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Microsoft Outlook & Email Basics

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What you'll be able to do
  • Find your way around Outlook (new Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook for Mac).
  • Write clear, polite emails to teachers, classmates and employers.
  • Use To, Cc and Bcc correctly, and attach files the smart way.
  • Keep your inbox under control with Focused Inbox, folders, flags and rules.
  • Schedule emails, add a signature, and use the calendar for due dates and meetings.
  • Spot phishing emails and know where to report them in your country.
Words in this course 32Open the Vocabulary Hall
01

Outlook and the parts of an email

In simple words

Email is like a letter that flies through the internet in seconds. Outlook is the mailbox where your letters arrive, and it also has a calendar so you remember when things are happening.

Key facts
  • Outlook comes in several versions: new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web / Outlook.com in a browser. Menus differ a little between them, so if a step does not match your screen, check which version you have.
  • A free Microsoft account comes with 15 GB of Outlook.com email storage, separate from the 5 GB of free Microsoft cloud storage (OneDrive). Outlook.com attachments count toward the 5 GB cloud storage.
  • Parts of an email: To (main person), Cc (people who should see it), Bcc (hidden copy), Subject (the headline), Body (your message), Attachments (files).
  • Bcc: a Bcc recipient gets a copy, but their name and address are not visible to the other recipients. In new Outlook for Windows you turn it on with Options > Show fields > Show Bcc.
  • Quick navigation: Ctrl+1 goes to Mail and Ctrl+2 goes to Calendar (Windows); Cmd+1 and Cmd+2 on Mac.
Step by step
  1. Open Outlook and note which version you have: new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac or Outlook on the web (menus differ a little).
  2. Click New mail.
  3. Find the fields To, Cc, Subject, body and attachments.
  4. In new Outlook for Windows, open Options > Show fields > Show Bcc to see the Bcc field.
  5. Press Ctrl+1 for Mail and Ctrl+2 for Calendar (Cmd+1 and Cmd+2 on Mac).
  6. Check: you can say what To, Cc and Bcc do.
Watch on YouTube
Beginner's guide to Microsoft OutlookTechnology for Teachers and Students · YouTube · youtube.com
Outlook email basicsGetSetUp · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01Outlook and the parts of an email
LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:00
Read the video script
[Host] "Email still runs school and work. Let's learn the mailbox properly."
[Screen: new message window with To, Cc, Subject labelled] "To is who you're talking to. Cc is who should know. Subject is your headline."
[Screen: Options > Show fields > Show Bcc] "Bcc hides addresses. Use it when you email a big group that don't know each other."
[Text on screen: Ctrl+1 Mail, Ctrl+2 Calendar] "Ctrl+1 for mail, Ctrl+2 for calendar. On a Mac, use Cmd."
Try it now

Open Outlook (or outlook.com). Find the Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts and Calendar. Start a new message and make the Bcc field appear, then close it without sending.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Microsoft Outlook & Email Basics" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Outlook and the parts of an email".

What the lesson teaches:
- Outlook comes in several versions: new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web / Outlook.com in a browser. Menus differ a little between them, so if a step does not match your screen, check which version you have.
- A free Microsoft account comes with 15 GB of Outlook.com email storage, separate from the 5 GB of free Microsoft cloud storage (OneDrive). Outlook.com attachments count toward the 5 GB cloud storage.
- Parts of an email: To (main person), Cc (people who should see it), Bcc (hidden copy), Subject (the headline), Body (your message), Attachments (files).
- Bcc: a Bcc recipient gets a copy, but their name and address are not visible to the other recipients. In new Outlook for Windows you turn it on with Options > Show fields > Show Bcc.
- Quick navigation: Ctrl+1 goes to Mail and Ctrl+2 goes to Calendar (Windows); Cmd+1 and Cmd+2 on Mac.

The exercise I'm working on:
Open Outlook (or outlook.com). Find the Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts and Calendar. Start a new message and make the Bcc field appear, then close it without sending.

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Outlook and the parts of an email" from the course "Microsoft Outlook & Email Basics".

Here's what the lesson says:
Email is like a letter that flies through the internet in seconds. Outlook is the mailbox where your letters arrive, and it also has a calendar so you remember when things are happening.

The activity:
Open Outlook (or outlook.com). Find the Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts and Calendar. Start a new message and make the Bcc field appear, then close it without sending.

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Open Claude
Sources
My notes
02

Writing an email people actually read

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

03

Attachments vs sharing a link

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

04

Taming the inbox

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

05

Schedule send, undo send and the calendar

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

06

Staying safe: spotting phishing

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

++

Final project

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??

Quiz

  1. What is the difference between Cc and Bcc?

  2. Shortcut to send a message in new Outlook for Windows? On Mac?

  3. Shortcut to forward on Mac?

  4. When should you share a OneDrive link instead of attaching a file?

  5. What are the two tabs of Focused Inbox?

  6. Where does a scheduled message wait in new Outlook?

  7. How much free Outlook.com email storage comes with a Microsoft account?

  8. Where can you report fraud?

EX

Final exam

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

CE

Certificate

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.