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Guide

Outlook templates and Quick Parts for agency recruiters

Acknowledging a CV, offering interview slots, chasing references, turning someone down after a screening call: a good share of candidate email says the same thing every week. Outlook can store that text in three different ways depending on your version. This guide covers which one to use for what, how to set it up, and ten snippets that earn their place in a recruiter's Outlook.

Which Outlook feature for what

Feature Stores Good for Where
Email template a whole email with subject, body and attachments interview confirmation with directions, document checklist classic Outlook (.oft), new Outlook, web, Mac
Quick Parts a block of text dropped in at the cursor paragraphs you reuse inside many replies classic Outlook; Microsoft now lists it for the new Outlook too
My Templates short texts in a side pane standard lines across devices new Outlook, web, classic and Mac with Microsoft 365 or Exchange
Signature sign-off and contact details just that everywhere

Most recruiters need two things: a handful of full templates for emails that really are identical, and snippets for the paragraphs that fit into lots of replies.

Classic Outlook: saving a template as an .oft file

  1. Open a new email, write the subject and body, with placeholders in [square brackets].
  2. Go to File › Save As, pick Outlook Template as the file type, name it and save.

Outlook puts the file in C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates. To use it: Home › New Items › More Items › Choose Form, set "Look In" to User Templates in File System and open the template. Edits you make in the email don't change the template; to change the template itself, save it again.

That route is a lot of clicks. For templates you use daily, the Mail template button on the Message tab, which classic Outlook has with Microsoft 365, is quicker.

Quick Parts for the paragraphs you reuse

For a paragraph rather than a whole email, Quick Parts work better:

  1. Select the text in an email.
  2. Go to Insert › Quick Parts › Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery.
  3. Give it a name you'll recognise, such as "Interview slots".

To use one, put the cursor where it should go and pick it from Insert › Quick Parts. Microsoft also explains how to hand a set of Quick Parts to colleagues through a shared Outlook template.

New Outlook, Outlook on the web and Mac

In the new Outlook and on the web, save an email with Message › Mail template and start a new one from it with Home › New › Mail from template. Short texts go into Message › My Templates › + Template. Both need a Microsoft 365 subscription. If My Templates is missing, your IT has switched add-ins off. Existing .oft files from classic Outlook can be brought across under Settings › Mail templates › Add.

On a Mac, select an email and choose File › Save as Template. A new email from it comes from File › New › Email from Template.

Ten snippets for candidate emails

These ten cover the lines recruiters type most. They are short on purpose, so they slot into a reply instead of replacing it. Longer templates for whole emails are in the template library, and for interview invitations on the interview invitation page.

Snippet 1: CV received
Thanks for sending your CV. I'll go through it properly by [day] and get back to you then.

Snippet 2: asking for documents
Before I put you forward to [client], could you send me an up-to-date CV and, if you have them, details of two referees?

Snippet 3: interview slots
[Client] can do [day, time] or [day, time], about [length] by [phone / video]. Which works better for you?

Snippet 4: video link
Here's the link for our call: [link]. If the connection plays up, I'll ring you on [phone number].

Snippet 5: salary range
The range for this role is [X] to [Y] gross a year. Where you'd land depends mainly on [criterion].

Snippet 6: profile with the client
Your profile went over to [hiring manager] today. I expect to hear back by [day] and I'll update you then, even if there's nothing new.

Snippet 7: notice period
Quick one so I can plan with the client: what notice period are you on at the moment?

Snippet 8: privacy notice link
You can read how I handle your details here: [link to the privacy notice].

Snippet 9: talent pool consent
Can I keep your details on file until [date] and get in touch when something suitable comes up? A quick "yes" is enough, and you can change your mind at any time.

Snippet 10: out of office
I'm out of the office until [date]. If it's urgent, [name] can help on [phone number].

Snippet 8 doesn't replace a full privacy notice under Articles 13 or 14 of the GDPR. The library has samples; have them checked before you use them.

Placeholders and keeping a team's templates tidy

Outlook won't fill in placeholders for you. Keep them in [square brackets] so they jump out when you read the email before sending. A stray "[client]" in a candidate email is embarrassing; the wrong client's name is worse.

In a team, one person owns the templates and shares them, as .oft files in a shared folder or as a template carrying the Quick Parts. A naming pattern helps people find them: "Slots", "Docs request", "Reject after screen". Go through the lot once a quarter, or the first person to spot the old privacy link or the name of a colleague who left months ago will be a candidate.

When templates stop being enough

Templates are good for messages that really are identical. They struggle when the candidate asks something that ties back to your last call, or when a reply has to pull together the range, the notice period and where things stand with the client. "Insert template" turns into "insert template and rewrite half of it". The comparison shows how templates, ChatGPT and LetterForge differ there.

With LetterForge

LetterForge drafts the reply from your thread with that one candidate, with the role and your notes, and opens it in classic Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird. It goes from your address once you press send. It doesn't read the new Outlook yet. The demo shows how it looks. The app is coming soon: see pricing, join the waitlist, or read how LetterForge relates to the AI Act.

Join the waitlist

FAQ

Where does Outlook keep my templates?
Classic Outlook saves .oft files in the Templates folder under AppData\Roaming\Microsoft in your user folder. Templates from the new Outlook, the web and My Templates are stored in your mailbox.
Can Outlook fill in placeholders automatically?
Not out of the box. Keep placeholders in square brackets and check for any left over before you send.
Do my .oft templates work in the new Outlook?
You can add them under Settings › Mail templates. Microsoft lists .oft support in the new Outlook as partly available.
Do I need Microsoft 365 for templates?
Not for .oft files and Quick Parts in classic Outlook. Microsoft requires a Microsoft 365 subscription for Mail templates and the My Templates add-in.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Support: Create an email message template. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-an-email-message-template-43ec7142-4dd0-4351-8727-bd0977b6b2d1 (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
  2. Microsoft Support: Send an email message based on a template. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/send-an-email-message-based-on-a-template-56c645fc-1b25-4059-808b-55ee72b6bc2d (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
  3. Microsoft Support: Create reusable text blocks for email messages. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/create-reuseable-text-blocks-for-email-messages (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
  4. Microsoft Support: Download, add and share templates as OFT files in Outlook. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-add-and-share-templates-as-oft-files-in-outlook-a410e7b9-8bb0-437e-828d-a9954ff2ac2c (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
  5. Microsoft Support: Can I create email templates in Outlook for Mac? https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/can-i-create-email-templates-in-outlook-for-mac (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
  6. Microsoft Support: Feature comparison between new Outlook and classic Outlook (German page, updated 23 Sept 2026). https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/outlook/getstarted/feature-comparison-between-new-outlook-and-classic-outlook (accessed 20 Oct 2026)

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