Quick Outlook Folder Access
Have you ever wished for a quick access button to your Inbox, a feature or some other folder you keep in MS Outlook?
Maybe you’d like a quick click into your Journal or Calendar, straight from the desktop?
If this sounds like a good plan, here’s the thing you need to know to make this one a reality for you.
What we need to do is create a shortcut on your desktop for the exact Outlook folder or feature for which you want instant access. To do this, we begin by starting Outlook and displaying the Folder list (View menu, Folder List choice).
Now, restore down your Outlook program window, so it’s not maximized. (You need to be able to see both the Folder List and the desktop simultaneously).
One method is to click-hold-and-drag the folder / feature from the Folder List onto the desktop. However, on the two systems I tried, I couldn’t get this one to work.
When faced with the error messages, I began to look for another way and fortunately I found one.
So, here’s the alternative I happened upon.
At this point, you need to right click on the folder / feature in the Folder List that you want a shortcut to and then drag to the desktop.
When you release the mouse button, you’ll be given a shortcut menu.
The theory is that you could choose “Create Active Desktop Items Here” and a shortcut will appear.
This may work for you, but again, I had problems, so I kept trying things and have this idea to suggest.
If you choose “Copy Here,” you’ll get a shortcut on the desktop that connects directly to the folder / feature you copied.
Should you activate this shortcut, you’ll find that you get an Outlook window with only this folder/feature open. You won’t even see the Outlook Bar if that’s an item normally displayed when you start Outlook.
From this single folder / feature window, you can choose to use the menus and buttons to access other Outlook places, but I must warn you that they’re not automatically displayed with this type of shortcut startup.
But, this could be the way to go if what you really want is instant access to a single Outlook folder / feature.
~ April