Division of Information Technology

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Outlook Web Access (OWA) - E-mail and Calendar Basics

Contents

E-Mail

Calendar

FAQ

E-mail

Login / Sign Out

  1. Open a Web browser and navigate to:
  2. (Staff/Faculty) Select Public or Private. Selecting public will log you out after 20 minutes of inactivity. Selecting private will keep you logged in for the duration of your Internet session.
  3. If applicable, select Use the light version of Outlook Web App (e.g. when using an older browser). Students will only have this option after their first login.
  4. Enter your SF State ID number in the User name field (e.g., 900012345).
    Students: Please continue to use your full e-mail address in place of your ID number until upgrades are complete (week of January 24, 2011).
  5. Enter your password in the Password field.
  6. Click Sign in.
  7. If this is the first time you have logged in, follow the onscreen instructions to answer the questions about time zones, display, and so on.
  8. When you are ready to sign out, select the sign out link (located at the top, right of the window).

View E-mail

  1. Login to OWA.
  2. If the current view is not mail (e.g. calendar), select the Mail navigation tab (located at the bottom of the navigation pane).
  3. Select the folder containing the appropriate message. Unless mail rules have been set, new messages will appear in the Inbox folder.
  4. Select the message to be viewed from the Message pane.
  5. If the Reading pane is visible the message will appear. Alternatively, double click the message to open it in a new window.

Send E-mail

  1. If the Mail navigation tab is highlighted, click on the New link to create a new message. If the Mail tab is NOT highlighted, click on the down arrow next to the New link & choose Message.
  2. Enter the recipient's e-mail address in the To field. Separate multiple addresses with a semicolon (;). Using the same format, enter addresses in the Cc and Bcc fields if needed. NOTE: Bcc can be enabled under Options.
  3. Compose your message.
  4. When you are ready to send the message, click the Send link.

Forward/Reply to E-mail

Reply

  1. Select the message you want to reply to.
  2. To reply to only the sender, click the Reply link/icon (single purple arrow).
  3. To reply to all of the recipients, click the Reply to All link/icon (double purple arrow).
  4. Compose your reply.
  5. When you are ready to send the message, click the Send link.

Forward

  1. Select the message you want to forward.
  2. Click the Forward link/icon (single blue arrow).
  3. Enter the recipient's e-mail address in the To field. Separate multiple addresses with a semicolon (;). Using the same format, enter addresses in the Cc and Bcc fields if needed.
  4. Optional: Edit the message.
  5. When you are ready to send the message, click the Send link.

Save a Draft

  1. Begin composing an e-mail message.
  2. Click the Save link/icon.
  3. Close the message.
  4. Once you are ready to start working on the e-mail again, select the Drafts folder in the Navigation pane.
  5. Double click on the e-mail message in the Message pane to open it. Make any necessary changes and then save or send the message.

Create Folders / Sort E-mail

Create Folders

  1. In the Navigation pane, right-click the folder (e.g., Inbox) in which you want to create the new folder.
  2. Select Create new folder... from the context menu.
  3. Type a name for the new folder and press enter.

Sort e-mail

  1. Select the message(s) to be sorted.
    • To select multiple adjacent items, click the first item, and then hold down Shift and click the last item.
    • To select multiple nonadjacent items, click the first item, and then hold down Ctrl and click additional items.
  2. Click the Move link and select Move to Folder. Select the folder you want to move the item to and click Move. Alternatively, you can drag & drop the e-mail message(s) into the appropriate folder.

E-mail Rules

Create a rule

  1. Click the Options link and select Create an Inbox Rule...
  2. Click New....
  3. Follow the provided prompts to create a rule.
  4. When finished, click Save.
  5. Click the Mail link to return to the mail/calendar/contacts view.

Create a rule based on a message in a folder

  1. Open the folder that contains the message.
  2. Right-click the message you want to base a rule on.
  3. Click Create Rule.
  4. Chose the rule(s) you want to apply.
  5. When finished, click Save.

Out of Office Replies

Note: Out of Office messages will only be sent once for each recipient.

  1. Click the Options link and select Set Automatic Replies...
  2. Click on Send automatic replies.
  3. Provide a start time, end time, and a short message.
  4. When finished, click Save.
  5. Click the Mail link to return to the mail/calendar/contacts view.

Junk E-mail

Note: Automatic junk mail filtering must be turned on to use these options.

