How do I enable actions in Outlook?

When I use Outlook on the Web (OWA), and then hover with my mouse over a message, the following Quick Action icons become visible;

  • Delete
  • Mark as Read/Unread
  • Flag
  • Pin

I sometimes have a bit of a “trigger finger” and worry that I might hit the Delete icon by mistake. Also, as Outlook on the Desktop doesn’t support the Pin feature, I don’t use that either.

Can I somehow disable some of these Quick Action icons and assign other commands to them like Archive or Move?

How do I enable actions in Outlook?
The Quick Actions icons that appear when hovering on an email in Outlook on the Web (OWA) can help you to triage your emails more quickly but can also work against you when you hit the wrong command.

You can indeed disable them if you don’t want to use them or customize them so they perform another action (although your choice is very limited).

How do I enable actions in Outlook?

When hovering on a message in Outlook on the Web, the Quick Actions will become available above the time/date of a message.

Layout Options

How do I enable actions in Outlook?
To disable or alter the action for any of the Quick Actions, you can do so in the Layout section of the Options page;

  1. Click on the Gear icon in the top right corner (left from your own profile image).
  2. Open the Settings page:
    • Microsoft 365 Exchange Online
      Text link at the bottom: View all Outlook settings-> Mail-> Customize actions
    • Outlook.com
      Text link at the bottom: View all Outlook settings-> Mail-> Customize actions
    • Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019
      Options
  3. In the Options’ Navigation Pane on the left choose:
    • Microsoft 365 Exchange Online
      Mail-> Customize actions

      How do I enable actions in Outlook?

    • Outlook.com
      Mail-> Customize actions

      How do I enable actions in Outlook?

    • Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2019
      Options

      How do I enable actions in Outlook?

  4. You’ll now see a preview of your current Quick Actions with below that, 4 dropdown lists with commands to choose from. You can set them to any of the following;
    • Delete
    • Mark as read or unread
    • Flag
    • Archive
    • Move to Folder
    • Pin
    • Nothing
  5. Once you selected the 4 commands you want to show up or not show up, press the Save button at the top.
  6. Press the Back button or Options header at the top of the Navigation Pane to return to your Mailbox.

Now when you hover on your email, you should see the commands you have picked or no command when you’ve selected “Nothing”.

How do I mark a mail that needs action?

When you receive a mail message that contains an action item, you can add it to a list of things that need to be completed, called Needs Action. You can also specify a date for when the action item needs to be completed, to further organize your work flow.

When you have a mail message that contains work items, you can mark it as Needs Action in two ways. From the inbox, left swipe the message to display the option menu, then press the Needs Action icon

How do I enable actions in Outlook?
. Or, from the message itself, press the same icon to open the options menu, then choose Mark Needs Action.

With either method, you'll be asked to choose a due date for the action item, and the following choices are available:

  • Today
  • Tomorrow
  • One Week
  • Anytime

Once you've marked a mail item as Needs Action, you can view it by pressing the Actions button . In this view, the Needs Action tab shows all of the messages you've marked as action items, organized by the due date you selected. Press any of them to show the message.

You can add notes to the message by tapping the Capture you notes here... near the message header when viewing the message. Notes can be edited or deleted by tapping the same section.

When you're done with an action item, left swipe the message, then select the Completed icon

How do I enable actions in Outlook?
to mark it finished. From that menu, you can also add notes about the action item, as well as change the due date.

When you receive a mail message that contains an action item, you can add it to a list of things that need to be completed, called Needs Action. You can also specify a date for when the action item needs to be completed, to further organize your work flow.

When you have a mail message that contains work items, you can mark it as Needs Action in two ways. From the inbox, left swipe the message to display the option menu, then press the Needs Action icon

How do I enable actions in Outlook?
. Or, from the message itself, press the same icon to open the options menu, then choose Mark Needs Action.

With either method, you'll be asked to choose a due date for the action item, and the following choices are available:

  • Today
  • Tomorrow
  • One Week
  • Anytime

Once you've marked a mail item as Needs Action, you can view it by pressing the Actions button . In this view, the Needs Action tab shows all of the messages you've marked as action items, organized by the due date you selected. Press any of them to show the message.

You can add notes to the message by tapping the Capture you notes here... near the message header when viewing the message. Notes can be edited or deleted by tapping the same section.

When you're done with an action item, left swipe the message, then select the Completed icon

How do I enable actions in Outlook?
to mark it finished. From that menu, you can also add notes about the action item, as well as change the due date.

Why can't I find actions in Outlook?

Its under Message Tab->Move Section -> Click Actions and then click Recall This Message. To customize it you need to open the message and then rt click 'Message' -> Customize the ribbon. Its not accessible in preview mode. You have to open the message fully.

How do I turn on actionable messages in Outlook?

You need to enable these notifications under Admin > Automation > Notification Rules. You need the admin role to enable these notifications. Requester Notifications > Acknowledge requester by e-mail when a new request is received.

Where is the action button on Outlook email?

Quick Action buttons are those buttons at the right edge of each email item in the Inbox that take action on the email. By default, Windows Outlook comes with only two buttons: Flag and Delete (the trashcan icon). You see these when you hover over the right end of a message.

Where is more actions in Outlook?

To access the More Actions menu on a web client, click the More button. To access the More Actions menu on a Windows client, click the down-arrow button on the far right of the toolbar.