on Complete.

When you start Outlook 2013, you will be taken to the main window. From there it manages, reads and sends e-mails. As soon as you have added e-mail addresses to Outlook, the e-mails automatically flow into the program. Left of center is the list of emails and right next to it is the preview pane. That preview window shows the contents of the selected mail. At the far left of the screen is a list of mail accounts. Have you added one email address? Then you will see one, with, for example, the Inbox and Outbox, but also the Sent Items. Have you entered multiple email addresses? Then you will see the name of each email address with a triangle in front of it. Click on the triangle to show the folder structure. There you will see, for example, the folders ‘Sent Items’ and ‘Inbox’.

You can send an email as follows:

• If necessary, open the “Home” tab on the Ribbon by clicking on it.
• click on new e-mail.
• An empty message opens. Behind the ‘From’ box is your email address. Is this the correct shipping address? Then leave it. Would you like to select a different address? Click on the box By and then click on one of the other added email addresses. The address is then added as the sender.
• Enter the recipient’s email address behind ‘To’.
• Enter the subject of your message at ‘Subject’.
• Type the text of your message. Is it finished? Then click on the button Send.

The message is sent.

Sending a file, such as a photo or a Word document, with a message is easy, but it probably takes some getting used to. It goes like this:

• Make sure you have an email open to add the attachment.
• In the Ribbon of the empty message, click the button Attach file. It’s in the ‘Record’ group in the ‘Message’ tab.
• Open the folder containing your file. Click on the file and then click on the bottom right Insert.
• You return to the e-mail message. You will see the attachments under the subject. Send the email in the usual way.

Video
Want to see how sending an email with an attachment goes? Then watch our video.

Your mail program revolves around sending and receiving mail. You can do this manually, but it also happens automatically. By default, it checks for new messages every thirty minutes. This is how you do this manually in the meantime:

• In the Ribbon, click on the tab Send/Receive.
• Press the button Send/Receive All Folders.

All email addresses you have added will be checked.