How to Forward a Message With Outlook

Forwarding lets you share email content with others

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
  • University of Vienna
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Updated on February 17, 2020

What to Know

  • Open the email you want to forward and go to the Message tab. In the Respond group, select Forward. Or, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F.
  • Address the forwarded message to the intended contact or contacts. You can add or remove recipients in the To, Cc, and Bcc boxes.
  • Add a message. Trim the message text of the forwarded email, if you like, and check the subject. Select Send to forward the email.

This article explains how to forward an email in Microsoft Outlook. Instructions cover Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2010.

How to Forward a Message in Outlook

Have you received an email message that could be of use or of amusement to somebody else as well? There is hardly a better, faster, or easier way to share it than forwarding it in Outlook.

When you forward an email, you send the entire message to another contact as well as any additional information you wish to include.

  1. Open Outlook and go to your inbox.

  2. Highlight or open the email you want to forward.

    To forward multiple messages as attachments, go to either the Message List pane or the search results and select all the emails you want to forward.

  3. Go to the Home tab (with the message highlighted or open in the Reading pane) or the Message tab (with the email open in its own window).

  4. In the Respond group, select Forward.

    Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F.

    Screenshot of Forward in message window

  5. If the forward opens in the Reading Pane, but you want to open it in a separate window, select the Pop-Out button in the upper-right corner of the message. When you use this option, you have access to all of the formatting features and other tools on the ribbon.

  6. Address the forwarded message to the intended contact or contacts. You can add or remove recipients in the To, Cc, and Bcc text boxes. Select To, Cc, or Bcc, then choose a recipient from your contacts. Alternatively, type the recipient’s name or email address in the box.

    To remove a recipient, select the name, then press Delete.

  7. Add a message to the message body. Trim the message text of the forwarded email to hide email addresses and other private information in the original message, if desired.

     If you forward the email as an attachment, you cannot trim it.

  8. Check the subject line. Forwarded messages have FW: in front of the original subject. You can change this by typing in the subject box, or you can leave it as it is.

  9. Select Send or use the keyboard shortcut Alt+S to send the message.

As an alternative, redirect messages in Outlook. You can also create rules to forward email messages automatically in Outlook.

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