Outlook Web App Light > Mail

Last updated 2015-12-04

The light version of Outlook Web App is simpler both in appearance and in function. It has fewer features for reading and composing mail than the standard version of Outlook Web App. To learn more about the differences, see Compare the standard and light versions of Outlook Web App.

To view your messages, select Mail in the navigation pane. To sort the messages, select any column header.

If you're wondering why you're seeing the light version of Outlook Web App, how to get back to the standard version of Outlook Web App or to Office, or how to use a different email program on a mobile device or computer, see Outlook Web App Light.

What mail features are not available in the light version?

The light version of Outlook Web App is very simple. For example, you can't do the following tasks in the light version:

Change the font. The light version of Outlook Web App only uses plain text, which means no bold, underline, or italic, no inline pictures, and no hot hyperlinks.
The light version of Outlook Web App doesn't have its own spell checker. If the browser you're using has a spell checker, you can use it.
View a preview of the message. There is no reading or preview pane.
Change column widths, or display more of the subject in the list view.
Use multiple email signatures, or select which messages to include a signature on.
Use rules to forward messages.
Connect or disconnect other email accounts.
Open someone else's mailbox.

Print a message.
Copy a message or an attachment. You can use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste the contents of a message.
Save a message as a file.
Get a notification or alert when a message arrives.
Request a read or delivery receipt on a message.
Manage tasks, notes, or inbox rules.
Recall an email message.
Create or modify a contact group. For information on what you can and can't do with contacts, see Outlook Web App Light > Contacts.

How do I organize my messages?

Email messages are delivered to the server that hosts your mailbox. By default, messages are stored in the Inbox of your mailbox. Mail folders display new messages in bold type. After they're opened, the new messages revert to normal type.

To sort by any column, select the column header. For example, to see the newest messages first, select the Received column header.

You can also use folders to organize messages. Your mailbox has a set of default folders. These folders include, but aren't limited to, Calendar, Contacts, Deleted Items, Drafts, Inbox, Junk Email, and Sent Items.

By default, messages sent to you are stored in your Inbox. But you can organize your messages into a hierarchical folder system and continue to adjust it as your needs change. For example, you can have a folder named My Team that has subfolders for each person on your team. When someone leaves your team, you can delete that person's folder. If someone moves to another team, you can move the folder to that team's folder.

Use the messaging options to control how many messages to display on each page.

View your folders and folder contents

Select Manage Folders, and then in the navigation page, select Select to view all folders. This will show any folders created in the light version of Outlook Web App, or in other email programs such as Outlook or Outlook Web App.
In the drop-down box, select the folder you want from the list, and select the green arrow.

Create a new folder

In the navigation pane, select Manage Folders.
Under Create New Folder, in the Create folder in list, select the location for your new folder.
In the Folder name box, type the name you want to use for the new folder.
Select Create.

Move a message to another folder

Select a message to move by selecting the check box next to it in the message list, or open the message you want to move.
On the toolbar, select Move.
The Move to Folder screen opens. In Move tolist, select the folder you want to move the message to.
Select Move to move the message to the selected folder.

If you decide not to move the message, select Close on the toolbar to exit the screen and return to the previous screen.

What else can I do with folders?

When you select Manage Folders, you will see options to Rename, Move, or Delete folders in addition to creating new folders.

You can't:

Copy a message to another folder.
Access Archive folders created in Outlook or Outlook Web App.

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What happens when I delete a message?

When you delete an item from your mailbox, it's moved to the Deleted Items folder. This means you can get it back by finding it in the Deleted Items folder, and moving it back to your Inbox.

You can delete the entire contents of a folder, including all sub-folders, by selecting Manage Folders and then using the Delete Folder option.

Permanently delete items from the Deleted Items folder

Select the Deleted Items folder in Mail.
To permanently delete the entire contents of your Deleted Items folder, select Empty Deleted Items Folder on the toolbar.
To permanently delete only some of the items in your Deleted Items folder, select the check box next to each item you want to delete, and then select Delete on the toolbar.
There may be a policy on your Deleted Items folder that will cause items in it to be permanently deleted after they have been in the folder for a set period of time.

