How to create an email template in Outlook
If you type the same email over and over, a template saves the text so you can reuse it in a couple of clicks. Outlook has several ways to do it, and the menu names depend on which Outlook you use.
New Outlook and Outlook on the web: open a new message, select My Templates (on the Message or Insert tab), click + Template, add a title and the text, and click Save. Newer versions also have Mail template › Save email as template for a full email. Classic Outlook: write the email, choose File › Save As, set Save as type to Outlook Template, and save. To use it, go to New Items › More Items › Choose Form and pick User Templates in File System.
First, which Outlook do you have?
- New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web (outlook.com or your work Outlook in a browser) look the same: a simple ribbon and a New mail button.
- Classic Outlook is the older desktop app with a File tab at the top left.
- Outlook for Mac has its own menus.
Microsoft offers two kinds of templates:
| Type | What it saves | Where it works |
|---|---|---|
| My Templates | Short text snippets with basic styling | New Outlook, web, Mac (Exchange accounts) |
| Mail templates | A full email: recipients, subject, body, formatting, images and attachments | New Outlook and web (newer versions) |
| .oft template file | A full email saved as a file on your PC | Classic Outlook for Windows |
Microsoft's help page says Mail templates and the My Templates add-in need a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription, and that work accounts may have add-ins turned off by IT. If you don't see the buttons below, that is the likely reason.
New Outlook and Outlook on the web: My Templates
- Click New mail.
- Select My Templates. In current versions it's on the Message tab; older versions put it on the Insert tab. A task pane opens on the right.
- Click + Template below the existing templates.
- Type a name in the Title box, such as "Quote follow-up."
- Type or paste the template text in the box below.
- Click Save.
To use it: start a new email or reply, open My Templates, and click the template. The text drops into your message, and you can edit it before sending.
Microsoft says My Templates are saved to your primary mailbox, so they show up in Outlook on other devices too.
New Outlook and the web: save a full email as a template
Newer versions add Mail templates, which keep the subject, recipients and attachments as well as the text.
- On the Home tab, select New › Mail.
- Fill in what you want saved: recipients, subject, body and any attachments.
- On the Message tab, select Mail template › Save email as template.
- Give it a name and click Save.
To use it: on the Home tab, select New › Mail from template, pick the template, and edit it. Microsoft notes that changes you make to the new email are not saved back to the template. You can see all saved templates under Settings › Mail › Templates.
Classic Outlook: save an .oft template
- On the Home tab, select New Email (or press Ctrl+Shift+M).
- Write the subject and body you want to reuse.
- In the message window, select File › Save As.
- In the Save as type list, choose Outlook Template.
- Type a name in File name and click Save.
Microsoft says classic Outlook saves templates by default in c:\users\username\appdata\roaming\microsoft\templates.
To use it:
- Select New Items › More Items › Choose Form.
- In Look In, choose User Templates in File System.
- Pick your template and click Open.
- Add the recipient, make any changes, and click Send.
Outlook for Mac
Microsoft's Mac help describes a built-in option (Microsoft 365 or Outlook for Mac 15.35 and later):
- Select an email you've written and want to reuse.
- Choose File › Save As Template, name it, and click Save.
- To use it, choose File › New › Mail From Template, pick the template (it ends in
.emltpl) and click Open.
Exchange accounts on a Mac can also use My Templates from the ribbon of a new message, with the same + Template steps as above. Microsoft says it isn't available in shared mailboxes on the Mac.
Template examples to copy
Use square brackets for the parts you change each time, so you never send "[Name]" by mistake. Search the draft for [ before you hit send.
Quote follow-up:
Received, will reply soon:
Meeting request:
For more wording, see follow-up email templates and out-of-office examples. If you send the same email to many people with their own names in it, mail merge in Outlook is the better tool.
Questions people ask
- Where is My Templates in new Outlook?
- Open a new email and look on the Message tab (older versions: the Insert tab). If it isn't there, your account may not have it, or your IT team may have turned add-ins off.
- How do I make a template in classic Outlook?
- Write the email, choose File, Save As, set Save as type to Outlook Template, and save. Open it later from New Items, More Items, Choose Form, User Templates in File System.
- Can an Outlook template include an attachment?
- Yes, with Mail templates in new Outlook and the web, or with an .oft file in classic Outlook. My Templates saves text only.
- Can I share an Outlook template with a coworker?
- In classic Outlook, send them the .oft file. In new Outlook, templates in a shared mailbox can be shared if the mailbox is added as a full account.
- Can I make templates in Outlook on my phone?
- Microsoft's template help covers new Outlook, classic Outlook, the web and Mac, not the phone apps. Create templates on a computer.