Microsoft Outlook Web Access Handbook Introduction Outlook Web access allows you to use a web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox) to read your email, send email, and check your online calendar. This document will guide you in using Outlook Web Access. Overview of the process Outlook Web Access gives you secure access to email, calendar, group scheduling, and public folder information on your Microsoft Exchange Server. When you use Outlook Web Access, you are actually working on a Web page that is specially designed to look like your regular Outlook software. One benefit of Outlook Web Access is that you can check your email using any computer that has a web browser. If you are in an airport lounge, a hotel business center, or an Internet café where there are computers connected to the Internet, you can sit down at one of these machines and use a Web browser such as Internet Explorer to connect to your Exchange server and check your email. If you are visiting another school, which has Internet access, you can use a computer at their site to check your Exchange mail. When you check your email using Outlook Web Access, it is kept on the server. Your email is not saved on the computer that you used, so there is no need to worry about someone else reading your email after you leave. Outlook Web Access can be used from any operating system (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Macintosh, Unix, etc.) The Outlook Web Access interface is consistent across different platforms, and it provides you with many of the features of the regular Outlook 2000 software. August 2010
Accessing Outlook Web Access (OWA) from within your school 1. Establish an Internet connection. 2. Start your Web browser program. 3. Type the URL: http://webmail/exchange 4. In the Log On field, type in your username. 5. Click on the first click here hyperlink. Note: Your email address is: username@egcsd.org For administrative network users, the user names consist of the first six letters of your last name + the first two of your first name, no spaces between. For example, if your name is John Smith, your username is SmithJo. For instructional network users, the user names consist of the first 20 letters of your last name + the first two of your first name. August 2010 2
Accessing Outlook Web Access (OWA) from outside your school 1. Establish an Internet connection. 2. Start your web browser program. 3. Type the URL: http://webmail.egcsd.org/exchange (A quick link can be found at the bottom of the district website at: www.egcsd.org 4. In the Log On field, type in your user name. 5. Click on the first click here hyperlink or press Enter. 6. Depending on the browser you have, you will see one of the following dialog boxes: OR If you see three lines to fill in, enter your username and password in the first two lines and in the third line enter your domain. If you see only two lines to fill in, combine your domain and username as follows: Username: domain\username (i.e. egsd\doejo) and then your password. Click OK. EGCSD Domains User s network Administrative network Columbia & Goff instructional network Elementary instructional Domain ADMIN CHS-CURR EGSD August 2010 3
The Outlook Web Access (OWA) Window Menu items at the top of the window refer to the browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox, etc.) and NOT to your email application. To navigate in Outlook Web Access use the Outlook Bar, the toolbar or the Up Folder icon. Toolbar Folder List Outlook Bar The Mailbox or Inbox is the main window from where you can read your mail, compose new messages and delete messages. You can learn what function an icon represents by moving the arrow over it and pausing. August 2010 4
Reading Messages and Accessing Your Folders Open a message 1. Click on the underlined portion of the message header (the sender s name) to open the message. Delete a message 1. Click in the checkbox to the left of the message header. 2. Click the Delete Marked Items icon to delete the message. August 2010 5
Open Attachments When you receive an e-mail with an attachment, it will appear in your inbox with a paper clip icon next to it. Open the message as you normally would, by clicking on the sender s name. The attachment appears in the body of the message as a filename with an icon of a document with a paper clip. To open the attachment click on the file name. A window appears asking if you want to open the file from its current location or save it to a disk. If you open it from its current location, the file will remain on the server. If you download it, you will have a copy on your own drive. You will have a chance to choose where to save the file. You will then go to that location to open the file. If you have trouble opening an attachment, it may be that your computer does not have any programs on it that will open the attachment. Some common attachment types will be Word documents (.doc) or image files such as.jpg or.gif. August 2010 6
