How to Send Reminders & Tasks in Outlook

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You can add a reminder only if you flag the email.
Image Credit: Oko_SwanOmurphy/iStock/Getty Images

If you are about to send an important email using Microsoft Outlook 2013, add a reminder to yourself to make sure you don't forget to check for a response. Furthermore, you can send a reminder in the email to ensure the recipient doesn't forget to respond. Tasks allow you to organize the things you have to do. If you are part of a team, you can send tasks to other people. Outlook 2013 can send reminders and tasks by default; you don't need to install any add-ons.

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Creating and Sending Reminders

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Step 1

Launch Microsoft Outlook 2013 and click the "New Email" button to create a new email. Compose your email, click "Follow Up" in the Tags group on the Message tab and select "Add Reminder." The Custom window appears.

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Step 2

Check the "Flag for Me" box to create a reminder for yourself. Select the type of flag from the "Flag to" box. You can choose a "Follow up," "For Your Information," "Forward," "No Response Necessary," "Read," "Reply," "Reply to All" or "Review" flag. Select the start date for the flag from the "Start date" box and the due date from the "Due date" box. The flags enable people to quickly locate important emails; emails can be sorted by flag status. Check the "Reminder" box and select a date and time for the reminder from the two drop-down boxes.

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Step 3

Check the "Flag for Recipients" box and then the "Reminder" box to flag the email for the recipients and also add a reminder for them. Select the type of flag from the "Flag to" box and then set the date and time for the reminder using the two drop-down boxes. Click "OK" to add the reminders to the email and then click "Send" to send the message.

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Creating and Sending Tasks

Step 1

Click "Tasks" in the lower left corner of the Outlook 2013 window and then click "Tasks" to see all your tasks. Tasks can be sorted by subject, due date, category or flag.

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Step 2

Click the "New Task" button in the New group on the Home tab to create a new task, then click the "Assign Task" button in the Manage Task group on the Task tab.

Step 3

Type the name or email address of the person to whom you want to assign the task in the "To" box. Type a meaningful name for the task in the "Subject" box.

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Step 4

Select the start date and due date for the task from the "Start date" and "Due date" boxes. Select a priority for the task from the "Priority" list. You can choose a "High," "Normal" or "Low" priority.

Step 5

Select the status of the task from the "Status" box. You can choose a "Not Started," "In Progress," "Completed," "Waiting on someone else" or "Deferred" status.

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Step 6

Check the "Keep an updated copy of this task on my task list" if you want to add the task to your Task list and update it automatically. Check the "Send me a status report when this task is complete" box if you want to be notified when the recipient completes the task.

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Step 7

Click the "Send" button to send the task to the recipient. Click the "Save and Close" button to save the task in your Tasks list and close the Task window.

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