OUTLOOK 2003: HOW TO GET OUT OF EMAIL JAIL

OUTLOOK 2003: HOW TO GET OUT OF EMAIL JAIL In this course, you will learn: Some techniques to avoid reaching your mailbox limit The best place to store your saved messages aka Personal Folders efficiently A few tips that will help you quickly get out of email jail The Basics of Mailbox Maintenance 1.1 Scheduling routine maintenance for Inbox and Sent 1.2 Deleted Items 1.3 Checking Mailbox Size Personal Folders 2.1 About Personal Folders 2.2 Creating a Personal Folder aka Outlook Data File 2.3 Viewing the Size of a Personal Folder 2.4 Reconnecting a Personal Folder Organizing & Managing Messages 3.1 Creating and Using Subfolders 3.2 Selecting Messages as a Group 3.3 Locating Messages to Move Using Views Sorting by Size and Attachments Using Search Folders to Locate Large Files 3.4 Adding Columns Using the Field Chooser 3.5 Using Favorite Folders Managing Attachments 4.1 Sending Attachments as Hyperlinks 4.2 Removing Attachments to Reduce Message Size Helpful Hints Additional Support & Training Information Visit the Information Systems Training site at http://istraining.partners.org or contact your Help Desk Partners HealthCare System, Inc. Page 1 of 7 April 2011

The Basics of Mailbox Maintenance 1.1 Scheduling Routine Maintenance for Inbox and Sent Organize and delete messages on a routine basis from the Inbox. Sent items contribute to your mailbox size. Outlook automatically saves a copy of each email that is sent. Move or delete messages that are no longer needed. 1.2 Deleted Items Delete items that are no longer needed in the Sent folder, Inbox folder, and all subfolders. When you delete an item in Outlook it actually moves to the Deleted Items folder which still contributes to the mailbox size limit. Make sure to Empty Deleted Items to fully remove this email from your mailbox. To manually empty the deleted items folder: 1. Right click on the Deleted Items icon and select Empty Deleted Items folder. 2. Click Yes. To automatically empty the deleted items folder: Outlook can automatically empty your deleted items folder upon exiting Outlook. If you are certain your deleted items are intended for deletion, make the setting change below. 1. Go to Tools > Options 2. On the Other tab, place a checkmark next to Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting. 3. Click OK. 1.3 Checking Mailbox Size The standard mailbox size for an Outlook account at Partners Healthcare is 100 MB. This includes email, calendar, contacts and task items. When you reach the 100 MB limit, you will continue to receive mail but Outlook will prevent you from sending messages. 1. On the Tools menu, select Mailbox Cleanup... 2. Click View Mailbox Size... 3. When finished, click Close. or 1. Go to the Folder List view in the Navigation Pane. 2. Scroll to the bottom of the list and click Folder Sizes. 3. Click the Close button when finished. Partners HealthCare System, Inc. Page 2 of 7 April 2011

2.1 About Personal Folders Personal Folders Personal Folders are the recommended solution for storing and saving email. A Personal Folder provides an alternative place to store your email when you near or exceed your mailbox size limit. In Outlook, the folder is also called an Outlook Data File. A Personal Folder stores mail on your home drive which does not contribute to your mailbox size. However, your mail is available in your Outlook account. The file extension is.pst Personal Folders are available when connected to the Partners network with VPN. They are not available when using Outlook Web Access. 2.2 Creating a Personal Folder aka Outlook Data File 1. On the File menu, click New > Outlook Data File... 2. Click Office Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst). Click OK. 3. Navigate to your Home Drive. 4. In the File name: box, type a name for the file (e.g. Saved Mail) or accept the default. Click OK. Whatever you name the file in this step should be used as the file name in Step 5. 5. In the Create Microsoft Personal Folders dialog box, type a display name for the data file in the Name box (ex. Saved Mail). Click OK. 6. The new Personal Folder displays in your Folder List. Use it as you would any Outlook folder. 7. Expand Personal Folders by clicking on the plus sign next to the folder. Notice that the Personal Folder has its own Deleted Items folder. This will need to be emptied periodically. 2.3 Viewing the Size of a Personal Folder A Personal Folder file should not get larger than 200,000 KB. If the file is larger, it could become damaged. If you must save more mail, create a second or multiple Personal Folders. To check the size of a Personal Folder: 1. In the Folder List, click on the Personal Folder. 2. Click on the Folder Sizes link at the bottom of the Folder List. 2.4 Reconnecting a Personal Folder If you are working on another workstation or receive a new computer, you may not see your Personal Folder in your Folder List. The folder is stored on your Home drive where you created it. You will need to open (or connect) it to your current computer. 1. On the File menu, click Open. Select Outlook Data File... 2. Navigate to your Home Drive. 3. Click on the Personal Folder. Click OK. The Personal Folder will now display in your Folder List. Partners HealthCare System, Inc. Page 3 of 7 April 2011

