Understanding the Outlook Window

The Outlook window includes items you can use to navigate in and operate the program. If you do not see some of the items listed in Figure 1.1 on your screen, open the View menu and select the command for the appropriate element (such as Toolbars , Status Bar , or Outlook Bar ). A check mark in front of an item means the item is currently showing.

Table 1.1 describes the elements you see in the opening screen.

Table 1.1. Elements of the Outlook Window

Element	Description
Title bar	Includes the name of the application and current folder, plus the Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons .
Toolbar	Includes icons that serve as shortcuts for common commands, such as creating a new message or printing a message.
Navigation pane	Displays icons representing folders: Inbox, Calendar, Contacts, and so on. Click an icon to change to the folder it names . The Outlook Shortcuts, My Shortcuts, and Other Shortcuts buttons on the bar list specific groups of folders (for example, the My Shortcuts button lists icons related to your e-mail, such as the Drafts, Outbox, and Sent items).
Show Folder List	Displays the current folder. Click this to display a list of personal folders you can open. In this latest version of Outlook, the Folder List is now part of the Outlook bar.
Status bar	Displays information about the items currently shown in the Information Viewer.
Find a Contact box	This box allows you to search for a contact that you have entered in your Contacts folder.
Ask a Question box	This box allows you to quickly ask the Outlook Help system a question. It also allows you to forgo using the Office Assistant to access the Help system.

Finding a Toolbar Button's Purpose You can place the mouse pointer on any toolbar button to view a description of that tool's function.