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How do I create a message?

When you create a new message, you use the new message form. This is the same form used to reply to or forward a message. When you reply to messages, the heading information (To, From, and Subject) is automatically filled in for you.

If you want an email signature, go to messaging options to create or modify your signature.

In Mail, on the toolbar, select New Message.
Address the message:
- Type the names or email aliases of the intended recipients in the To, Cc, and Bcc boxes as appropriate. Separate multiple names with semicolons. Use the Check names icon on the toolbar to resolve the names. If there's more than one possible match, the unresolved names will appear in red and a list will appear in the navigation pane. Select to select the name or names you want from the list.
- For more options, see Outlook Web App Light > Address Book.
Type a brief subject line in the Subject box.
Type your message in the message body.
Select Send on the message toolbar to send your message to the recipients.
If you don't want to send the message immediately, you can select Save or Close on the message toolbar. Your message will be saved in the Drafts folder until you open and send it.

Other options on the message tool bar.

Select the exclamation point to set the importance of a message to High.
Select the down arrow to set the importance of the message to Low.
Select the paper clip icon to add an attachment, or select Attachments under the subject.

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How do I read a message?

Use the messaging options to determine how many items to display per page, and what to do after moving or deleting an item or when a message has a read receipt. There's no option to change how often to check for new messages, as mail is available as soon as it is received by your email server. You can refresh your browser page to see if new messages have arrived.

In the navigation pane, select Mail.
Select the folder that contains the message you want to read. If the folder you want isn't visible, select Select to view all folders to view a list of available folders. From the list, select the folder you want, and then select the arrow to jump to that folder. New email messages always arrive in the Inbox and are displayed in bold type.
Select the subject of the message you want to read to open it.
Use the navigation arrows on the toolbar to view the Previous or Next item in the current folder. The same arrows are available at the bottom of the page.

When you open an email message, the following information is displayed in the heading:

Subject The subject of the message.
From The name or email address of the sender or organization.
Sent The date and time the message was sent.
To The name or email address of the primary recipients.
Cc The name or email address of the carbon-copy (Cc) recipients.

For more information about a sender or recipient, for example, the person's street address or telephone number, select their name in the From, To, or Cc line.

Caution: Some email messages you receive may contain the following link in the heading: View as Web Page. When you see this link, it means the original message contained elements that were blocked because they posed a potential security risk. These include Java applets and ActiveX controls. Select the link to view the message in its unfiltered form in a separate browser window. Before the message opens, you'll see a warning message about the potential security risk associated with viewing such content.

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How do I respond to a message?

When you reply to a message, the new message form opens and contains the relevant names in the To and Cc boxes. You can add or remove names if necessary. When you forward a message, you fill in all the recipients yourself.

You can set up an out-of-office message that will be sent to people who send you a message while you're away.

R eply to the sender of a message

On the read message form toolbar, select Reply. When you select Reply, the To box is already addressed to the sender of the original message.
The Subject is filled in automatically.
The text of the original message is copied to the message body. Type your reply within or above the sender's original message.

R eply to the sender and all other recipients of a message

On the read message form toolbar, select Reply All. When you select Reply All, the To and Cc boxes are already addressed to the sender, and to every other recipient of the original message.
The Subject is filled in automatically.
The text of the original message is copied to the message body. Type your reply within or above the sender's original message.

F orward a message

On the read message form toolbar, select Forward.
In the To box, type the email address you want to forward the message to.
The text of the original message is copied to the message body. Type any information you want to add within or above the sender's original message.

When your response is ready, select Send on the message toolbar.

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What about attachments?

An attachment can be a file that's created in any program, for example, a Word document, an Excel spreadsheet, a .wav file, or a bitmap. You can attach any kind of file that can be accessed from your computer or through your network to any item created in Outlook Web App. You can also remove attachments from an item.

