Best Free Microsoft Outlook Resources & Tutorials

There are free tutorials and other learning resources available for improving skills with Microsoft Outlook. Many people may believe that training for something they already use daily and feel comfortable with would be unnecessary and expensive. However, there are free and inexpensive learning resources available that can provide a better understanding of using Outlook for email communication and other functions. 

This article will provide information about the various tutorials and learning resources available for free or at a low cost. 

What is Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlookis among the most used email servers on the planet. However, Outlook provides more than email access. Outlook facilitates email communication, setting up contact lists for your organization, and using the calendar to organize business meetings and other events. It also serves as a web app manager that allows coordinating and integrating Microsoft Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for the workplace or personal use. Also, Microsoft Outlook does not share data collected for integrating Office applications within Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Outlook began as Hotmail in 1996 without any connection to Microsoft before the company purchased the email site and renamed it MSN Hotmail and eventually Windows Live Hotmail. The product became Outlook.com in 2012. As stated, Microsoft provides Outlook as the center for managing its software applications for mainly work settings and personal use. Outlook allows users to conveniently access the software needed for establishing an efficient working environment, allowing an organization to communicate through email or share content using the Web or the cloud through Microsoft 365. This includes sharing content from the Office software bundle that offers a variety of functions for word processing, building databases, organizing spreadsheets, or designing promotional material.

Read more about what Microsoft Outlook isand why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlook is mainly considered an email facilitator but also functions as an application manager for Office software programs provided through Microsoft 365. Outlook allows users to control emails using filters and folders, locate names in the address book, or schedule emails to respond automatically when the user is unavailable. Outlook also provides a calendar for organizing meetings, events, or project deadlines.

With being able to interface with other Microsoft Office applications, Outlook functions for tasks as wide-ranging as accounting, data entry, word processing, or presentations through access to software like Excel, Access, Word, or PowerPoint. Outlook provides an efficient tool for any workplace, academic institution, or home.

In addition to many using Outlook for their personal email, business corporations, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations use Microsoft Outlook for getting projects done in addition to email communication and organizing schedules. Outlook provides an assortment of features and functions for getting work done efficiently:

• Outlook offers a variety of options for sending, receiving, and forwarding emails, as well as navigating the inbox and folders.
• Outlook interacts with other Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Microsoft Outlook users can collaborate with coworkers by exchanging Microsoft Office content easily.
• Companies and organizations can share Outlook calendars among staff members to optimize collaboration in the workplace.
• Users can sync personal data using Microsoft Outlook on computers, smartphones, or tablets.
• Outlook allows entering information into the calendar that syncs with a variety of devices.
• Personal data can be integrated into Outlook, including virtual sticky notes, calendars, address books, and to-do lists.
• Microsoft Outlook can integrate with other online services and apps, including Uber, Google Play, Facebook, Yelp, Skype, Boomerang, and Evernote.
• Microsoft Outlook has font options for professional-looking formatting and various color themes.
• Users can set the Microsoft Outlook calendar for daily, weekly, or monthly schedules to keep track of important appointments and meetings.
• Users can send out meeting requests to people listed in their contact list through the calendar feature.
• Outlook also provides security features, including data encryption for a user's mailbox after sending an email.
• Premium Microsoft Outlook automatically deactivates unsafe links containing viruses, malware, or phishing scams and can recover important files from Microsoft OneDrive.
• Users can run Skype directly through Microsoft Outlook for online chatting in real-time.

Free Tutorials

If you don’t feel ready to take on a fully loaded Microsoft Outlook training course, there are online education providers that offer free or low-cost classes for learning or optimizing skills with email and app management software. For example, Udemy offers the relatively inexpensive Get Started with Microsoft Outlook that provides step-by-step instructions for people who may have little to no experience with Microsoft Outlook with training on how to use the application’s basic email functions or learning about integrating Office applications.

If you’re interested in Microsoft Outlook training on-demand, there are several options available for improving on how to use Outlook more efficiently for email communication, setting up meetings and appointments, or coordinating the variety of Office applications available through Microsoft 365. Individuals have choices that include free basic online tutorials or advanced online courses offered by several education providers. For example, ONLC Training Centers offers Outlook 2019 On-Demand: Comprehensive (Parts 1 & 2) Course Online, which is an on-demand self-study course that provides comprehensive training for Microsoft Outlook.

While Noble Desktop does not offer free tutorials specifically focused on Outlook, there are free seminars available that give students options for improving skills for email communication that can fit the time of their choosing, including the free Intro to Email Marketing or the free Designing Responsive Email.

Key Insights

• There are free tutorials and other learning resources available for improving on skills with Microsoft Outlook.
• Microsoft Outlook is among the most used email services on the planet, but also provides more than just email communication.
• Outlook lets users control email using filters and folders, locate names in the address book, or schedule email to automatically respond when the user is unavailable, as well as provide a calendar feature for setting up meetings, events, or project deadlines.
• Microsoft Outlook provides an assortment of features and functions that help get work done efficiently.
• There are several ways to improve skills with Microsoft Outlook, including options for on-demand learning.
• Noble Desktop offers Microsoft Outlook training that gives users a better understanding of the email service and app management software.

Learn Microsoft Outlook with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

If you’re looking to improve on knowledge of using Microsoft Outlook, Noble Desktop has courses that provide training for a better understanding of the software application. This includes in-person classes available in New York City, along with live online courses offered at times that may fit your schedule at varying costs.

Noble Desktop offers in-person and live online Microsoft Office courses that provide hands-on training from expert instructors. These courses provide training that includes lessons for Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Project, and Outlook, which serves as the hub for access to this bundle of integrated Microsoft Office applications. These classes can be taken inside a classroom or live online. 

Students can enroll in Microsoft Outlook Level I for lessons on the fundamentals of the application. This one-day course focuses on teaching participants about using Outlook efficiently with lessons on setting up email folders, automating email, managing calendars and to-do lists, or organizing schedules and contact lists that can all contribute to improving workflow.

People may elect to take the Microsoft Outlook Level II class. This follow-up course builds on the training established in the Level I course. Level II emphasizes lessons for configuring email accounts, performing advanced searches, filtering spam, learning about working with advanced calendars, and handling contact lists.