{"id":448,"date":"2014-04-18T14:48:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-18T18:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/?p=448"},"modified":"2014-04-18T15:20:52","modified_gmt":"2014-04-18T19:20:52","slug":"save-time-with-draft-messages-in-outlook-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/18\/save-time-with-draft-messages-in-outlook-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Save Time With Draft Messages in Outlook 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

You probably use the same replies for standard email messages that you get every day, or every week. Here\u2019s a tip for creating copies of draft messages, that saved me some time today.<\/p>\n

I keep a collection of draft messages in Outlook 2013, and copy and paste paragraphs from those messages, to save time when replying to email. For example, if someone says that one of my sample files doesn\u2019t work, I can use this message, as part of my reply.<\/p>\n

\"draft<\/p>\n

Create a Draft Message<\/h3>\n

Today, I had to send a file to several people, and wanted to send each one individually. So, I created a draft message, with the subject line, file attachment, and the message body completed. <\/p>\n

I saved that message, so it was stored in the Drafts folder. Then looked for a way to create copies, so I could send out the message several times, without a lot of copying and pasting. I just wanted to fill in the email address, and a personalized note at the top of each message.<\/p>\n

Copy a Draft Message<\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, there\u2019s no command for that, at least not that I could find, so I turned to my good friend, Google, to see what it could suggest. Fortunately, it found the MSOutlook Info site<\/a>, run by MVP Robert Sparnaaij, and it had the answer.<\/p>\n

Forward the Message<\/h3>\n

The website confirmed my suspicious that Outlook doesn\u2019t have a built in way to send a copy of a draft, without removing the draft.<\/p>\n

But, there was good news \u2013 you can use the Forward feature, to send a copy. I was dubious, because I didn\u2019t want \u201cFW:\u201d to appear in the subject line. That would look spammy!<\/p>\n

I followed the instructions, and it worked just fine, with no indication that I\u2019d used a Forward. Here\u2019s what I did, and you can click here to see Robert\u2019s original post<\/a>, which includes instructions for other versions of Outlook.<\/p>\n

In Outlook 2013:<\/p>\n