When a message contains an attachment, a paper clip icon is displayed next to it in the message list. Calendar items display a paper clip icon in one corner on the calendar view and show a list of attachments when the item is opened. Contacts show a list of attachments when the contact is opened.

When an item with an attachment is opened, the name of the attached file appears in the attachment list. Some attachments, such as .txt and .gif files, can be opened by the web browser.

A ttach a file to an e mail message or other item

When you create your message, appointment, or contact, select Attachments on the item. Messages will have the Attachments link in the header of the message. Calendar items will have the Attachments link on the toolbar or, if the entry is a meeting, just above the message body. Contacts will have the Attachments link at the bottom of the Contact page.
In the navigation pane, type the path of the file, or select Browse to locate the file.
After you find the file you want to attach, select Open to add it to the attachments list.
Select Attach, and the file will appear under Attachments. Repeat steps 1-3 for each additional file you want to attach.
To return to the form that you were working in, select Done on the toolbar. The files you selected now appear in the heading next to Attachments.

Long file names may be truncated before the files are attached. This doesn't affect the contents of the file. For example, if you're using Internet Explorer 6 with SP2 or a later version, the attached file name is limited to 76 characters. If the file name is truncated to meet this limit, the first two characters of the file name may be changed. Earlier versions of Internet Explorer replace the long file name that has a generic name, such as file name[1].txt.

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R emove one or more attachments from an item

Open the message, and then select Attachments in the header.
Under Attachments, select the check boxes next to the files you want to remove.
Select Remove .
Select Done to save your changes and return to the item.

Attachments aren't copied when you reply to a message. Instead, a placeholder icon appears instead of the file. To include attachments, forward the message instead of replying to it. Before you edit attached files, you need to download them to your computer.

R ead or save an attachment

Select the attachment file name. You'll be given the option to either open the attachment using the appropriate application or save the attachment to disk.
For some attachment types, you can use Open as Web Page to open the attachment as a web page that can be viewed using your web browser. The file types that can be opened as a web page include:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Adobe Acrobat .pdf files

Caution: Don't open an attachment unless you trust the content and the person who sent it to you. Attachments are a common method for spreading computer viruses. So it's best to use the Open as Web Page option unless you're sure an attachment is safe. For more information, see Outlook Web App Light > Open as web page.

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S end an attachment

To send an edited attachment, the application used to create the attachment has to be installed on your computer. For example, if you want to edit an attachment that's a Word file, you need to have Word installed on your computer.

Open the message that has the original attachment.
Select the attachment, and then select Save to save the attachment to your computer.
Open the attachment from the location where you saved it, and then make the changes you want.
Save your changes and close the document.
Return to Outlook Web App and open the original message
Select Reply if you want to remove the original attachment from the message and attach the version you modified.
Select Forward if you want to include the original attachment with the version you modified.

What else do I need to know about attachments ?

Some attachments may be removed or blocked by antivirus software used by your organization or by the organization of the recipients of your email. If you have any questions about support for attachments, contact your technical support group.
The default size limit for a single attachment in Outlook Web App is 10 MB. Depending on the service that's hosting your mailbox, the default size limit for an entire message including all attachments is 25 MB or 35 MB. Attachment and message size limits for your mailbox are set by the person who manages your email and may be different from the default limits.
The default maximum number of attachments you can add to a single message is 125. The number of attachments limit is set by your system administrator and may be different from the default limit.

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Troubleshooting sending and receiving email

If email that you expect isn't in your Inbox, here are some ideas for troubleshooting:

Check your junk email folder.
If the email is in a connected account, it is pulled into the light version of Outlook Web App once an hour.
Check with the sender to make sure the message was sent to the correct email address.
Refresh your browser. Messages are available as soon as they are received by the server.

What should I do if I have some other problem?

Try posting a question in the Email and calendar forum in the Office 365 community.