Skip to main content
Tech Radar
  • Tech Radar Pro
  • Tech Radar Gaming
Tech Radar Pro TechRadar IT Insights for Business
Subscribe
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
Technology Magazines
Technology Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12.99
View Deal
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Expert Insights
  • Website builders
  • Web hosting
  • Security
Trending
  • Best standing desk deals
  • Best cloud storage 2023
  • What is Microsoft Teams?
  • Expert Insights

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. How-to
  3. Computing

Outlook for Mac 2016: Six new tips for better email

By J.R. Bookwalter
published 6 October 2015

Hot mail tips for MS Office

Meet Outlook 2016

Meet Outlook 2016

We've already covered three major components of the Office 2016 suite - Word, Excel and PowerPoint - so now it's time to turn our attention to Outlook for Mac. Microsoft's venerable email, contacts and calendar application hasn't had quite the overhaul the other members of the team have received (and still can't access iCloud contacts or calendars, bah!), but there are a few items worthy of note to be found. In addition to the six Outlook tips you'll find in our gallery, the entire Office 2016 for Mac suite now offers support for Retina Display, full-screen view and multitouch gestures - and you can install the entire suite without the need for an Office 365 subscription, so it's a great time to brush up on what's new in Outlook for Mac 2016.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
What took you so long?

What took you so long?

Two of the new features in Outlook for Mac 2016 have been around for quite some time on OS X Mail, meaning that Microsoft has had to play a bit of catchup. The first is the ability to preview the first sentence of an email beneath the subject line in the list of messages, a fairly obvious convenience that makes Outlook a whole lot nicer. The second is even more helpful: Threaded conversations, which automatically groups individual messages on the same topic into a flowing cascade. A click on the triangle expands conversation, but if you prefer to ditch this awesome new feature, head to View > Arrange > Conversations to turn it off.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Push it real good

Push it real good

Once again catching up to just about every other email client out available, Outlook for Mac 2016 finally supports push email, which means incoming messages will arrive directly to your inbox without having to manually check for them, or set up a schedule to do so every so many minutes. Best of all, there's really nothing to set up or configure, although you might want to double-check that IMAP-IDLE is turned on in the Advanced section of each individual account for servers that support it, like the Dreamhost one shown here.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Filtered searches, just my way

Filtered searches, just my way

It's not hard to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of email you receive, especially when juggling multiple accounts and contacts. That's where Microsoft comes to the rescue with Outlook for Mac 2016, which includes a handy option to filter messages by a wide range of criteria. For example: Looking for only the emails received today, this week, or this month? No problem, just click on the filter button and use the pop-up menu to select the desired option. But there's a wide range of choices to be found, including Unread, Flagged, Has Attachment, and even by Category, which comes in handy for separating work messages from personal emails in a jiffy.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
What's the weather like today?

What's the weather like today?

Here's another feature that seems like it should have been there all along. While in Calendar view, Outlook for Mac 2016 now displays weather for the current day as well as two days into the future. A click on any of these forecasts opens a pop-up with additional detail, along with a web link to get the big picture. By default, Outlook grabs weather from the nearest major city, but a click on the pulldown menu offers the option to update your location automatically, which comes in handy for those using a MacBook. Should you prefer a weather-free view of events, this option can also be turned off from Preferences > Calendar.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Double the calendars, double the fun

Double the calendars, double the fun

Another new calendar feature in Outlook for Mac 2016 is even more convenient: There's a side-by-side option to help spot scheduling conflicts when juggling multiple calendars. To activate it, simply select the calendars you want to view in the left-hand Navigation pane, which then displays each one in the currently selected view as neighboring tabs. If you no longer need to reference both of them, simply uncheck the one you don't want to see, or optionally click the X button in the tab to make that view disappear.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
The more calendars, the merrier

The more calendars, the merrier

You might think that's the extent of what calendars in Outlook for Mac 2016 have to offer, but you would be oh so wrong. Another option for viewing events from multiple calendars is to browse over to the Organize tab on the Ribbon and click the Overlay button. Now you've just consolidated the information from all of your individual calendars into a single view for maximum efficiency and control of your day, week, or month. Want to jump back to that aforementioned side-by-side view again? No problem, just click the Overlay button a second time, and whoomp, there it is.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
J.R. Bookwalter
Social Links Navigation
See more Applications how-to
More about computing
ixcharger

This tiny laptop charger has a 1TB SSD and automatic backup functionality

Sennheiser Profile on a desk

Sennheiser Profile review: impressive audio quality from an impressive audio company

Latest
Best PS5 accessories

Best PS5 accessories in 2023

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Premier League final day live stream: watch every game from anywhere – who is going down?

By Tom WigginsMay 28, 2023

Manchester United vs Fulham live stream: how to watch Premier League online today – team news

By Aatif SulleymanMay 27, 2023

6 photography tricks for taking beautiful flower pictures

By Matty GrahamMay 27, 2023

How to change your default browser in Windows

By Allisa JamesMay 26, 2023

This VPN thinks it might have a solution to Netflix password sharing ban

By Chiara CastroMay 26, 2023

Coventry vs Luton Town live stream: how to watch the EFL Championship playoff final online and on TV from anywhere, team news

By Tom WigginsMay 26, 2023

5 ways to improve AirPods' battery life, and check their charge level

By Amelia SchwankeMay 26, 2023

Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians live stream: how to watch the IPL playoff free online today, Qualifier 2

By Kevin LynchMay 26, 2023

Monaco Grand Prix live stream: how to watch F1 online from anywhere, Qualifying

By Mo Harber-LamondMay 26, 2023

Charles Schwab Challenge live stream 2023: how to watch golf online, Round 1

By Kevin LynchMay 25, 2023

How to watch Mayans MC season 5 online: stream the final season of the hit drama from anywhere now

By Daniel PatemanMay 24, 2023

  1. Poster for Silo on Apple TV Plus
    1
    Apple TV Plus is now a sci-fi TV show utopia – here are 4 series you need to watch
  2. 2
    You'll soon be able to create all kinds of documents in Google Docs - here's how
  3. 3
    Microsoft is finally introducing the feature that’ll make me upgrade to Windows 11
  4. 4
    Windows 11 Moment 3 update is packed with cool features – here are 5
  5. 5
    I made crispy air fryer chickpeas and it's made snacking healthy
  1. iPhone low battery image
    1
    Don’t panic: there’s a reason your iPhone’s battery is draining faster than usual
  2. 2
    More Microsoft 365 phishing attacks are using this dangerous new method - here's what you need to know
  3. 3
    The latest iPhone 15 charging rumor sounds very un-Apple
  4. 4
    This Microsoft Teams update could turn your meeting into a complete mess
  5. 5
    Windows 11 Moment 3 update is packed with cool features – here are 5

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.