Starting Windows Messenger from Outlook

When you display a message in the Reading pane, or open a message in Outlook, the Person Names Smart Tag appears next to the sender's name . You can click the Person Names Smart Tag to display a menu with options to send an instant message and check online status. When you select Send Instant Message from the smart tag menu in Outlook, a Conversation window from Windows Messenger opens, where you can type your message and send and receive instant messages. While you are communicating in Windows Messenger, you can click a link to view your Inbox or send an e-mail message to a Windows Messenger contact. Outlook needs to be your default e-mail program and your e-mail address cannot be from MSN or Hotmail, which opens Web mail in your browser. After you start a conversation with someone, you can add others to the conversation, so that up to five people are communicating in the same session.

Start an Instant Message from Outlook

Open a message from a contact signed in to Instant Messenger.

Click the Person Names Smart Tag.

Click Send Instant Message.

A Conversation window opens to begin a conversation with your contact.

Did You Know?

You can open an instant message using the Alert icon . If you are signed in to Windows Messenger, yet the window is not opened, an alert appears when you receive an instant message. Click the alert in the notification area on the taskbar to start a conversation.