Tired of sending the same email repeatedly? Here’s good news: Microsoft Outlook provides the option to save messages as templates for future use. The process varies depending on your Outlook version. The older, classic Outlook stores templates as OFT files, while the newer versions utilize cloud-based Mail Templates by default. Below, you’ll find steps to create and utilize email templates in both versions.
Creating and Using Email Templates in Classic Outlook
If you often send identical messages—such as quotes or event reminders—you can save these as templates in the classic Outlook. To create an OFT template, start by opening a new email window and composing your message, including a subject line and the main content.
Then, go to File > Save As, select Outlook Template (.oft) as the file type, and assign a name to your template. By default, Outlook saves templates in the Templates folder within your Windows user directory. For better organization, it’s recommended to save your templates in a dedicated folder.
Choose a different folder or create a new one, then save the OFT file there. When you want to use this template later, navigate to Home > New Items > More Items > Choose Form. From the Search In dropdown, select Templates in File System, click Browse, and locate your saved OFT template folder.
Click OK, select the desired template file, and click Open. Alternatively, double-clicking the OFT file in File Explorer will open it directly in Outlook.
Creating and Using Email Templates in the New Outlook
The latest Outlook version also supports OFT templates but handles templates a bit differently. To create a new template, start a new email, add your subject, and compose the message body.
From the Message ribbon, choose Mail Template > Save Email as Template. Name your template and click Save. These templates are stored with your current account and are accessible from Outlook on the web as well. While OFT files can still be opened in the new Outlook, Microsoft recommends using Mail Templates or the My Templates add-in for managing reusable messages.
You can also use the My Templates add-in: from the Message ribbon, select My Templates, click +Template, enter a title and message, then save it for future use.