Your Email in Outlook

What's Changing

Your email is moving from Gmail to Microsoft Outlook. Think of it as upgrading to a new car - the steering wheel is in the same place, the road is the same, but the dashboard looks a bit different.

Your new email address is firstname.lastname@[domain].com - and your old address has been aliased, so no email goes missing. Your contacts come with you. The main change is the app you use to read and send email.

What Stays the Same

• Your contacts - they transfer automatically
• Your email history - past emails are migrated over
• How email works - compose, send, reply, forward - all the same concepts

Getting Started with Outlook

Opening Outlook on Your Computer

1. Click the Outlook icon on your desktop or taskbar
2. If you don't see it, search for "Outlook" in the Windows Start menu
3. Sign in with your work email and the new password you were given

Opening Outlook on the Web

1. Go to outlook.office.com in your browser
2. Sign in with your work email address
3. You'll see your inbox right away - it works a lot like Gmail's web interface

The Outlook Layout

Here's what Outlook on the web looks like — your inbox with folders on the left, email list in the middle, and a reading pane on the right:

Here's what you'll notice right away:

• Inbox is front and center, just like Gmail
• Folders are on the left (instead of Gmail's "Labels") — you'll see Favorites at the top (Inbox, Sent, Drafts) and the full folder tree below
• The reading pane shows your selected email on the right — if no email is selected, you'll see an envelope icon with "Select an item to read"
• New Email button is at the top left - same as Gmail's "Compose"

If you're using the desktop version of Outlook, the layout is similar but includes a ribbon toolbar across the top with quick access to Reply, Forward, Move, and other common actions.

New Mail Options

When you click New Email, you'll notice a dropdown arrow next to it. Click the arrow to see additional options:

• New mail — compose a regular email
• Mail from template — use a saved email template
• Event — create a calendar event directly
• Signature mail — send a formatted email with your signature

You can also start a new email with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + N.

Gmail to Outlook - Quick Comparison

Understanding Focused Inbox

Outlook has a feature called Focused Inbox that automatically sorts your email into two tabs:

• Focused - emails Outlook thinks are most important (messages from people you interact with regularly, direct messages to you)
• Other - newsletters, automated notifications, and less urgent items

This is similar to Gmail's Priority Inbox. It works well once it learns your habits, but some people prefer to see everything in one list. To turn it off:

1. Click View in the ribbon
2. Click View Settings
3. Turn off "Sort messages into Focused and Other"

Setting Up Your Email Signature

Your email signature is how customers and colleagues identify you. Set it up right away:

1. Click the Settings gear (top right of Outlook)
2. Go to Accounts > Signatures
3. Create your signature with your name, title, department, and phone number
4. Set it as the default for new emails and replies/forwards

Example:

Jane Smith | Communications Coordinator Blue Ant Media (416) 555-0123 | jane.smith@blueantmedia.com

Your Calendar Lives Here Too

Your Outlook Calendar and your Teams Calendar are the same calendar - they are always in sync. Any meeting booked in Teams shows up in Outlook and vice versa. Click the Calendar icon in the left sidebar of Outlook to see your schedule without leaving the app.

Troubleshooting: Email Not Showing Up?

If you can't find an email you're expecting:

1. Check the Other tab - Focused Inbox may have sorted it there
2. Check Junk/Spam - look in the Junk Email folder on the left sidebar
3. Search for it - use the search bar at the top and type the sender's name or subject
4. Give it a moment - after migration, it can take a few hours for all emails to appear
5. Check Shared Mailboxes - if it was sent to a shared address (press@, info@), it appears in that mailbox's folder, not your personal inbox

Where Shared Mailboxes Appear

If you have access to shared mailboxes like press@ or info@, they appear as separate sections in your left folder panel - below your personal inbox folders. They don't mix into your regular inbox. Click the shared mailbox name to expand it and see its own Inbox, Sent Items, and folders.

Tips for Staff

• Shared mailboxes (like your team's press@ or info@ address) work similarly - your IT team will set these up for you
• Calendar invites come right into Outlook too - no more switching between Gmail and Google Calendar
• Teams chat notifications can appear in Outlook, so you won't miss messages from colleagues
• Right-click for options - right-clicking any email, folder, or contact gives you a menu with useful actions (move, flag, categorize, etc.)
• Drag and drop works everywhere - drag emails into folders, drag attachments onto the desktop, drag files into new emails

Personalizing Outlook

You can customize Outlook to look and feel the way you prefer. Click the Settings gear (top right) to access these options.

Dark Mode

Prefer a darker screen? Outlook supports full dark mode:

1. Click the Settings gear > General > Appearance
2. Choose Dark, Light, or Use system settings
3. Pick a theme colour (blue or dark blue)
4. Toggle Show app names in the navigation bar if you prefer icons with labels

Notifications

Control which notifications interrupt you:

1. Settings > General > Notifications
2. Toggle notifications for Mail, Calendar, and Documents independently
3. Turn off mail notifications during focus time to stay productive

Language and Time Zone

Make sure your dates and times are correct for your office:

1. Settings > General > Language and time
2. Set your time zone (Eastern Time for Toronto office)
3. Choose your preferred date format and time format

Your Tasks and To Do

Outlook includes a built-in task manager called Microsoft To Do. You can access it by clicking the checkmark icon in the left sidebar of Outlook.

Quick Overview

• My Day — tasks you want to focus on today
• Important — tasks you've marked as high priority
• Planned — tasks with due dates, organized by when they're due
• Assigned to me — tasks assigned to you by colleagues in Teams or Planner
• Flagged email — any email you flag in Outlook automatically appears here as a task

Creating Tasks from Emails

This is one of the most useful features: flag any email and it becomes a task in your To Do list. Right-click an email > Flag > choose a due date. The email shows up in your Tasks view so you don't forget to follow up.

Google Tasks Equivalent

If you used Google Tasks, Microsoft To Do is the replacement. It integrates deeper — your tasks show up in Outlook, Teams, and the standalone To Do app on your phone.

Keyboard Shortcuts You Already Know

If you used Gmail keyboard shortcuts, many of them work in Outlook too:

• R - Reply
• F - Forward
• E - Archive
• Ctrl + N - New email
• Ctrl + Enter - Send

Need Help?

If you can't find something or something doesn't look right:

1. Check the Quick Start guide on this site
2. Ask a colleague who has already been migrated
3. Contact IT Support
4. Email the Blue Ant Media IT team at it@blueantmedia.com