In the last M365 Community Update we discussed cosmetic customization of your Outlook email. Today, we will be discussing more functional ways of making your new email work for you; so in that vein, our topic revolves around Toolbars and Signatures.

What is the toolbar?

The Outlook Quick Access Toolbar is a convenient place for actions one can take with a received email, and fully customizable on the Outlook application for both Windows and Mac.

Included actions could be to delete, archive, and even share to Teams, with many more available.

(The ribbon is not present in the mobile version of Outlook)

What is a signature?

A signature, much like the name implies, is an automatic addition to the end of your emails which one is able to set through Outlook. In it you may include whatever you wish, but ECU has its own signature generator should you find yourself without any ideas, or wondering what would be appropriate information to include.

With the new email system, both of these are highly customizable! Your toolbar can attend to your needs of response and email organization, while a signature can easily be set up to spare the trouble of having to include contact information into every email’s end.

Customizing your toolbar

On Windows

1. The Quick Access Toolbar is located on the top left corner of the Windows Outlook app.

2. To add Commands to it, first locate the Dropdown Menu represented by a downwards arrow.

3. The menu should then display the available comments such as Reply, Print, Delete, etc. It is also possible to find more than the list in the More Commands tab at the bottom of the list, as well as configure the placement of the toolbar.

4. With the dropdown opened, choose the commands you wish to have quick access to.

5. The process of removing commands is much the same, simply untick the commands that do not fulfill your needs.

On Mac

1. Locate the Mac Toolbar just below the Search bar.

2. From there, identify the Dropdown Menu represented by the three dots (...) on the toolbar.

3. Click Customize Toolbar to open a menu with all Mail Options.

4. To add to the toolbar simply click and drag a command from Mail Options onto the toolbar to the position you wish it to be in.

5. To remove, click and drag a command from the toolbar onto Mail Options.

6. Once finished, simply press Done and your new toolbar will be saved.

And just like that, you now have an organized toolbar that can attend to your every email need!

Customizing your signature

On Windows

1. Click New Email to open the new email screen.

2. From there, find the Signature button on the ribbon, atop the new email box.

3. On the dropdown menu select Signatures to open the Signatures menu where you can see all previously created signatures.

4. Select New and give a name to the signature you’ll create.

5. Now, on the Edit signature box, create and edit the signature to your liking (including font, sizing, color and formatting). If you’re unsure what to put, you can use the ECU signature generator.

6. On the right hand side of the Signatures screen, you’ll find a series of options.

7. Under Email account, you can decide which account you wish to associate the signature with.

8. With New Messages and Replies/forwards, the dropdown menus will contain all your created signatures, which you may choose one to associate to all your new emails and forwards/replies respectively.

9. Once you’re done, click OK to save all edits.

10. To add a signature manually, select Signature from the Message menu and pick the one of your choosing.

On Mac

1. Click on Outlook.

2. Locate the Settings menu (which can also be accessed with the keys ⌘,)

3. In the settings menu, under the Email subsection, locate Signatures.

4. This will open the Signatures window, where all matters of editing, creating and deleting signatures can be resolved.

5. To create a new signature simply click on the + button.

6. A new window will open where you can title your signature (to identify it on the menu) and edit the body of the signature (with options for formatting, fonts, sizing and color all available).

7. Once done, press Save and the new signature will show up in the Signatures menu where you can also see a preview of all signatures.

8. On the bottom of the Signatures Window, you’ll find the Choose default signature tab. There, you’ll see a couple of options.

9. Under Email account, you can decide which account you wish to associate the signature with.

10. With New Messages and Replies/forwards, the dropdown menus will contain all your created signatures, which you may choose one to associate to all your new emails and forwards/replies respectively.

11. When all editing is done, simply quit the Signatures window

Now you know how to create and edit signatures, how to best customize your toolbar for ease of access; as well as making Outlook look and feel yours.

For more of tips and tricks, as well as updates like these, don’t forget to visit the ECU M365 Hub!