Organizing & Managing Messages 3.1 Creating and Using Subfolders Creating subfolders is a good way to organize your email. Make logical groupings such as by date, project, or by individual. If you have a project folder and the project is complete, move the entire folder to a Personal Folder. To create a subfolder: 1. Right click on the Inbox in the Navigation Pane. 2. Select New Folder... 3. Type the name of the folder in the Name box. Click OK. 3.2 Selecting Messages as a Group It is quicker to move or delete messages as a group. To highlight a group of messages that are in consecutive order range: 1. Click on the first message in the range. 2. Hold down your SHIFT key. 3. Click on the last message in the range. 4. Move or delete (click and drag) the messages to another folder. To highlight a group of messages that are not in consecutive order: 1. Click on the first message. 2. Hold down your CTRL key. 3. Click on the next message. 4. Continue to hold down the CTRL key until all messages are highlighted. 5. Move or delete (click and drag) the messages to another folder. 3.3 Locating Messages to Move To free up space in your active mailbox, there are some tools that are useful to quickly sort and identify messages to move or delete. Using Views Changing the view to date and show in groups will allow you to group your messages to move the oldest messages to another folder. To group this way, go to View > Arrange By. Choose Date and select Show in Groups. Sorting by Size and Attachments Sort Messages by Size or Attachment Column Partners HealthCare System, Inc. Page 4 of 7 April 2011

Using Search Folders to Locate Large Files Outlook offers default search folders that filter email by size, follow-up flag, and unread mail. Using the Large Mail search folder will let you quickly identify those messages that are taking up the most room in your mailbox. In the Navigation Pane: 1. Click the plus sign next to Search Folders to expand the list. 2. Click on the appropriate search folder to view a filtered list. 3. Move or delete messages as needed. 3.4 Adding Columns Using the Field Chooser When your mailbox gets full, it may be helpful to organize by size and move or delete large messages. If the size column does not display on the Field Heading bar, you can add it by using the Field Chooser. 1. Right click on the Field Heading bar. 2. Select Field Chooser from the submenu. 3. Left click and drag the Size column to the Field Heading bar. 3.5 Using Favorite Folders The Navigation Pane contains a section that allows for easy access to frequently-used folders. By default, the Favorite Folders contains Inbox, Sent Items, Unread Mail and For Follow Up. To add a folder, right click the folder you wish to add and select Add to Favorite Folders. Personal Folders can also be added to your Favorite Folders. Partners HealthCare System, Inc. Page 5 of 7 April 2011

Managing Attachments 4.1 Sending Attachments as Hyperlinks If you regularly share files with others, save the file to a shared file area (SFA) and send a link to the file rather than the file itself. Sending a link uses much less space than sending the actual file. For this to work, the email recipient must have access to the shared file area. 1. In the body of your message, select Insert > File. 2. Navigate to and select the file to attach. 3. To the right of File name, click the drop-down arrow on the Insert button. Select Insert as Hyperlink. 4. Finish your message and click Send. 4.2 Removing Attachments to Reduce Message Size Attachments can use up much of your mailbox space. Especially large spreadsheets, presentation files or photos. In a message, you may want to save the attachment to your home drive or shared file area and then delete the email. Also, consider deleting copies of attachments in your Sent folder. The original file will remain where you first saved it to a home drive or shared file area. To save an attachment to a home drive or shared file area: 1. Open the message containing the attachment. 2. Right-click on the file attachment and select SAVE AS 3. Click on the drop-down list next to Save In and navigate to your home drive or shared file area. 4. Delete the attachment from the message and click the SAVE button to keep the text of the message or delete the entire message if the text is not needed. Partners HealthCare System, Inc. Page 6 of 7 April 2011

Helpful Hints Move or delete large messages to free up mailbox space. When sending messages with an attachment to multiple recipients, send it using one email. If you send it separately, Outlook saves a copy of each in your Sent Items folder. This can add significantly to your mailbox size. Schedule a recurring appointment for yourself in Microsoft Outlook to routinely sort, organize and delete messages. Routinely sort your mail by the size column to identify large emails to move or delete as appropriate. When creating a new Personal Folder, the file name is requested in two places. Be consistent and use the same file name in both areas. This will make it easier to locate the folder if you ever need to reconnect it. Store your Personal Folder on your Home drive. This drive is backed up nightly by the Help Desk and is accessible from all Partners computers. Reduce the number of incoming, low-value messages that clutter your inbox from distribution lists, junk mail, marketing lists and SPAM. Use the McGhee Productivity Solutions (MPS) e-mail P.A.S.S. model that reminds you to ask yourself four simple questions as you compose your message to help ensure that it is more useful for the recipient. The four questions are: P What is the purpose of this communication, and does the purpose relate to an objective? A What action is required;; is there a due date;; and who owns the action? S What supporting documentation does the recipient need? S Does the subject line effectively summarize the message? http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/write-e-mail-messages-thatget-attention-ha001143030.aspx Partners HealthCare System, Inc. Page 7 of 7 April 2011