My Favorite General Outlook TipsHere's a set of general Outlook tips that I think you will find useful. About the only thing they have in common is that each helps you use the program better or faster, so please take the time to read about each one and try out any that look interesting to you.
Hide or Show the Ribbon InstantlyThe Ribbon is a great addition to Outlook 2007. However, it does take up a chunk of screen space and sometimes it is in the way. You can make the Ribbon disappear and reappear with a simple keyboard shortcut. Press CTRL-F1 (the CTRL key and the F1 key) to hide the Ribbon or make it reappear. Of course this won't work in places where you don't normally see the Ribbon, but you wouldn't really expect it to!Remember, CTRL-F1 to make the Ribbon disappear and reappear.
Control Whether Outlook 2007 Searches for Deleted MessagesVista and Outlook 2007 both have powerful search capabilities. Unfortunately, they don't work exactly the same, so running a search in Vista doesn't always return the same Outlook items as running the same search in Outlook 2007.In particular, Vista automatically searches the Deleted Items folder in Outlook, while Outlook 2007 doesn't. To reduce the confusion, I suggest you set Outlook 2007 to also search the Deleted Items folder. It only takes a few seconds to do.
NOTE: This tip came from a larger article on getting the searches in Vista and Outlook 2007 to work the same way. The article is in the paid version of the
Windows Secrets newsletter
which is a great source of information for Windows XP, Vista, Internet Explorer and more. Check it out if you want to learn how to keep Windows running at its best. Multiple Windows for Fast SwitchingIf you're like me, you do a lot of switching between Outlook folders, in particular between Mail and Calendar and Tasks. Clicking the appropriate one in the Navigation pane gets the job done. But there's an easier, faster way. You can open multiple Outlook windows at the same time.With a Mail window, a Calendar window, and a Task window all open on the desktop at once, you can jump back and forth almost instantly using the ALT-TAB keyboard shortcut. Plus, you can set each window up exactly the way you want it. I only keep the Navigation pane open in the Mail window. I also adjust the width of the various panes in the other windows for my convenience. NOTE: This general Outlook tip becomes even more useful when you want to change an item from one form to another. Things like turning a mail message into a task become a drag-and-drop cinch. See Magical Transformations for more information. Opening Multiple Outlook WindowsTo open multiple Outlook windows at the same time, do this:
Magical TransformationsDo you ever need to create a task based on a message you receive? Or turn a task (Set up physical) into an appointment (Dr. Appointment, Thursday at 9AM)? You can do it by manually creating the new item, copying information from the old into the new, then perhaps deleting the old item. Or you can use Outlook's drag-and-drop abilities to save a bunch of work.NOTE: Like many procedures in this complex program, there are actually several ways to get this job done. This general Outlook tip is a way that will work in all cases, but isn't always the fastest way to go. Transforming Items from Type to TypeFollow these steps to 'magically' transform an Outlook item from one type to another:
Playing with the Reading PaneThe Reading pane is a fine tool for looking at messages without having to open them. To make it even more useful, you can move it around, resize it, or turn it off altogether. Doing exactly that is the subject of this tip.You may be wondering why I'm talking about the Reading pane on the General Outlook tips page. The answer is simple: you can use the Reading pane in other views than just Mail. The Reading pane isn't just for viewing the contents of a message. It is actually a general-purpose way to view at least some of the contents of any selected Outlook item without opening it. Exactly what you see in the Reading pane depends on the type of item you have selected. It won't necessarily show you the entire item either. It will show you some useful information, whatever type of item you select. For example, the Reading pane view of a distribution list shows the name of the list along with some of the individual contacts within the list. 
Now that we're square on why this is a general Outlook tip, I suppose you want to see the actual tip. Here it is: Positioning or Disabling the Reading PaneYou can position the Reading pane on the right side or the bottom of the Outlook window, or you can turn it off. You do this individually for each folder, so you can have the Reading pane on the right in Mail, the bottom for Contacts, and off for the others. Or any other arrangement that makes sense to you. Follow these steps:
That's it for general Outlook tips. From here you can:
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