Notes - Tips and Tricks
This week's tip shares tips about Outlook Notes.
Notes
Here are several tips about Outlook Notes that new and experienced Outlook users will find helpful. They cover creating notes, sending notes, using color, dragging and dropping notes and more.
What is an Outlook Note
For those users who have never used Notes before, the first step is to figure out what they are and why one might use them. They are Microsoft's sticky note, and are a tool in Outlook. They are most often used to capture a small amount of text information quickly. This information is many times moved from a Note to another tool in Outlook. Some users do have rather huge collections of Notes. Some PDA devices also synch with the Notes tool in Outlook. They can be used to create a quick list of things to do, to capture a URL, to remember a name, or to create a reminder. How they are used from there, it up to the user.
Creating a Note
Begin by locating the Notes Navigation button, located in the lower left corner of the screen.
Some users minimize the Navigation buttons down to icons, and this is the notes icon:
Click on the button or icon. Then click on the New Note button 
on the Outlook Toolbar. A new Note will open. The image below shows a new Note and points out the various features of the Note. Notes can also be resized by clicking on the lower right corner and dragging to resize the note.
The Notes menu provides several options, which are shown below. Notes can be color coded! That is a popular option.
Once text has been added to the Note, click on the X in the upper right corner of the Note . This will save the Note.
Notes Global Settings
Let's take a look at the global settings for Notes. Click on the Tools menu and select Options. This will open the Options dialog box. Next click on the Notes Options button.
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The Note Options dialog provides users to change the global settings for Notes . This includes selecting a default color, a default size (small, medium, large), and default Font. The font options include font, font style, size, effects, and font color.
These settings will apply to all new Notes created.
Sharing a Note
A Note can be Forwarded to another user by selecting the Notes menu and then clicking on Forward. This will open a mail message with the Note attached to the message. The recipient can drag the Note from the message they receive and drop it on the Notes Navigation button or icon. This will add the Note to the user's Notes folder. One other way to forward a Note is to drag it and drop it on the Mail Navigation button or icon. This too will open a new mail message with the Note attached.
Quickly Adding Text to a Note
Copy some text from any source. Next drop the text on the Notes navigation button or Notes icon. This will open a new Note with the text already in the Note.
Printing a Note
In the Notes Folder click once on a Note to select it. Next click on File>Print. The Note and the recorded Date and Time stamp will also be printed. If the user is a Categories user, the Category is also printed.
Dragging and Dropping Notes
Mentioned above is the method of dragging a Note to the Mail Navigation button to send the Note to another user. Notes can also be dragged and dropped on the Calendar button to open a new Appointment . The text in the Note is put in the Subject line and the information that is included in a Printed Note, (see above) is pasted in the text box of the appointment. The user only need add the date and time and location, if necessary. Then click on Save and Close.
This will work for Tasks and Contacts too.
Notes are not commonly used in Outlook, but they can be very useful once a user identifies the most efficient use of Notes for their work style.
Remember these tips are archived at http://www.uwex.uwc.edu/outlook/tips/ , so after you read this e-mail, delete it! Make sure though that you have the web site bookmarked in your browser.