Microsoft Outlook is an excellent tool that offers numerous features beyond simple email management. One such feature is the ability to send recurring emails, which can be incredibly useful for tasks that need to be done periodically, such as sending weekly reports or monthly invoices. This guide will walk you through the process of how to send a recurring email in Outlook.
Understanding Recurring Emails
Before we delve into the steps, let’s understand what recurring emails are. A recurring email is an email that is automatically sent on a set schedule. This could be daily, weekly, monthly, or any other period that suits your needs. Setting up recurring emails can save you time and ensure that important tasks are not forgotten.
Creating a Recurring Email in Outlook
Unfortunately, Outlook does not natively support the creation of recurring emails. However, with a little creativity, you can use the Calendar and Task functions to achieve this. Here’s how:
1. Create a New Appointment
The first step is to create a new appointment in your calendar. This will serve as the ‘trigger’ for your recurring email.
- Step 1: Open Outlook and click on the ‘Calendar’ tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Step 2: Click on ‘New Appointment’ on the top left of the screen.
- Step 3: In the new window, fill in the subject, location, and start/end times. These details are not very important, as they won’t affect the email.
2. Set the Recurrence
Next, you’ll set the recurrence for the appointment.
- Step 1: In the appointment window, click on ‘Recurrence’ at the top.
- Step 2: In the new window, set the recurrence pattern (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) and the range of recurrence (start and end dates).
- Step 3: Click ‘OK’.
3. Write the Email
Now, you’ll write the email that you want to be sent recurrently.
- Step 1: In the appointment window, click on ‘Insert’ at the top.
- Step 2: Click on ‘Outlook Item’.
- Step 3: In the new window, click on ‘Mail’ on the left.
- Step 4: Select the email you want to send recurrently and click ‘OK’. The email will be inserted into the body of the appointment.
4. Create a Reminder
The final step is to create a reminder that will prompt you to send the email.
- Step 1: In the appointment window, check the box for ‘Reminder’.
- Step 2: Set the reminder to go off ‘0 minutes’ before the appointment. This will trigger the reminder at the exact time of the appointment.
- Step 3: Click ‘Save & Close’.
Sending the Recurring Email
Now that the recurring email has been set up, here’s how it will work:
When the time of the appointment comes, a reminder will pop up on your screen. This reminder will contain the email you inserted into the appointment. To send the email, all you have to do is:
- Step 1: Open the reminder.
- Step 2: Right-click on the inserted email and select ‘Forward’.
- Step 3: Enter the recipient’s email address and click ‘Send’.
This process will repeat every time the reminder goes off, effectively sending a recurring email.
Conclusion
While Outlook does not directly support recurring emails, with a bit of creativity, you can use the Calendar and Task functions to achieve this. Whether you need to send weekly updates, monthly newsletters, or any other recurring communication, this guide has shown you how to automate the process. With recurring emails set up in Outlook, you can save time, improve your productivity, and ensure that important tasks are never forgotten.
