Reply, Reply All and Forward look almost identical and do very different things. Getting them straight is the single biggest confidence jump in Outlook.
Open any message and you will see Reply, Reply All and Forward together at the top. Reply answers only the person who wrote to you. Reply All answers that person plus everyone else who received it. Forward sends the message on to somebody new.
- Answers only the sender
- Answers everyone on the message
- Passes it to someone new
An attachment is any file — a document, a photo, a scan — sent along with the message. Outlook calls the button Attach File and it lives on the message toolbar with a paperclip icon.
Try it yourself
Open a message and click Reply.
A new message opens with the address and subject already filled in, and the original text quoted underneath.
Type your answer at the very top, above the quoted text.
The recipient reads from the top. Leaving the original below gives them the context without you retyping it.
Click Attach File, then Browse This PC, and pick a document.
This copies the file into the message. The recipient gets their own copy — changes they make will not affect yours.
Send it, then open a different message and click Forward instead.
Forward leaves the To box empty on purpose, because Outlook does not know who you want to pass it on to.
Before using Reply All, look at how many names are listed.
Reply All to a large list means dozens of people get your message. Checking the list first avoids an embarrassing message to the whole organisation.
Words people use
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can explain the difference between Reply and Reply All
- I know Forward starts with an empty To box
- I can attach a document to a message
- I know what to do when an attachment is too big