If you send the same kind of email more than a few times a week, whether it is a meeting request, a status update, or a client follow-up, an Outlook email template saves you from rewriting it from scratch every time. This guide covers how to create one in Outlook Web (outlook.com and Microsoft 365), in the newer "My Templates" pane, and in desktop Outlook, plus a few ready-to-use templates and a note on where static templates start to fall short.
What Is an Outlook Email Template?
An Outlook email template is a saved block of text, sometimes with a subject line, that you can drop into a new message instead of typing it out again. Outlook supports a few different versions of this depending on which Outlook you use:
- My Templates (Outlook Web, outlook.com, and Microsoft 365): a lightweight built-in pane for saving short, reusable snippets. This is the fastest option and works entirely in the browser.
- Quick Parts (desktop Outlook): a more powerful reusable-content feature that can include formatting, images, and signature blocks, not just plain text.
- .oft template files (desktop Outlook): a full saved message, including subject, body, formatting, and even attachments, saved as its own file type.
Most people only need "My Templates" or Quick Parts. The .oft file format is closer to a message archetype you reuse occasionally (an invoice reminder, a standard onboarding email) rather than something you insert daily.
How to Create an Email Template in Outlook Web
This is the fastest path and works on outlook.live.com, outlook.office.com, and outlook.office365.com without installing anything.
- Open Outlook Web and click New message.
- Look for the Apps icon in the compose window toolbar (it looks like a small puzzle piece or grid), and select My Templates. If you do not see it immediately, check the "..." (More options) menu in the compose toolbar.
- Click + Template.
- Give the template a short title (this is for your own reference, it is not sent) and write the body text.
- Click Save.
To use it later: open a new message, open My Templates again, and click the saved template to insert it into the body. You can still edit the inserted text before sending, nothing about using a template locks the message.
How to Create an Email Template in Desktop Outlook
Desktop Outlook (Windows) supports both Quick Parts and full .oft template files.
Quick Parts (for a reusable snippet):
- Compose a new email and write the text you want to reuse.
- Select the text, go to the Insert tab, and click Quick Parts.
- Choose Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery, name it, and click OK.
- To reuse it: place your cursor where you want the text, go to Insert → Quick Parts, and select the saved entry.
.oft file (for a full reusable message):
- Compose the message exactly as you want it saved, including subject line.
- Go to File → Save As.
- In the "Save as type" dropdown, choose Outlook Template (*.oft).
- Save it somewhere you will remember, a "Templates" folder works well.
- To reuse it: go to File → New → Choose Form, set "Look In" to User Templates in File System, and select the saved file.
A Few Outlook Email Template Examples
Meeting request follow-up:
Subject: Recap and next steps from [meeting name]
Hi [name],
Thanks for the time today. Quick recap of what we covered:
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]
Let me know if I missed anything or if any of those need to shift.
[Your name]
Client status update:
Subject: [Project name]: status update, week of [date]
Hi [name],
Quick update on where things stand: [one to two sentences]. [Anything blocked or at risk, one sentence].
Happy to jump on a call if useful.
[Your name]
Simple follow-up after no response:
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [name],
Just following up on the note below. No rush, wanted to make sure it did not get buried.
[Your name]
For an out-of-office auto-reply specifically (a slightly different feature from the templates above), see out of office message examples and templates for the exact wording and where to set it up in both Outlook and Gmail.
When a Static Template Stops Being Enough
A template is fast because it is fixed. That is also its limit: the same wording goes out to a first-time prospect and a client you have worked with for two years, and every recipient can tell when an email was clearly pasted from a template that was not written for them.
Two things templates cannot do on their own:
- Match your actual voice. A saved snippet reflects whoever wrote it once, at one point in time. It does not adapt phrase by phrase the way your own writing naturally does across different relationships and contexts.
- Respond to what was actually said. A follow-up template still needs you to manually fill in what happened in the meeting, what the client asked, what changed since the last email. The template handles the shell; you still write the substance every time.
ForthWrite works directly inside Outlook Web (outlook.live.com, outlook.office.com, and outlook.office365.com) and drafts replies in your own voice, learned from your actual sent email, rather than a fixed block of text everyone gets the same version of. It reads the thread you are replying to and drafts a response to that specific email, not a generic shell you fill in by hand. For opening lines and phrasing you can drop straight into a template today, see 115 email opening lines and 30 professional email examples.