Saving items in Outlook before forwarding them is a nifty trick to keep your inbox organized and preserve important information. Whether it’s an attachment you want to keep for later or an email thread you wish to reference, taking a few steps before hitting the ‘forward’ button can be a true game-changer.
Step by Step Tutorial: Saving Items in Outlook Before Forwarding
Before you forward that crucial email, take a moment to save the items you need. Here’s a clear-cut guide to do just that.
Step 1: Select the email you wish to forward.
Click on the email that contains the items you want to save.
When you select the email, make sure that it is the correct one. You don’t want to save items from the wrong conversation, do you?
Step 2: Save the attachments.
Right-click on the attachments and select ‘Save All Attachments.’
Attachments are often the most critical part of an email. You can save them to a designated folder on your computer for easy access later.
Step 3: Save the email itself.
Click on the File tab, then ‘Save As’ to save the email.
Sometimes, the email text is just as important as the attachments. This step ensures you have a copy of the email content as well.
Step 4: Forward the email.
After saving the necessary items, click the ‘Forward’ button to send the email to the desired recipient.
Now that you’ve saved the important bits, you can forward the email with peace of mind, knowing you’ve kept what you need.
Once you complete these steps, the items from the email will be safely stored on your computer. You can access them anytime without having to sift through your inbox or sent items.
Tips: Ensuring Success When Saving Items in Outlook
- Always double-check which email you are saving items from.
- Create a dedicated folder for Outlook saved items on your computer.
- Regularly back up your saved items to an external drive or cloud service.
- Use descriptive names when saving files to easily locate them later.
- Consider using Outlook’s categorization features to organize saved emails within the app.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can’t find the ‘Save All Attachments’ option?
If this option isn’t visible, ensure that the email is open, and not just previewed in the reading pane.
Can I save multiple emails at once?
Yes, you can select multiple emails and save them all using the ‘Save As’ option under the File tab.
Where do the saved items go?
The saved items will default to your ‘Documents’ folder, unless you specify a different location.
Can I save items from an email I have already forwarded?
Yes, the steps remain the same whether the email is in your inbox, sent items, or any other folder.
Is there a way to automate saving items in Outlook?
Outlook doesn’t have an in-built feature for this, but you could use a macro or a third-party tool.
Summary
- Select the email.
- Save the attachments.
- Save the email.
- Forward the email.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of saving items in Outlook before forwarding is a valuable skill for any email user. It helps you keep a clear and organized inbox, ensures important information isn’t lost in the shuffle, and makes it easier to reference past conversations. With the simple steps outlined above, you can quickly save the attachments and contents of an email, giving you the security and organization you need to use Outlook effectively. Remember, a few extra clicks now can save you a lot of time and hassle later. So next time you’re about to forward an email, pause and save what’s important – your future self will thank you.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.