How To Create Email Templates In Outlook

Creating an email template in Outlook saves you from typing the same message over and over again. This guide is for you if you regularly send similar emails, such as weekly reports, customer service replies, or project updates. By making a template, you can create a new, pre-filled email with just a few clicks, ensuring your messages are consistent and saving you valuable time. We will walk you through the entire process on the desktop version of Outlook.

Fast Answer

Action: Start a new email, write your content, then go to File > Save As.
File Type: In the "Save as type" dropdown, choose Outlook Template (*.oft).
Location: Let Outlook save it in the default templates folder it suggests.
To Use: Go to New Items > More Items > Choose Form... and select your template.

5-10 Minutes Time needed

Beginner Difficulty

Saving Location Watch out for

Before You Start

Microsoft Outlook Desktop App: This guide is specifically for the installed desktop version of Outlook on Windows. The web version (Outlook.com) and mobile apps use a different, simpler feature called "My Templates" which is not covered here.
Email Content: Have the text, subject line, and any attachments you want to include in your template ready to go. This makes the process much faster.
No Sensitive Information: Double-check that you are not including any private or sensitive details in the template body, such as passwords, personal addresses, or specific client data that shouldn't be shared.

Check first: The most common mistake is saving the template file in the wrong folder. For Outlook to find your template easily, you must let it save to the default user templates folder it automatically selects when you choose the "Outlook Template (*.oft)" file type.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Start a New, Blank Email

First, open your Outlook desktop application. In the top-left corner of the Home ribbon, click on the "New Email" button. This will open a new, empty message window. This window is where you will build the foundation of your template. Don't worry about adding recipients in the "To:", "Cc:", or "Bcc:" fields yet; these are typically left blank in a template so you can fill them in each time you use it.

Compose Your Template's Content

Now, write the body of the email exactly as you want it to appear each time. This includes the greeting, the main text, and the closing. Pay attention to formatting like bold text, bullet points, or different font sizes. What you create here is exactly what will appear when you use the template later.

A great practice is to use clear placeholders for information that will change with each email. Use square brackets or another obvious marker. For example, you might write, "Hello [Customer Name]," or "Please find attached the report for [Date]." This acts as a reminder for you to customise the message before sending.

Tip: If you have a standard Outlook signature set up, you don't need to add it to the template. Outlook will automatically add your default signature to the message when you create an email from the template.

Set the Subject Line

Don't forget the subject line. Click into the "Subject" field of your new message and type the subject you want to be used for this template. Just like the body, the subject line is saved as part of the template. Using a standard subject line helps keep your communications consistent, especially for recurring tasks like "Weekly Sales Report" or "Project Update". You can also use placeholders here, such as "[Project Name] - Status Update".

Attach Any Standard Files (If Needed)

If your email always includes the same attachment—like a company brochure, a standard form, or a price list—you can add it to the template now. Click the "Attach File" button in the ribbon and browse for the file on your computer. When you save the template, a copy of this file will be saved within it. Every time you use the template, the new email will already have that file attached, saving you the step of finding it again.

Be mindful of file size. Attaching very large files to a template can make the template file itself large, but for standard documents like PDFs or Word files, it works perfectly.

Save the Message as an Outlook Template File

This is the most important step. With your email composed, go to the top-left of the message window and click on the "File" tab. From the menu that appears on the left, select "Save As". This will open the standard Windows save dialog box.

Here, you need to change the file type. Click on the dropdown menu next to "Save as type:". Scroll through the options and select "Outlook Template (*.oft)". As soon as you select this, you should see Windows automatically change the save location to a special "Templates" folder. Do not change this location. Give your template a clear, memorable name in the "File name:" field, like "Monthly Report Template" or "New Client Welcome", and then click the "Save" button.

After saving, you can close the original email message window. Outlook may ask if you want to save your changes; you can safely say "No" because you have already saved the content as a template.

Use Your New Email Template

Now that your template is saved, it's time to use it. The path to find it is a bit hidden, but easy once you know it. From the main Outlook window, go to the "Home" tab. Instead of clicking "New Email", click on "New Items", then hover over "More Items", and finally click on "Choose Form...".

A new window called "Choose Form" will appear. At the top, there is a dropdown menu labelled "Look In:". Click this and select "User Templates in File System". You should now see the template file you just saved. Select it and click "Open". A brand new email will appear, pre-filled with all the content, subject line, and attachments from your template, ready for you to add recipients and fill in your placeholders.

Quick Access Tip: For templates you use all the time, you can pin them to your taskbar. Find the saved `.oft` file on your computer (in the templates folder) and drag it onto the Outlook icon in your Windows taskbar. It will become a "pinned" item. Now, you can just right-click the Outlook icon and click your template's name to instantly create a new email from it.

Edit an Existing Template

Your needs might change, and you may need to update a template. To edit a template, you must open the template file itself, not create a new email from it. Use the same steps as above: go to New Items > More Items > Choose Form.... Select "User Templates in File System" from the "Look In:" dropdown.

Find the template you wish to edit, select it, and click "Open". This will open the template in a new email window. Make any changes you need to the subject, body, or attachments. Once you are finished, you must save it again using the exact same process: File > Save As, choose "Outlook Template (*.oft)" as the type, and save it with the exact same file name as before. Windows will ask if you want to replace the existing file. Click "Yes" to overwrite the old template with your updated version.

