@Mentions: Make Collaborating via Email Fast and Easy

Focus on what matters by using the @Mentions feature, first introduction in Microsoft Outlook 2016 and available in Outlook 2019 and 365.

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How do you get someone’s attention? Today, we are being drowned with a lot more email messages competing for our attention in our inbox. Focus on what matters most using this cool tool – @Mentions. It quickly alerts you and other team members to action tasks through email.

How do you use @Mentions?

  1. Create a new email
  2. Type the @ symbol anywhere in the body of your email (email list appears- Wow!)
  3. Type the person’s name
  4. Select the who you want to address from the email list that pops up
  5. Click send

The @symbol appears on the message list for emails in which you’ve been mentioned, like this:

@Mentions in Outlook

The person’s name you address becomes highlighted in the message in blue. This helps them know they are being asked to action tasks through email, like this:

Example email with an @mention

Benefits of using @Mentions

  • Helps focus on what needs your attention.
  • Before an email is opened you can see at a glance which email requires your action.
  • Outlook has added a filter to enable you sort by only messages you’ve been mentioned in.
  • Your highlighted name in blue allows you quickly see where exactly your attention is needed in the body of the email.
  • If the person isn’t part of the email conversation already, they will automatically be added so they receive a copy of your email.
  • The preview text is updated. You’ll no longer see a preview of the first few words of the email. Instead, Outlook shows a preview of the text immediately following your mention.

Related blogs

Learn the 10 core principles to create a happy and productive workplace in Henry Stewart's book, The Happy Manifesto.

Support your aspiring and current managers to be empowering and confident leaders with happy

Happy offers leadership programmes at Level 3, Level 5 and Level 7, from new managers/supervisor level all the way up to senior leadership teams and CEOs. These programmes are based on the ideas of trusting your people. They are practical and based on applying what yo’ve learnt. We aim to inspire and ignite change in your organisation, as well as giving you valuable management skills such as business strategy, decision-making, negotiation and project management.

We also offer programmes tailored specifically to people from Global Majority backgrounds. The content is the same, but have been designed to give new and experienced managers the skills they need to navigate organisational culture with a clearer perspective on their own potential, as well as building their confidence and expanding their professional strengths.

Sal Agoro

Sal trains most MS Office packages. Her real love is in transferring knowledge by making her training sessions fun and more impactful. She is Happy’s Outlook Champion and ensures Outlook courses and training material are updated regularly with new features. Sal has been at Happy for over three years.

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