Email templates are the original email automation.
Long before Power Automate, Copilot, and AI assistants, Outlook templates were quietly helping people work a little faster every day.
They’re simple, but that’s exactly why they’re so effective.
You may already have emails you write over and over without realizing it. Every time a new employee joins your team, you search your Sent folder for the welcome email you wrote six months ago.
When you need a project status update, you dig through old messages to find the one where you explained exactly what information you needed. Copy. Paste. Edit. Send.
Sound familiar?
It’s easy to think, “I’ll create templates later.”
But spending an hour creating a handful of well-designed templates can save hours over the course of a year. More importantly, it removes one of those small daily frustrations that slowly add up over time.
Not every productivity improvement has to be revolutionary. Sometimes it’s just eliminating work you never needed to repeat in the first place.
Why Use Templates?
Saving time is the obvious benefit, but it’s not the only one.
Templates also help you:
- Communicate consistently across your team.
- Reduce typos and forgotten information.
- Include the correct attachments every time.
- Present a polished, professional experience to clients and coworkers.
If multiple people in your organization send similar emails, templates also help everyone communicate in the same voice and provide the same information.
💡Real-world example: Marketing teams often use templates for webinar reminders, project managers use them for status requests, HR teams use them for onboarding, and sales teams use them for follow-up emails. Chances are, you’re already sending at least one email that could become a template.
Which Type of Template Should You Use?
Outlook offers two different ways to save templates, and choosing the right one depends on what you’re trying to reuse.
Think about how much of the email stays the same each time.
If you’re mostly reusing a paragraph or two while customizing the rest of the message, My Templates is usually the better choice.
If you’re repeatedly sending the same complete email with formatting, recipients, attachments, and a subject line, Mail Templates will save even more time.
Using My Templates
Best for: Frequently used text that you paste into emails.
How to Create a Template
- Open a new email.
- Select My Templates from the ribbon (or install it from Apps if it isn’t available).
- Select + Template.
- Give your template a name.
- Paste or type your reusable text.
- Select
How to Use a Template
- Open a new email or reply.
- Open My Templates.
- Select the template you want.
- The text is inserted into your email.
- Add recipients, attachments, or personalize the message before sending.
💡Tip: If you don’t have My Templates listed, your organization may have add-ins turned off. Contact your administrator.
Using Mail Templates
Best for: Complete emails with formatting, subject lines, recipients, images, and attachments.
New Outlook & Outlook on the Web
How to Create a Template
- Create a new email with everything you want to save.
- Select File > Templates > Save email as template.
- Give the template a name and save it.
How to Use a Template
- Select New > Mail from template.
- Choose your saved template.
- Update any details that have changed.
- Send.
❗Important: Changes you make while sending an email aren’t automatically saved back to the template. If you want to update it permanently, go to File > Templates > Manage Templates.
Classic Outlook
How to Create a Template
- Create your email.
- Select File > Save As.
- Choose Outlook Template (*.oft).
- Save.
How to Use a Template
- Select New Items > More Items > Choose Form.
- Choose User Templates in File System.
- Select your template.
- Update any details and send.
Ten Email Templates Worth Creating Today
Not sure where to start? Here are a few email templates that can save you time:
1. Project Kickoff
Introduce a new project by outlining objectives, timelines, key stakeholders, and next steps so everyone starts on the same page.
2. Customer support responses
Answer frequently asked questions with consistent, professional messaging.
3. Meeting follow-ups
Summarize decisions, action items, deadlines, and responsibilities
4. New employee onboarding
Welcome new hires with important resources, first-day expectations, key contacts, and helpful links.
5. Vendor or Client Requests
Request approvals, documents, signatures, invoices, or other recurring information without rewriting the same email every time.
6. Status update requests
Request progress updates using a consistent format that makes responses easier to compare and compile.
7. Training invitations
Invite employees to training sessions with dates, times, registration links, prerequisites, and any preparation materials.
8. Webinar reminders
Send attendees a polished reminder that includes the meeting link, agenda, start time, and any last-minute instructions.
9. Vacation or out-of-office coverage instructions
Provide teammates with coverage plans, backup contacts, outstanding tasks, and return dates before you’re away.
10. Frequently sent internal announcements
Share recurring company updates such as policy changes, office closures, celebrations, or event reminders with consistent branding and messaging.
Small Change. Big Payoff.
We spend a lot of time talking about AI, automation, and digital transformation. Those tools absolutely have their place.
But some of the biggest productivity wins come from solving much smaller problems.
Outlook templates won’t completely transform the way you work, but they eliminate dozens of tiny interruptions throughout your week. Less searching. Less copying and pasting. Less wondering whether you remembered to include everything.
And once you’ve built the habit of eliminating repetitive work, you’ll start spotting other opportunities to simplify your day, whether that’s with Outlook templates, Power Automate, or AI.
Sometimes working smarter starts with something surprisingly simple.