Quick Reference

Situation	Use this	Why
Creating a whole new email template	*File > Save As > Outlook Template (.oft)**	This saves the entire email—subject, body, and attachments—as a reusable `.oft` file.
Reusing small blocks of text or images	Quick Parts (Insert > Quick Parts)	This is faster for inserting common phrases or paragraphs into any email, rather than creating a whole new message.
Accessing a saved template	New Items > More Items > Choose Form...	This is the official menu path to browse and open your saved user templates.
Editing a template	Open the template via "Choose Form...", then Save As with the same name.	This ensures you are overwriting the original template file with the new, updated content.

Common Problems When You Create Email Templates In Outlook

Problem: I can't find my template after I saved it.

Cause: This almost always happens because the template was saved in the wrong location. When you click "Save As", you must let Outlook default to its dedicated `C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates` folder. If you save it to your Desktop or Documents folder, the "Choose Form" dialog won't be able to find it.

Solution: Find the `.oft` file where you saved it and move it to the correct Outlook templates folder. The easiest way to find this folder is to start saving a new template and see which folder path Outlook suggests—then you can copy that path and use it in File Explorer.

Problem: The formatting in my template looks broken or changes when I use it.

Cause: This is common if you copy and paste text directly from Microsoft Word or a website into the Outlook message window. These sources often carry hidden formatting code (HTML or XML) that can conflict with Outlook's editor.

Solution: When pasting text from another source, use the "Paste Special" option. Right-click in the email body and choose the "Keep Text Only" paste option. This will strip out all the problematic background formatting. You can then re-apply any bolding, italics, or bullet points you need using Outlook's own formatting tools for a clean, reliable result.

Problem: This doesn't work on my work computer or seems blocked.

Cause: Some companies have IT policies that restrict where users can save files or may disable certain Outlook features. Your ability to save to the user templates folder might be blocked by system administrators for security reasons.

Solution: Contact your company's IT department. Explain that you are trying to use the standard Outlook Template feature and ask if there are any restrictions in place. They may be able to provide an alternative method or grant you the necessary permissions.

Problem: Double-clicking the `.oft` file edits the template instead of creating a new email.

Cause: By default, double-clicking an `.oft` file in Windows File Explorer opens the template itself for editing. This is different from how Word or Excel templates work, which typically create a new document.

Solution: This is expected behaviour. To create a *new message from* the template, you must always access it from within Outlook using the New Items > More Items > Choose Form... method. The quick-access pin on the taskbar also works correctly and will create a new message, not open the template for editing.

Advanced Tips for Email Templates in Outlook

Use Quick Parts for Snippets

Sometimes you don't need a whole new email, just a reusable paragraph, table, or block of text. For this, Outlook's "Quick Parts" feature is better. To create one, type and format the text you want to save in an email. Highlight it, then go to the Insert tab, click Quick Parts, and select "Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery...". Give it a name, and now you can insert that entire block of text anytime from the same Quick Parts menu. This is perfect for complex instructions, answers to common questions, or formatted lists.

Create a Custom Ribbon Tab for Your Templates

For true power users, digging through the "Choose Form" menu is too slow. You can add a custom group to your Outlook Home ribbon that contains buttons for your most-used templates. To do this, right-click anywhere on the ribbon and choose "Customize the Ribbon...". In the right-hand column, select "Home (Mail)" and click "New Group". Rename your new group to something like "My Templates". Then, in the left-hand "Choose commands from:" dropdown, select "Macros". Find the `Project1.ThisOutlookSession...` command associated with your template and add it to your custom group. This is an advanced process but provides one-click access to your templates.

Share Templates With Your Team

To share a template, you simply need to send the `.oft` file to your colleagues. The easiest way is to find your template file in the `...Microsoft\Templates` folder, attach it to a new email, and send it. The recipient just needs to save that `.oft` file attachment into the same templates folder on their own computer. Once they do, it will appear in their "User Templates in File System" list when they go to "Choose Form...".

How To Create Email Templates In Outlook FAQ

Can I create email templates in Outlook for Mac?

Yes, the process on Outlook for Mac is similar but has slightly different menu names. You compose an email, then go to File > Save as Template.... The file is saved as an `.emltpl` file. To use it, you go to File > New > Email From Template....

Can I use these templates on the Outlook website or mobile app?

No, `.oft` templates are a feature of the desktop client only. The Outlook Web App (Outlook.com) and the mobile apps use a separate, cloud-based feature called "My Templates". This is a simpler tool that is useful for short, text-based replies and is synced across your devices, but it does not support attachments or the rich formatting of desktop templates.

Do Outlook templates save recipients in the &amp;quot;To:&amp;quot; field?

Yes, if you add email addresses to the "To:", "Cc:", or "Bcc:" fields before saving the template, those addresses will be saved with it. This can be useful if you are creating a template for a report that always goes to the same group of people.

Is there a limit to how many templates I can create?

There is no practical limit imposed by Outlook. You can create as many templates as you need, limited only by the storage space on your computer. It is good practice to give them very clear file names so you can easily find the one you need.

Final Checklist for Creating Email Templates In Outlook

Open a new, blank email message. This is your canvas for building the template.
Write the body and subject line. Use clear placeholders like [Name] for parts that need customising.
Attach any default files. Add any documents that should always be included with this email.
Use "File > Save As". Navigate to the save options for the message.
Select "Outlook Template (*.oft)" as the file type. This is the critical step that makes it a template.
Confirm the save location is the default "Templates" folder. Do not change this path.
Give the template a descriptive file name. Make it easy to identify later.
Test the template. Use "New Items > More Items > Choose Form..." to make sure it opens and looks correct.