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Full transcript for the video „Turn off Outlook Email Alerts - and turn them back on for your boss“:
Disable alerts for new Outlook emails to allow you to work without interruption. Or, if necessary, re-enable notifications for specific emails, for instance, those from your boss.
A warm welcome, my name is Holger Woeltje, zeit-im-griff.de. For over 20 years, I've been helping people work more productively with Outlook.
In Outlook, simply select from the menu File the command Options all the way left, then e-mail and look for the heading around the middle here Incoming messages. You might need to scroll down a bit for that. Then, go ahead and uncheck all these boxes. When new messages arrive, we don't want any Play sound, we don't want to Change mouse pointer, we don't want Envelope icon and certainly not Desktop notification. This is that big rectangle that rushes in from the bottom right of the screen, always shoving every unimportant e-mail right in your face and pulling you out of your train of thought.
So, all this below with OK confirm, and then you'll have peace to work without new emails, which will reliably continue to arrive and can be dealt with in your inbox when you have the time and desire. The important thing is that they no longer beep or display an alarm window.
But what if your boss urgently needs you? In that case, you'd best choose a different communication channel, such as a phone call. However, if for some reason that doesn't work or your boss insists that you must read and receive certain emails immediately as emails... then you can, as threatened earlier, define an exception for certain emails and then display something again, but only for specific senders.
So, you're simply looking for an email from the relevant sender (I'll use Holly Wood as an example here), right-click on it, and then select Rules, Create rule. Now Outlook automatically takes the sender and subject from the e-mail you right-clicked on. Then you can simply in the dialog box Create rule, what you have in front of you now, click the following: "from Holly Wood", so for all emails from this sender, and then below that "Play sound". Or directly via the button on the bottom right Advanced Options To set more details.
So, here we have: "Upon receiving a message from Holly Wood" – we've already clicked on that. And then you have many other options to choose from. Just as an example: Let's say your boss sends you about 20 informational emails every day, and then there are five really urgent emails that you need to respond to immediately. Perhaps you could then agree that your boss writes "urgent" in the subject line for those emails that are indeed urgent.
Then you would simply tick the second point here "with XYZ in the subject line" and can already see below in the window: "Upon receiving a message from Holly Wood, with..." (underlined in blue) "...whatever" there in the subject. Click this blue underlined text and you can now enter "urgent:". If that then appears somewhere in the subject, i.e. "urgent:", then our action, which we enter, would be triggered immediately.
Now, let's not make this too complicated, we'll leave this point out for now. That's just an example, so that you can make a distinction again if a person perhaps sends you certain messages that should be treated preferentially, but not all of them. We'll just stick with "whenever anything comes from Holly Wood" for now. I think you've understood the concept here. And click down here on Continue.
Now we also need to say what should happen if an email from Holly Wood arrives, and possibly with all the other things you've combined from the whole selection list. For example, we can now "Forward to" (someone who takes all the work off my hands). And if you don't have that privilege, then scroll all the way down, for instance, and say "Desktop notification". This little annoying window that keeps interrupting us at the edge. You wanted it like that... or you click "play a sound" or whatever else.
However, if you happen to be going to get an espresso right now and in that moment your Outlook beeps and flashes and so on, then you'll miss it again. So it's better to process emails in blocks. However, in this video, it's simply going to be about alarms and how to turn them off or on again. So it's your decision, whatever you prefer. And even with a special activation for certain emails, you'll at least have peace and quiet again for most emails.
Content of this video
Click on a chapter name to jump directly to that point in the video:
0:00 Disable e-mail alerts (pop-ups and sounds) 0:22 Turn off all alarms in the options 1:38 Exception for important senders by rule 3:34 Set an action: Sound or notification 4:25 Recommendation: Edit emails in blocks
Advantages of targeted alarm utilisation
If you switch off the alarms, you will work more productively:
- Focussed workYou are not constantly interrupted by e-mails that can wait or are unimportant.
- PrioritisationYou won't miss any important e-mails because you set targeted notifications (which you will then notice more consciously because Outlook displays fewer and less frequent pop-up windows instead of three hundred times a day).
- Time management: You can process e-mails in a bundle/block, which is less annoying and you finish faster.
„Have you ever thought about how often unnecessary email notifications interrupt you? If you switch off the alerts, you will work more efficiently and have more time for important tasks.“ Holger Wöltje
Deactivate alerts for new Outlook emails (click by click)
To switch off the alarm for new e-mails:
- Click on the command „File“ (far left in the Outlook ribbon).
- Then select „Options“ (bottom left)...
- ... and in the Outlook options that then open in the top left-hand corner „E-Mail“.
- Scroll down to the heading „Message inbox“.
- Uncheck the following options to deactivate all notifications:
- „Play sound“
- „Change mouse pointer“
- „Show envelope symbol“
- „Show desktop notification“
These settings prevent you from being disturbed by unimportant e-mails. Deactivate all checkboxes and confirm with OK.
Reactivate desktop notifications for certain emails
Sometimes there are emails that require your immediate attention, for example messages from your boss. To reactivate notifications for certain senders:
- Search for an e-mail from the sender (e.g. your boss).
- Right-click this e-mail and select the command „Rules“ Yes? „Create rule“.
Outlook automatically adopts the sender and subject of the clicked e-mail and opens a new dialogue box „Create rule“. Here you define the emails for which the rule is executed:
- „From...“ / SenderSelect the person in question here (The sender of the email you clicked on the right to create the rule is already entered, e.g. „From Holly Wood“. Simply tick the checkbox - see screenshot - to apply the rule only to emails from this person).
- „Perform the following“ (Select action): Here you can specify which notification you would like to receive, for example „Play selected sound“ or „Advanced options“, to set more details and „Show desktop notification“ to select.
Example:
If your boss flags important emails with the subject „URGENT“, you can create a rule that only plays a sound for these emails:
- Activate the option „Subject contains“.
- Enter the word „EILT“ in.
- Select the desired notification.
Confirm with „OK“, to save the rule. From now on, you will only receive a notification for these specific emails.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I deactivate all e-mail notifications in Outlook?
In the ribbon, select „File -> Options -> E-mail“ and remove all tick marks under „Message inbox“ (see above for details).
Can I only activate notifications for certain senders?
Yes, this is possible. Right-click on a mail from the desired sender and define a rule via „Rules -> Create rule“ (the sender is already preselected. You set the notification and confirm with „OK“).
What do I do if I need peace and quiet but still don't want to miss urgent emails?
Use a rule to set up desktop notifications only for important senders or certain keywords in the subject line. This way, you won't be disturbed and won't miss any important messages.
How do I create a rule for emails with certain words in the subject line?
When creating the rule, select „Subject contains“ (or in the advanced options „with certain words in the subject“) and enter the desired word.
Why should I deactivate the alarm function?
Constant email notifications interrupt your work and reduce your productivity. If you switch off these notifications, you can stay focussed.
In short: use the notification functions in Outlook sensibly and customise them to your needs. This will help you keep track of your emails and work more effectively instead of being constantly distracted. Try it out and enjoy the peace and quiet at work!