Sending Messages and Attaching Files Compose new mail message Check for new mail Delete marked items Delete the current folder Compose new post message Move/Copy Folder Create a new folder Empty deleted items folder Send a message Send Save Check Names Importance: High Importance: Low Help 1. Click on the Compose New Mail Message icon on the toolbar. 2. In the To: field type the name of the person you are sending a message to. 3. Click the Check Names icon to verify or search for an address. 4. Select the correct person from the list of entries. If the name has no matches, try spelling the name in a different way and click the Check Names icon again. 5. Click the Accept These Choices button. 6. In the Subject: field type a short description of the message. 7. Move to the message area by clicking in it or press the Tab key twice, and then type your message. 8. Click the Send icon (or follow the instruction below to attach a file to your message). August 2010 7
Attach a file to a message 1. Click the Attachment tab. 2. Click the Browse button. The File Upload dialog box will then appear. 3. Select the attachment that you want to send. 4. Click Open. 5. Click the Add Attachment Now button. 6. If you want to attach more files, you can repeat steps 2-5. 7. When you are finished attaching files, switch back to the Message window by clicking on the Message tab. Note: When you have attached a file to your message, a paperclip icon will appear on the Attachment tab. 8. Click the Send icon to send the message. August 2010 8
Contact List To contact someone within the District District employees email addresses will be available through the Find Names button on the Outlook Bar (once you compose a new message). Enter either the first or last name and click Find Names. A list of names will appear. Click on the one you are looking for. You can then continue typing your message and click send. To create a new contact (for contacts outside of the district) Click on the Contacts button on the Outlook Bar. Click Compose New with Contact in the window. Enter the information you have on the new contact and click the Save and Close button. To write a message to a contact, open the contact (Click on the Contacts button on the left toolbar and then on the contact s name) and click on the 3 rd button from the left, New Message to Contact. This will open a new message window with the contact s email already entered. August 2010 9
Creating a Distribution List Using Outlook Web Access Method 1: To create a template for sending email to a group so that you do not have to type in their names or email addresses each time: Compose new mail message Delete the current folder Move/Copy folder Create a new folder 1. From Inbox select Compose New Message button. 2. In the To: window enter all the recipients, include yourself. You may use the Check Names button to verify names and addresses for district employees in the email database. 3. You may want to write Distribution List in the subject window and as your message, tell people what you are doing. 4. Send your message. 5. You will receive a copy of the message since you were one of the people in the To: window. 6. From the Inbox, click the Create New Folder button. 7. Name your folder distribution list, for example. 8. Open the message (once you receive it in your inbox). 9. Click on the Move/Copy button. This opens a Move/Copy window. 10. Click on Inbox to get your new folder which is in the Inbox folder. 11. Click on the folder you want to move the message to (distribution lists) and click Move. 12. Now that message is in the folder called distribution lists in your Inbox. When you want to write to that group again, you can open the message and Reply to All, changing the subject and content of the message. The message acts as a template. August 2010 10
Method 2: To create a distribution list (works with small number of names) 1. Click on the Contacts button in the left tool bar. 2. Click on the Compose New Contact icon. 3. Click in the email window and enter the email address that you want to include in your list. 4. Click the Save icon. 5. To write your list you can open contacts, choose your list name and in the window that opens up, click on the New Message to Contact icon. Variation, when the list includes only EGCSD people: 1. From your inbox open a New Message icon. 2. Type in the last names of the people you want on the list, separated by semi-colons. 3. Click on the Check Names icon. 4. The email addresses of the recipients should now be in the To: window. Select these with your mouse. You may need to drag beyond the window. Right-click and select Copy. 5. Click the new message window. 6. Click on the contacts button in the left bar. 7. Click on the Compose New contact icon. 8. Right-click in the email window and click Paste. 9. Give your list a name and type it into the last name window. 10. Click on the Save icon. 11. To write to your list, you can open contacts, choose your list name and in the window that opens, click on the New Message to Contact icon. August 2010 11
Permanently Deleting Emails When you delete an email from your inbox, the email goes to your deleted box. In order to permanently delete emails, please follow the directions below: 1. Open your school email 2. Go to your deleted email box: a. Click the arrow up in your inbox (Image 1) b. Click on Deleted Items (Image 2) 3. To delete messages permanently, click the recycle bin at the top of the page and click OK (Image 3) Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Logoff Instructions 1. Click the Log Off button. 2. From the File menu select Close to exit the browser completely to log off. This step is especially important if you are using a PC that other people may use after you. Your browser saves your password, so if you do not exit the browser, the next person to use the computer could read your email. August 2010 12