Quick Steps in Outlook turn a repeated email routine into one button. A single Quick Step can move a message, mark it read, forward it, categorize it, or run several of those actions together.
Does this affect you?
Use this for classic Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021, and Outlook 2019 on Windows. Outlook for Mac and Outlook on the web do not use Quick Steps the same way; they rely more on Rules, Sweep, and other mailbox tools.
Use a built-in Quick Step
Outlook includes starter actions that only need a quick setup.
- Select an email in your inbox.
- Open the Home tab.
- Find the Quick Steps gallery.
- Choose a built-in option such as To Manager or Team Email.
- The first time, complete the setup Outlook asks for, such as the target folder or recipient addresses.
- Click Save.
After setup, selecting a similar email and clicking that Quick Step runs the saved action immediately.
Create your own custom Quick Step
Use this for multi-click work you repeat often.
- Open Home > Quick Steps > Create New.
- Give the Quick Step a clear name.
- Choose the first action, such as Move to Folder, Forward, Categorize, or Mark as Read.
- Click Add Action to stack more steps, such as mark read, move, then forward.
- Optionally assign a keyboard shortcut from Ctrl+Shift+1 through Ctrl+Shift+9.
- Click Finish.
More control
Edit or delete Quick Steps
Open Quick Steps > Manage Quick Steps to change the actions in an existing step, duplicate one as a starting point, or remove one you no longer use.
Move favorites to the top
In Manage Quick Steps, use the up and down arrows to put your most-used actions at the front of the gallery.
Fix a Quick Step that stopped working
The usual cause is a folder that was renamed, moved, or deleted after the Quick Step was created. Edit the Quick Step and reselect the current folder.
Sources
- Microsoft Support – Save time with Quick Steps (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Create a Quick Step (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Customize Quick Steps (2025)