Outlook templates
Outlook has three or four ways to save reusable text, and which one you get depends on which Outlook you're using. Classic Outlook for Windows has Quick Parts and .oft templates. New Outlook and Outlook on the web have My Templates and, in recent versions, a Quick Parts of their own that doesn't share entries with classic. Outlook for Mac has My Templates and its own .emltpl templates. Not much carries over when you switch, and none of them ask for a name or a date.
These eight templates are for jobs that are specific to Outlook and Microsoft 365: the two automatic-reply boxes, the apology after a recall that didn't work, the note above a Teams meeting link, proposing a new time, replying on someone's behalf, and answering from a shared mailbox.
Copy any of them as plain text, or add them to Retext and type the trigger in any Outlook on your Mac, in Teams or in the browser. Fill-ins ask for the details as the snippet expands, so nothing goes out with "[Name]" still in it.
Installs every template with its trigger and fields. On the free plan Retext adds as many as your plan has room for.
The 8 templates
Each one has a primary version, at least two variants, and notes on when to use it.
Outlook automatic reply
;ol-autoHi, I'm out of the office until [Return date] with limited access to email. For [Topic], contact [Backup contact] ([Back…
Recalled email follow-up
;ol-recallHi [Name], I tried to recall an email I sent you a few minutes ago ("[Subject of the wrong email]"). If it's still in yo…
Teams meeting invite note
;ol-teamsHi [Attendees], Purpose: [Purpose] By the end we'll have: [Outcome] Agenda 1. [First agenda item] 2. [Second agenda item…
Propose a new time
;ol-newtimeHi [Organiser name], I can't make [Original time] because of [Reason]. I've proposed [New time] instead. If that doesn't…
Reply on behalf of someone
;ol-behalfHi [Name], I'm replying on behalf of [Manager name], who's asked me to [What you're handling]. If you need [Manager name…
Shared mailbox reply
;ol-sharedHi [Name], Thanks for contacting [Team name]. This is [Your name], and I've picked up your message. Please keep replying…
Forwarded invite note
;ol-inviteHi [Name], Forwarding the invite for [Meeting name] on [Date and time]. [Organiser name] is running it; I've added you b…
Quick Parts blocks
;ol-partsPayment details for invoice [Invoice number] Account name: [Your account name] Bank: [Your bank] Sort code / routing num…
Who this pack is for
People who work in Microsoft 365: executive assistants managing someone else's calendar, teams answering a shared mailbox, managers who send Teams invites all day, and anyone who has moved between classic and new Outlook and lost their Quick Parts along the way.
How the triggers are named
Every trigger starts with ol- followed by the job: ;ol-auto, ;ol-teams, ;ol-shared. No trigger is the start of another, so each one only fires when you mean it to.
Quick Parts, My Templates and .oft files
In classic Outlook for Windows, Quick Parts store blocks of text you can insert from the Insert tab: select text in a message, choose Quick Parts, then Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. You can also save a whole message as an Outlook Template (.oft) and open it from New Items. Both live in your Windows profile.
New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web have My Templates, a panel of plain-text blocks you open from the Apps menu while writing. Recent versions also have their own Quick Parts, stored in your mailbox, but your classic Quick Parts don't appear there. Outlook for Mac has My Templates too and saves whole-message templates as .emltpl files. If you switch versions, plan on recreating your saved text.
What none of them do
Every built-in option stores fixed text. A Quick Part that says "I'll get back to you by Friday" is wrong four days a week, and every placeholder has to be found and overwritten by hand. None of them work outside Outlook, so the same reply in Teams chat, a ticketing tool or LinkedIn has to be kept somewhere else.
Sharing is also awkward. Classic Quick Parts can be copied between machines by moving a template file, and My Templates and the newer Quick Parts belong to one mailbox. Neither gives a team one maintained set of replies.
Using these templates with Retext
Add a template to Retext and its trigger works in classic Outlook, new Outlook, Outlook for Mac, Outlook on the web in any browser, and Teams. Each time it expands, Retext asks for the fill-ins (one prompt per field, even if it appears twice), fills dates such as {date+3}, drops in your clipboard where a link or reference number belongs, and puts your cursor where the personal sentence goes. Details that never change, like [Your name] or your team name, are in square brackets: replace them once after installing and they stay put.
Already have Quick Parts or replies in TextExpander or macOS text replacements? Retext imports from TextExpander, Espanso, Raycast, Alfred and macOS, so you can bring the text across once and stop maintaining it in several places.
One trigger, different text per app
With per-app snippets, ;ol-teams can paste a full agenda block in Outlook and a one-line link in Teams chat. Set a snippet to run everywhere, only in chosen apps, or everywhere except a few, and the same muscle memory works across your day.
Snippets that work everywhere
Type ;trigger in any Mac app, from Gmail and Outlook to Zendesk, Slack and your terminal.
How snippets workDynamic fields
Fill-ins ask for the name or order number when the snippet expands. Dates calculate themselves, {clipboard} drops in what you copied, and {cursor} puts you where the personal line goes.
See dynamic fieldsPer-app snippets
Keep one trigger with different text per app: a full signature in Mail, a one-liner in Slack, a formal reply in Outlook and a short one in Teams.
Set snippets per appQuestions
How do I create an email template in Outlook?
In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, use My Templates from the Apps menu, or Quick Parts in recent versions. In classic Outlook for Windows, save text as a Quick Part from the Insert tab, or save a whole message as an Outlook Template (.oft) file.
Does new Outlook have Quick Parts?
Recent versions do. New Outlook and Outlook on the web now have their own Quick Parts, stored in your mailbox, alongside My Templates. They're separate from classic Outlook's Quick Parts, so entries you made in classic Outlook don't move across.
Can Outlook templates fill in a name or date?
Not by themselves; they insert fixed text. Retext snippets ask for fill-ins as they expand and calculate dates, and they work in every version of Outlook.
Can I use the same templates in Outlook and Teams?
Outlook's templates only work in Outlook. A Retext snippet works in both, and per-app snippets let the same trigger paste a longer version in Outlook and a shorter one in Teams.
Can my team share Outlook templates?
Not easily with the built-in tools. Retext Teams gives everyone one shared pack, edited in one place, that works in whichever Outlook each person uses.
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Type ;ol-auto instead
Add this pack to Retext and every reply above is a short trigger away, in any app on your Mac.
Free to start. No account required on the Mac.