Tip of the week # 650
15 April 2021


A is for Appointments (Microsoft Outlook) *

As part of the roadmap out of lockdown the measures in England were eased on Monday (12 April), so it's been a busy couple of days, appointment-wise ... haircut, pedicure, facial, reflexology, outdoor lunch with a friend (and mild hypothermia ;) ). Oh, and the occasional webinar and training session; thanks for booking!

So with my Outlook calendar in overdrive I would like to share a keyboard shortcut I recently learned from Sharon Connolly, Australia's Change Superhero ... a quick way to show the Appointment page to set up the details of an appointment or meeting without the need to first open your calendar.

Here's how:

  1. Open Outlook, although since tip_638.php it might start automatically?!
  2. Press CTRL + SHIFT + A.

That's it! Don't forget to combine it with other tips you've hopefully fallen in love with, such as:

  1. Press TAB twice and use English words or formulas such as next Tuesday or 4d.
  2. Press TAB and type 3PM.

By the way, there is a similar shortcut that allows you start a new message from any Outlook view. For example, if you are in your calendar and want to write a new message, simply press CTRL + SHIFT + M. (M is for Message.) It sure beats CTRL + 1 followed by CTRL + N.

Thanks for the inspiration, Sharon! I might need to update my top ten Microsoft Outlook shortcuts.

Related tips

  1. Automatically start an application, such as Outlook - tip_638.php
  2. Set a date using English words and formulas - tip_614.php
  3. Open your Calendar by default - tip_600.php
  4. Find the best time to schedule a meeting - tip_512.php
  5. Create electronic sticky notes - tip_507.php
  6. Top ten Microsoft Outlook shortcuts - tip_538.php


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 and Windows 10 users, but can also be useful in Office 2010, 2013 and 2016.