Four Quick Ways to Create Appointment and Meeting Templates in Outlook

Office workers spend a significant portion of their week in meetings—around 5 hours, or 11% of their workday! This highlights the importance of well-crafted meeting invitations. A compelling and informative invite sets the stage for a productive meeting, and using templates saves valuable time. This guide covers four methods for creating effective Outlook meeting and appointment templates across various Outlook versions (2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 365).

Method 1: Creating an Outlook Meeting Template (.oft file)

This method is ideal for frequently sending invitations with similar content.

• Supported in: Outlook 2010 - Outlook 365

Steps:

1. Create a new meeting. Populate the body with your template text, including placeholders. Pre-fill fields like title, attendees, and location. (See example image below).

   

2. Save the meeting as an Outlook Template (.oft). Navigate to File > Save As, name your template, and select "Outlook Template (.oft)". The default save location (C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates) is usually best left unchanged.

   

Using the .oft Template:

1. Go to the Home tab, click New Items > More Items > Choose Form.
2. In the Choose Form dialog, select "User Templates in File System," choose your template, and click Open.

Remember to replace placeholders with actual information before sending. Consider pinning the template to your taskbar or creating a desktop shortcut for quicker access. The process for creating an appointment template is identical.

Method 2: Meeting Request Templates with Quick Steps

Outlook Quick Steps automate actions. Here, we automate the creation of meeting requests.

• Supported in: Outlook 2010 - Outlook 365, and the new Outlook

Steps:

1. On the Home tab, in the Quick Steps group, click Create New.
2. In the Edit Quick Step dialog, choose "New Meeting" or "Create an appointment" from the Choose an Action dropdown. Name your Quick Step. Click Show Options.
3. Fill in the Subject, Location, and Text fields. Assign a shortcut key and tooltip text (optional). Click Finish.

Using the Quick Step Template:

Simply click the Quick Step or use its keyboard shortcut. (See image below). For reusable content within the meeting body, utilize Outlook Quick Parts.

Method 3: Meeting Agenda Template with Custom Forms

This method uses custom forms to create detailed meeting agendas.

• Supported in: Outlook 2007 - Outlook 365

Steps:

1. Enable the Developer tab in Outlook (right-click the ribbon, Customize the Ribbon, check Developer).
2. On the Developer tab, click Design a Form.
3. Select Meeting Request (or Appointment) from the Standard Form Library and click Open.
4. Add your agenda text and pre-fill fields as needed. (See example image below).
5. Click Publish > Publish Form. Choose Personal Forms Library, name your form, and click Publish.

Using the Custom Form Template:

Navigate to Home > New Items > More Items > Choose Form. Select Personal Forms Library, choose your template, and click Open. To make this your default, go to Calendar > right-click the calendar > Properties > "When posting to this folder, use" dropdown > Forms… and select your template.

Method 4: Fillable Meeting Templates with Shared Email Templates

This method uses the Shared Email Templates add-in to create templates with fillable fields (dropdowns, text boxes).

• Supported applications: Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021-2019 (Windows and Mac), new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web

Steps: (Requires the Shared Email Templates add-in)

1. Install the Shared Email Templates add-in.
2. Create a new meeting. Type your template text and use the add-in's tools to insert macros for fillable fields (dropdowns, text boxes). (See example image below).
3. Save the template using the Shared Email Templates interface.

Using the Fillable Template:

Click the Paste icon next to the template's name or double-click it. Fill in the fillable fields, and the information is automatically inserted into the meeting invite. (See example images below).

Choose the method that best suits your needs and enjoy streamlined meeting scheduling! Remember to consult the Shared Email Templates documentation for detailed instructions on using its features.

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