Tips and Tricks for Outlook 2000

Contacts

Finding a Contact Quickly in Outlook 2000

Trying to find an Outlook® contact but can't remember the person's last name? Or do you remember a contact's catchy e-mail address, but can't remember their name? Use the Find a Contact box on the Standard toolbar in Outlook to quickly locate the contact without even opening your Contacts folder.

On the toolbar, type the name of the contact you want to find in the Find a Contact box. You can enter a partial name, such as Judy L, a first or last name, or an e-mail alias. To quickly open a contact you previously searched for, click the Find a Contact arrow and select a name.

See Also

Display a Map for an Outlook 2000 Contact's U.S. Address .

Keyboard Shortcuts

Useful Shortcut Keys in Outlook 2000

Do you find that using the keyboard is sometimes quicker than using your mouse? Shortcut keys can help you bypass menus and carry out commands directly. You can use shortcut keys in many ways with Outlook®, from accessing commands and toolbar buttons to opening a new e-mail message. Shortcut keys are sometimes listed next to the command name on Outlook menus. For example, on the Edit menu, the Delete command lists the shortcut CTRL+D.

For a comprehensive list of shortcuts, ask the Office Assistant for help. In Outlook 2000 or any of the other Office 2000 applications, press F1 to display the Assistant, and then type shortcut keys in the text box. Here are some of the most useful Outlook shortcut keys:

Activity	Shortcut Keys
Open an e-mail message	CTRL+SHIFT+M
Open the address book	CTRL+SHIFT+B
Open an appointment	CTRL+SHIFT+A
Open a contact	CTRL+SHIFT+C
Open a meeting request	CTRL+SHIFT+Q
Open a task	CTRL+SHIFT+K
Make the Find a Contact box active	F11
Switch to Inbox	CTRL+SHIFT+I
Switch to Outbox	CTRL+SHIFT+O
Check for new mail	F5 or CTRL+M
Open the Advanced Find dialog box	CTRL+SHIFT+F
Mark an e-mail message as read	CTRL+Q
Delete an e-mail message, contact, calendar item, or task	CTRL+D
Delete a word	CTRL+BACKSPACE
Select all	CTRL+A
Copy	CTRL+C
Paste	CTRL+V
Undo	CTRL+Z
Print	CTRL+P

Additional Resources

For more information, download A List of Useful Office 2000 Shortcut Keys.

Tasks

Track Multiple Assignees on a Project

Oftentimes you have a single project, such as preparing a presentation, that requires more than one person to complete the job. In these situations, you'll want to track each person's progress to ensure that the team finishes the project on time. In Microsoft Outlook® 2000, if you assign the project as a single task to more than one person, you can't keep an updated copy of the task in your task list. What's the solution?

Divide the project into separate tasks, each with the project name in the task title. Then assign each task to one individual. For example, you might divide the presentation project into two tasks with the following titles: Prepare sales presentation: John Doe, Prepare sales presentation: Jane Doe. After you create each task and click the Assign Task button, make sure you select the Keep an updated copy of this task on my task list check box on the Task tab. If you want status reports, too, select the Send me a status report when this task is complete check box.

As these people work on their tasks, you'll receive updates so you can monitor their progress, keep the project on track, and keep your boss happy!