How to add someone to your Blocked Senders

  1. To quickly mark a message/single sender as Junk right-click the message and select Junk E-mail> Add Sender to Blocked Senders List, or drag the message to the Junk folder. Otherwise:
  2. To block senders:
    1. Click the Options link and select See All Options.
    2. Select Block or Allow.
    3. Under Blocked Senders, type the individual e-mail address or the domain in to the Enter a sender or domain here field.
    4. Click the Add link/icon (green plus sign).
    5. When finished, click Save.
  3. Click the My Mail link to return to the mail/calendar/contacts view.

How to add someone to your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients List

  1. To quickly mark a message/single sender as Safe right-click the message and select Junk E-mail> Add Sender/Domain to Safe Senders List. Otherwise:
  2. To allow senders:
    1. Click the Options link and select See All Options.
    2. Select Block or Allow.
    3. Under Safe Senders and Recipients, type the individual e-mail address or the domain in to the Enter a sender or domain here field.
    4. Click the Add link/icon (green plus sign).
    5. When finished, click Save.
  3. Click the My Mail link to return to the mail/calendar/contacts view.

Unmark messages that have been marked as Junk

  1. If you are not in the Junk E-mail folder, switch to that folder.
  2. Right-click any messages that you want marked as not junk and select Junk E-mail -> Mark as Not Junk.
  3. Click OK to return the message to the Inbox.

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Calendar

View a Calendar

  1. Login to OWA.
  2. Select the Calendar navigation tab (located at the bottom of the navigation pane).
  3. Select the calendar(s) you wish to view.

Create an Appointment

  1. If the Calendar navigation tab is highlighted, click on the New link. If the Calendar tab is NOT highlighted, click on the down arrow next to the New button and choose Meeting Request.
  2. If visible, and you do not wish to see the To, Optional and Resources options, click the Cancel Invitation link/icon.
  3. In the Subject box, type a description.
  4. In the Location box, enter the location.
  5. Select start and end times.
  6. Select other options if desired.
  7. To make the appointment recur, click the Repeat link/icon (circular arrows) and set the frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly) with which the appointment recurs. NOTE: Most options will no longer be editable once the recurrence has been set, set options first.
  8. Click Save and close the window or click Save and close.

Create a Meeting

  1. If the Calendar navigation tab is highlighted, click on the New link. If the Calendar tab is NOT highlighted, click on the down arrow next to the New button and choose Meeting Request.
  2. Enter the recipients e-mail addresses separated with a semicolon (;). If you do not see the To, Optional and Resources options click the Invite Attendees link/icon.
  3. In the Subject box, type a description.
  4. In the Location box, enter the location.
  5. Select start and end times.
  6. Select other options if desired.
  7. To make the meeting recur, click the Recurrence link/icon (circular arrows) and set the frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly) with which the appointment recurs. NOTE: Most options will no longer be editable once the recurrence has been set, set them first.
  8. Click Save.

Open Another User's Calendar

Note - You must have permission from another user before you can open their calendar. Permission can only be granted through a full Microsoft e-mail client (e.g., Outlook 2007 or later or Entourage 2004 or later).

  1. Select the Calendar navigation tab (located at the bottom of the navigation pane).
  2. Click the Share link and select Add Calendar.
  3. Enter the user's full e-mail address (e.g., janedoe@sfsu.edu) in the Name field and click OK.
  4. The other calendar will appear in your calendar list.

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FAQ

How can I stop/start conversation mode?

Conversation mode allows for the viewing of e-mail in groups that follow the thread of an e-mail conversation. To toggle this feature on or off:

  1. Click View in the Message pane.
  2. Check or Uncheck Use Conversations.

 

How do I change my OWA theme?

OWA Themes allow users to customize their visual experience. Themes can be selected from the Options menu.

 

How do I share a calendar on the Web?

Calendar sharing is only available between accounts on the SF State Exchange system.

  1. From the Calendar view highlight the calendar you wish to share. Click the Share link and select Share This Calendar.
  2. A new message page appears. Fill out the To: field.
  3. Select from the 3 options to share your calendar a) Free/Busy Information  b) Free/Busy Including Subject and Location and c) All Information.
  4. After selecting an option, enter any additional information and click Send.
  5. The recipient of the message will receive an e-mail containing a link they can use to view your calendar on the Web.

 

Can I ignore a mail list conversation (Ignore Option)?

If you belong to mailing lists, sometimes, the group will engage in discussions that don’t interest you. OWA provides an option for ignoring them. Just select Ignore Conversation from the Action menu and any further messages in that conversation will be automatically deleted.

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