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Outlook Has A “You’ve Got Mail” Option

BY STANLEY ZAROWIN

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2006. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

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I get so wrapped up in my work that I often forget to check my incoming e-mail for hours at a time. Is there some way to program Outlook to give me a nudge or even ring a bell when a message comes in?

Outlook does AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail” option one better. It has several ways to alert you to new mail.

While in Outlook, click on Tools , Options and the E-mail Options button (see screenshot below).

Then click on Advanced E-mail Options , which evokes a new screen with many more alerting options (as shown in the screenshot below).

Although I check them all, the most effective alert is the default selection: Display a New Mail Desktop Alert (default Inbox only). Each time an e-mail arrives, a message with the sender’s name and subject appears on my screen for a few seconds. The message is transparent—that is, words behind it can be seen (see screenshot).

You can adjust the duration of the message, the level of transparency (see screenshot below) and move it anywhere on your screen just by dragging it. Test it by clicking on Preview .