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Outlook has native options like My Templates and Quick Parts, but they only work inside Outlook. Here is the native method, and the faster way with Typedesk.
Without Typedesk
For reference, here is the built-in method. The latest Outlook (new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web) uses My Templates; classic Outlook for Windows still uses Quick Parts. Either way, it takes several clicks and the templates only live inside Outlook.
With Typedesk
Typedesk sits on top of Outlook through the desktop app and the browser extension, so it works in both classic Outlook and Outlook on the web.
Open a new email or reply in Outlook.
In the compose toolbar, open the 'More actions' menu (the three dots) and choose 'My Templates'. If you don't see it, open 'Apps' and add My Templates first.
In the My Templates pane, click '+ Template', add a title, and type your template text.
Click 'Save'. Your template now lives in the My Templates pane.
To reuse it, open My Templates and click the template to drop it into your email.
In classic Outlook for Windows, use the 'Insert' tab instead: 'Quick Parts' > 'Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery'.
Create a template in Typedesk and assign it a shortcut, for example /refund or /meeting.
Open a new email or reply in Outlook and type the shortcut.
The full message expands instantly, formatting included.
Outlook is where follow-ups, status updates, intro emails, and the same five answers to the same five questions get written over and over. Native Outlook tools like My Templates and Quick Parts help, but they live only inside Outlook; they do not store variables that personalize each message, and they cannot be shared cleanly across a team. So people rebuild the same snippets in Outlook, then again in Gmail, then again in their help desk.
What to save as a template in Outlook:
Set up Typedesk once and reuse your Outlook templates everywhere you type.
Install the Typedesk desktop app for Windows or Mac, plus the browser extension for Outlook on the web.
Save your most-used Outlook emails as templates, each with a short shortcut like /refund or /meeting.
In Outlook, type the shortcut in the body or subject line and the full message expands instantly.
This is the part Outlook alone cannot do. The templates you build for Outlook are the same ones you use in Gmail, your help desk, Slack, and any web form, because Typedesk holds a single library that follows you everywhere. Update the wording once, and it updates in every app. Teams can share an approved library, so everyone sends consistent, on-brand replies.
Typedesk text expander boosts the effectiveness of your Outlook templates, offering smart placeholders and easy sharing options.
Customize every Outlook template with variables
Typedesk drops a name, date, or order number into your Outlook template as it expands, so each email reads like you wrote it by hand, with no manual editing and no form-letter feel.
Works out of the box, in every Outlook
Typedesk templates work in classic Outlook, new Outlook, and Outlook on the web, with no add-in or integration to set up. Your shortcuts follow you across all of them.
Share one Outlook template library with your team
Keep every reply in a single shared library so your whole team sends consistent, on-brand emails. Update the wording once and it changes for everyone, something native Outlook templates can't do.
Insert any Outlook template with a shortcut
Type a short shortcut like /refund and the full template expands right where your cursor is, with no menus and no clicking through a My Templates pane.
The most versatile solution to create and manage Outlook templates
Features
Create templates with custom fill-in fields
Share templates with teammates
Insert templates with a text shortcut
Search templates by keyword
Organize templates into folders
Reuse the same templates across apps
Comparison covers the built-in reusable-message features available in each product's standard interface. Optional add-ins, mobile keyboards, developer APIs, and third-party tools are excluded.
Set up your most-used Outlook replies in Typedesk once, then use the same shortcuts in every tool you work in.
Common questions about Outlook templates and canned responses.
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