How to Create an Email Template in Outlook

If you find yourself typing the same email over and over — a weekly status update, a standard client reply, a meeting request — Outlook's template feature can save you real time. Instead of rewriting from scratch each time, you save a draft once and reuse it whenever you need it. Here's how the whole system works, and what to consider before choosing your approach.

What Is an Email Template in Outlook?

An email template in Outlook is a pre-written message you save and reload on demand. It keeps your formatting, subject line, body text, and even attachments intact — so you're never starting from a blank page.

Outlook offers more than one way to do this, and they work differently depending on your version of Outlook and how you plan to use the template.

The Two Main Methods

Method 1: Outlook Templates (.oft files)

This is Outlook's built-in native template format. An .oft file is a standalone template saved locally on your computer.

How to create one:

1. Open Outlook and click New Email
2. Write your subject line and body text — format it exactly how you want it to appear each time
3. Click File → Save As
4. In the "Save as type" dropdown, select Outlook Template (*.oft)
5. Give it a clear name and click Save

How to use it:

1. Go to New Items → More Items → Choose Form
2. In the "Look In" dropdown, select User Templates in File System
3. Find your saved template and click Open

It loads as a new email with everything pre-filled. You can edit before sending.

The limitation: .oft templates are stored locally, which means they don't sync across devices. If you switch computers or use Outlook on multiple machines, the template won't follow you.

Method 2: My Templates (Add-in)

My Templates is a built-in Outlook add-in available in Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2016 and later, and Outlook on the web. Unlike .oft files, these templates sync with your Microsoft account — so they're accessible wherever you're signed in. 📧

How to create one:

1. Open or compose an email
2. In the message window, click the My Templates icon in the toolbar (it looks like a notepad; in Outlook on the web, it's in the right-side panel)
3. Click + Template
4. Add a title and your template text
5. Click Save

How to use it:

1. Open a new email
2. Open the My Templates panel
3. Click the template you want — it inserts directly into the message body

The limitation: My Templates is text-only. It doesn't preserve rich formatting, images, or attachments the way .oft files do.

A Third Option: Quick Parts

For shorter, reusable chunks of text — a sign-off, a boilerplate disclaimer, a standard paragraph — Quick Parts is worth knowing about.

• Go to Insert → Quick Parts → Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery
• Name it and save
• Reuse it via Insert → Quick Parts in any future message

Quick Parts isn't a full template, but for inserting formatted blocks of text into otherwise custom emails, it's faster than any template method.

Comparing Your Options 📋

What Affects Which Method Works Best for You

Your version of Outlook matters. My Templates requires a relatively recent version — it's not available in older standalone editions like Outlook 2013. The .oft method works across older versions.

How you access Outlook matters. If you primarily use Outlook on the web (outlook.com or via a browser at work), My Templates is the more practical choice since .oft files are desktop-only.

What you're templating matters. A heavily formatted email with a logo, specific fonts, and an attached document needs an .oft file. A plain-text reply you send regularly is probably fine in My Templates.

Your organization's setup matters. Some enterprise Microsoft 365 environments restrict add-ins or manage template libraries differently — particularly if your IT department controls your Outlook configuration.

Frequency and volume matter. If you're managing dozens of template variations, neither built-in method is particularly robust. Some users in high-volume situations turn to third-party tools or Outlook's integration with platforms like Power Automate for more structured template management.

One Thing Worth Knowing About Shared Templates

Neither .oft files nor My Templates are designed for team sharing out of the box. If you need multiple people to use the same template — a shared support response, for example — you're generally looking at solutions outside of core Outlook: shared mailboxes, third-party add-ins, or CRM tools with Outlook integration. 🔧

How much that matters depends entirely on whether you're managing templates solo or coordinating across a team — which is a question only your own workflow can answer.