To create an email template in Outlook, you choose a method based on what you need to save and which version of Outlook you use. The three primary methods are Mail Templates for full emails, My Templates for short text snippets, and the classic *.oft file method for saving emails as Outlook Template files. Once you have your templates set up, you can clean up email faster by automating repetitive replies.
How to create an email template in Outlook: 3 methods
Outlook offers three distinct ways to create reusable email content. Mail Templates saves an entire email, including recipients, subject, body, formatting, and attachments, and is available in New Outlook and Outlook on the web. My Templates is an add-in that stores short text snippets with basic styling, but it does not save recipients, subjects, or attachments. The classic *.oft method lets you save an email as a local file in classic Outlook. If you ever need to clean house after testing these methods, you can quickly delete an email to keep your drafts folder tidy, and you can search email in Outlook to find any saved templates you’ve misplaced. Mail Templates and My Templates require a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription, while the *.oft method works in classic Outlook without a subscription.
Method 1: Save a full email with Mail Templates (New Outlook and web)
This method is ideal when you need to reuse a complete, formatted message including recipients and attachments. In New Outlook or Outlook on the web, open a new email and compose your message. From the Message ribbon, select "Mail template" and then "Save email as template." Name your template and select "Save." The template is stored in your account and can be accessed from the Mail Templates pane whenever you need it. This feature requires a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription.
Method 2: Save text snippets with the My Templates add-in
Use My Templates when you only need to insert short, reusable blocks of text, such as standard greetings, disclaimers, or signature lines. Open a new email, go to the Message tab of the ribbon, and select "My Templates." In the task pane that appears, select "+Template," enter a title and the reusable text, then select "Save." The add-in stores only plain text with basic styling and has a combined size limit of 32 KB for all templates, which can be insufficient for more than a few simple text entries. It does not save recipients, subjects, or attachments.
Method 3: Save an Outlook Template file (.oft) in classic Outlook
For classic Outlook users, the traditional method is to save an email as an Outlook Template file. Open a new email, compose your message, then click File > Save As. From the "Save as type" dropdown, select "Outlook Template (*.oft)," enter a name, and click "Save." The file is saved locally on your computer. These .oft files can be imported into New Outlook one at a time. Note that in classic Outlook, known bugs in specific builds can affect the reliable opening and rendering of .oft files, potentially leading to missing formatting or images.
How to use your saved email template
Each method provides a different way to access and insert your saved templates. For Mail Templates, open a new email and select "Mail template" from the Message ribbon to choose from your saved templates. For My Templates, open a new email, go to the Message tab, select "My Templates," and click on the snippet you want to insert. For .oft files, locate the saved file on your computer and double-click it to open a new email pre-filled with the template content.
Platform notes and limitations
Outlook for Mac does not support .oft files; it utilizes My Templates or the Mail Templates feature available in the new Outlook for Mac. Both Mail Templates and the My Templates add-in require a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription; Outlook.com free accounts do not support these features. Older methods like Quick Parts are distinct from Mail Templates and My Templates and are primarily a Windows-only feature.
