How to Create an Email Template in Outlook 365

If you find yourself typing the same email over and over — a weekly status update, a client introduction, a standard reply — Outlook 365 has a built-in way to stop doing that. Email templates let you save a pre-written message and reuse it with a few clicks. The setup is straightforward, but there are a couple of different methods, and which one suits you depends on how you work.

What Is an Email Template in Outlook 365?

An email template in Outlook 365 is a saved message format that includes pre-written text, formatting, and optionally a subject line. Instead of composing from scratch each time, you open the template, make any small adjustments, and send.

Outlook 365 offers two main ways to create and use templates:

• My Templates — a lightweight, built-in add-in available in both the desktop app and Outlook on the web
• Outlook Template files (.oft) — a classic desktop-only method that saves a full message file to your computer

Both work, but they behave differently and suit different workflows.

Method 1: Using My Templates (Quick and Cross-Platform)

My Templates is an add-in that stores short text snippets you can insert into any new email. It's accessible in the Outlook desktop app and in Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com), making it a good option if you switch between devices.

How to Create a Template with My Templates

1. Open a New Email in Outlook 365.
2. Click on the View tab in the ribbon, then look for My Templates — or, in the email compose window, click the three-dot menu (More options) and select My Templates from the add-ins list.
3. In the My Templates pane that appears on the right, click + Template.
4. Give your template a title and type your message content in the body field.
5. Click Save.

To use it, open a new email, open the My Templates pane again, and click the template you want — it inserts the text directly into the message body.

What My Templates does well: It's fast, syncs across devices tied to your Microsoft 365 account, and works in Outlook on the web without any file management.

Where it falls short: It doesn't save subject lines, attachments, or rich formatting. It's really best for body text snippets rather than fully formatted emails.

Method 2: Saving an Outlook Template File (.oft)

For more complete templates — ones with a pre-filled subject line, specific formatting, recipient fields, or attachments — the .oft file method gives you more control.

How to Create an .oft Template

1. Open a New Email and compose your message exactly as you want the template to look. Include the subject line, body text, formatting, and any standard attachments.
2. Go to File → Save As.
3. In the Save as type dropdown, select Outlook Template (*.oft).
4. Name your template and click Save. By default, Outlook saves it to C:Users[YourName]AppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplates.

How to Use an .oft Template

1. Go to New Items → More Items → Choose Form in the Home tab.
2. In the Look In dropdown, select User Templates in File System.
3. Your saved template should appear — select it and click Open.
4. A new email window opens pre-filled with your template content. Edit as needed and send.

This method is desktop-only and tied to the local machine where the file is saved — unless you move the .oft file to a shared or cloud location manually.

Key Differences at a Glance 📋

A Third Option: Quick Parts

If your template need is really about reusing formatted text blocks inside longer emails, Quick Parts (found under Insert → Quick Parts in the desktop app) lets you save named chunks of formatted content. It's not a full email template, but for teams that send structured messages with repeating sections, it's worth knowing about.

Variables That Shape Which Method Works Best

The right approach shifts depending on a few factors:

• How much formatting matters — plain text responses are fine with My Templates; branded or structured emails typically need .oft files
• Whether you work across multiple devices or primarily one machine — cloud-synced My Templates wins for mobility; .oft files are better when you're always on the same desktop
• Whether the template needs a consistent subject line — only .oft files handle this natively
• Your technical comfort level — navigating the Choose Form dialog is an extra step that some users find clunky
• Whether you're setting this up for a team — sharing .oft files requires distributing the file manually or via a shared drive; My Templates are personal and don't share across accounts

🗂️ A Note on Outlook Versions

The steps above apply to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) on desktop and web. If your organization is on an older standalone version of Outlook (2016, 2019), the core methods are the same, but the interface details — especially where add-ins appear — may look slightly different. The new Outlook for Windows (the simplified version Microsoft has been rolling out) reorganizes some of these menus, so the exact path to My Templates or Save As options may vary depending on which version your IT environment has deployed.

The mechanics of email templates in Outlook 365 are well-defined — but whether the My Templates add-in covers what you need, or whether .oft files are worth the extra steps, comes down to your specific workflow, the devices you use, and how complex your template content actually is.