Tip of the week # 629
9 November 2020


Stop the traffic - part II (Microsoft Outlook) *

A couple of weeks ago I told you that - if you're not bothered to know whether or not people plan to attend a meeting you organise - you can set the Response Options so that you will not receive any replies. (See tip_626.php if you missed it.)

But as mentioned in that tip, this would mean you won't be able to track and summarise all meeting request responses. So, if - like me - you frequently use Tracking (as described in tip_617.php) you might want to change the default setting so that all responses that don't contain comments will be deleted automatically.

Here's how:

  1. On the File tab, click on Options.
  2. Type the letter M (or click on Mail).
  3. Scroll down to the Tracking section and select the Update tracking information, and then delete responses that don't contain comments check box.
  4. Click OK.

In future, only if someone edits the response before sending Accept, Tentative or Decline, you will receive the response in your Inbox rather than it going straight in the Deleted Items folder. So that's people like me who might write Thanks for organising. I know, I know ... some say you shouldn't send these sorts of messages, but I still like to think we're dealing with people. What are your thoughts about that?

Related tips

  1. Stop receiving RSVPs from meeting requests - tip_626.php
  2. Copy and summarise all meeting request responses - tip_617.php
  3. Respond to an e-mail message with a meeting request - tip_412.php
  4. Set a date using plain English - tip_350.php
  5. Jump to a specific date in your calendar - tip_485.php

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* Unless stated otherwise, these tips were written for Microsoft Office 2010.