Saving a Message to Send Later

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After you create a rough draft of a message, open the File menu and choose Save .

Close the message by clicking its Close (x) button. The message is saved in the Drafts folder.

INTRODUCTION

For particularly involved messages, you may want to create a draft, save the draft, and review and send the message later. Alternatively, you might save a draft of message if you are interrupted and need to complete the message at a later time.

TIP

Holding Off on "Hot" Messages

If your emotions are riding high, it's a good idea to wait before you send an e-mail message. It can be easy to misconstrue the tone of an e-mail message without voice, facial expressions, and other elements that are in play for face-to-face or even telephone conversations. So be safe rather than sorry!

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To open a saved message, click the Drafts folder in the All Mail Folders list. (You can tell that the Draft folder contains unsent messages because its name is bold; the number of messages it contains is indicated in parentheses.)

Double-click the message in the Drafts message list.

Make changes to the message as needed and then send the message as usual.

HINT

Forget to Save?

If you close a message without sending or saving it, Outlook prompts you to save it. Click Yes to save a copy of the message in the Drafts folder.

TIP

Cancel Message

If you want to close and cancel a message, click the Message window's Close (x) button. Outlook will ask whether you want to save the message; click No .

Checking Sent Messages

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Click the Sent Items folder under either Favorite Folders or All Mail Folders.

A list of all the messages you have sent appears.

To open a message, double-click it in the Sent Items mail list.

INTRODUCTION

To help you keep track of your e-mail correspondence, Outlook automatically saves a copy of all messages you send in the Sent Items folder. You can review these messages as needed.

TIP

Selecting the Folder

You can select the Sent Items folder from the Favorite Folders or the All Mail Folders list. For more information on mail folders, see Part 4.

HINT

To Save or Not to Save?

If you don't want to save a copy of messages you send, you can disable this feature. Click the Options button in the Message window's toolbar, click the Save Sent Messages check box to deselect it, and click the Close (x) button.

Working Offline

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Open the File menu and select Work Offline .

Note that the status bar displays the Offline icon. Create new messages (and reply to existing ones) as usual. Click Send after finishing each message.

Messages you send are stored in the Outbox.

To go back online and send the messages, click the Send/Receive button in the Outlook toolbar.

INTRODUCTION

If you have several messages to review and create, you may prefer to work offline. That way, you can create all the messages, go online, and send them all at once. You might use this method if you do not have a separate connection for your Internet access.