Create and manage templates

The Shared Email Templates pane in Outlook

Here you can find a detailed description of the Shared Email Templates pane.

Create a new folder

1. To create a new folder for your templates, right-click My Templates, a team (editor permissions are required), or a folder, and then select New Folder.
   
2. Enter the name of your new folder, add a description if you want to, and then click Save.
   

When you select a folder, you can see its name and description in the preview pane. You can edit, copy, move, and delete the folder or visit the relevant help page by clicking the corresponding button.

Create a new template

1. To create a new template, select a folder where you want to keep it, and then click the New Template button at the bottom of the add-in pane.
   
2. Enter the name of your template, its text, and then click Save.
   

To create a new template, you can also right-click a folder, and then select New Template from the list of options.

To open a new template in the Shared Email Templates web app in your default browser, right-click a folder, and then select New Template in Browser.

Edit a template

To edit a template, select it on the add-in pane and click Edit.

To edit a template in the Shared Email Templates app in your default browser, select a template on the add-in pane and click Edit in browser.

In the Edit mode, you can insert macros, fill in message fields, attach files, add pictures and buttons, insert shortcuts, select a signature, change text formatting, create tables, add and remove hyperlinks, view HTML and the template content, and insert a template into an email message.

1. Insert macro. Add a macro to a template. To learn more about Shared Email Templates macros, visit the How to use macros in templates page.
2. Message fields. Fill in the To, Cc, Bcc, and Subject fields.
3. Message attachments. Attach a file from OneDrive, SharePoint, or a URL.
4. Insert picture. Open a list of the InsertPicture macro options to choose any you need. For more information, visit this help page: How to insert pictures into your templates.
5. Insert button. Add a button to a template.
6. Insert shortcut. Open a list of available shortcuts to select the necessary one.
7. Signature. Select a signature from a dropdown list.

   Note. The Signature dropdown list is available on the template editor toolbar if you have signatures associated with the folder where you're currently creating or editing your template.

   Note. The signature selected from the Signature dropdown list will not be inserted if a template already contains the Insert Signature option of the Insert macro. The signature returned by the Insert macro will be inserted instead.

8. Table. Insert a table into a template.

   Tip. To change a style applied to the table by default, right-click the table, select the Style option, and then select the style you want to apply.
   

9. Clear formatting. Clear formatting of the selected text.
10. Insert/edit hyperlink. Add a hyperlink to the selected text by entering a URL. You can also add a title that will appear when you hover the cursor over the linked text in a template.
11. View HTML. View and edit a template in HTML.
12. View template content. View the content of a template, including HTML and, for example, filled message fields or attached files.
13. Insert. Insert a template into an email message.

Fill in the To, Cc, Bcc, and Subject fields

To get the To, Cc, Bcc, or Subject field filled in automatically when you use a certain template, click Message fields.

Enter email addresses for the To, Cc, and Bcc fields and text for the Subject field. Then click Save.

If there is some data saved, the Message fields button will be marked with a blue dot:

Attach files

Click Message attachments to select a file that will be automatically attached when you use a certain template.

Decide whether you want to attach a file from OneDrive, SharePoint, or a URL, and then click the plus sign on the right. Select a file and click Close.

If there are some attachments, the Message attachments button will be marked with a blue dot:

Insert pictures

For quick access to the InsertPicture macro options, click Insert picture.

Then choose any option you like.

Insert a button

With Insert button, you can add a button to your template.

You just need to specify the button dimensions and alignment, choose a color for the button, and decide what text and link your button will have.

Insert a template into an email message

You can insert a whole template or just a part of it.

To insert a whole template into an email message, select the template in the list on the add-in pane, and then click Insert.

To insert a part of a template, select this part, and then click Insert in the preview pane.

You can also insert a template or its part in the Edit mode.

To insert a whole template when you're editing it, click Insert on the template editor toolbar.

To insert a part of the template you're editing, select this part, and then click Insert on the template editor toolbar.

Copy a template to the clipboard

To copy the text of a template to the clipboard, right-click the template, and then select Copy to Clipboard:

Create templates for the Outlook calendar

For detailed information, visit this help page: Templates for appointments and meetings.

Back up, export, and import templates

To back up your templates, export or import them, refer to the Back up, export, and import templates guide.