Outlook Web Access

Outlook Web Access, also known as “OWA”, enables you to access most of the features found in Outlook via the web. In fact, you should consider OWA as simply the web-interface for Outlook. Consequently, you should review the Outlook tutorial along with this one. Because of the striking similarity between Outlook and OWA, here we will simply point out the visual differences between OWA and Outlook.

When should I use OWA? When you are away from your office. Since OWA is the web-interface for Outlook, no matter where you are, as long as you have internet access, you can access your email, contacts, calendar, etc. Any changes that you make to your calendar or contacts will be changed available to you when you return to your office.

Although it is generally recommended that you use Outlook while in your office and OWA while away, if you choose you can use OWA all of the time.

To Use OWA

Connect to the Internet and launch your preferred browser.
In the address line enter http://email.georgetowncollege.edu
- you may use OWA on campus as well, if so you need only enter email
Log in using the same user name and password you use when logging into Outlook

The OWA Main Screen

The OWA Bar

Along the left of the main OWA screen, you will see this “sidebar”. At the top are two buttons, Folders and Shortcuts. In the picture, Shortcuts is selected and you now have access to:

Inbox: click on this to display your email inbox
Calendar: click on this to display your calendar
Contacts: click on this to display your contacts list(s)
Options: click on to open the Options setting page
Logoff: click on this to Logoff and exit OWA

If you click on Folders, you will have access to your Outlook folders, such as Inbox, Calendar, Contacts, Deleted items, as well as any others that you have set up in Outlook. For example, if you use filters, you will see the folders you have set up as part of the filtering process.

It is imperative that you click on Log Off to properly and cleanly exit from OWA!

The OWA Inbox The Toolbar
The OWA Inbox Toolbar
Left to right the buttons are: click on the button to start a new email message; click on the triangle at the right edge of the button to open a drop-down list to access other New functions as shown in the picture to the right.	The OWA New button drop-down list.
click to send a reply to the sender only of the currently selected or open email message click to send a reply to all recipients of the currently selected or open email message click to forward the currently selected or open email message click to check for new mail click to search for items within your OWA/Outlook folders click to move the currently selected or open email message to a different folder click to delete the currently selected or open email message(s); note this action simply moves the item(s) to the Deleted Items folder click to empty the deleted items folder
this drop-down list determines what you see in your inbox, and/or how it is organized Unread Messages will only show email that are new, have not been read Messages will show all messages that are in the Inbox, whether read or not; unread messages will be bolded By Sender will organize all email messages by the sender's email address By Subject will organize all email messages by subject By Conversation Topic will organize all email messages by the topic (is this any different from Subject?) Unread By Conversation Topic will organize only unread email messages by the topic (is this any different from Subject) Sent To organizes all email messages by date/time sent
The OWA Inbox Columns

The column headings for the Inbox are shown above with a typical message. The Red Flag indicates when the sender has “tagged” the item as being important. From is the sender of the message Subject is the email subject Received is the date/time received a paper clip symbol under the paper clip heading means an attachment is included with the email Sorting Your Inbox If you click on any column heading, the Inbox will now be sorted by that item. For example, click on From and your Inbox is now sorted by the sender's name. Whenever you see a triangle next to a column heading (in the picture, a triangle is next to Received), that means the Inbox is currently sorted by that heading a triangle pointed up means an “A to Z” (or “oldest” to “most recent” for dates) sort while a triangle pointing down is “Z to A” (or “most recent” to “oldest” for dates) Using the Navigation Buttons If you have many messages in your Inbox, you may need to scroll through more than one screen to read them. To do so, you can use the Navigation Buttons. In the picture shown, you are viewing page 1 of 10 items (i.e. email messages) You can type another number and then press <ENTER> to move to that message You can also press the white triangles to navigate Left pointing moves toward beginning of the list one page (screen) at a time Left pointing with a vertical bar moves to the first item in the list Right pointing moves toward the end of the list one page (screen) at a time Right pointing with a vertical bar moves to the last item in the list

The OWA Calendar

Click on the Calendar icon in the OWA Bar to access your calendar.

The OWA Calendar Toolbar

The buttons available here that are peculiar to the Calendar are (all other buttons work the same as previously described):

click to view all reminders that you have set in your calendar
click to go to the current day
click to switch to daily view
click to switch to weekly view
click to switch to monthly view

The Mini Calendar

The mini calendar to the right gives you a quick snapshot of the month. Minii Calendar

The current day is outlined in red; the fact that it is also shaded means that that day is currently being viewed
Days with scheduled events, appointments, etc., are bolded
Days without scheduled events, appointments, etc., are plain text
Click on a day to immediately switch to that day in daily view (that day will now be shaded, the current date will not be shaded anymore)
Click on the triangles in the month header to move back (left triangle) or forward (right triangle) one month at a time.
Click on the month name itself to change the monthly view of that month

The OWA Contacts

Click on the Contacts icon in the OWA Bar to access your contacts list.

The OWA Contacts Toolbar

There is only one button here, the View drop-down list, that is peculiar to the Contacts. All other buttons operate as previously described.

The View Drop-Down List

View Detailed Address Cards shows you each contact detailed view, all fields are visible
View Address Cards shows only phone and address info
View Phone List shows only telephone info in tabular format
View By Company organizes your contacts alphabetically by company name. If you have more than one person for a given company, that company is listed only once and the number of contacts for that company is shown parenthetically. Click on the + to the left of the name of expand and show all contacts for that company by name.
If you specify Country and Region as part of the contact info, you can use the By Location option

The Calendar Navigation Bar

This tool works the same in the contacts as described for the calendar. In the picture shown, you are currently

viewing contact #1 out of 25 on the current screen. You can use the vertical scroll bar to see all 25. There are a total of 206 contacts in the contact file.

OWA Options

Click on the Options button in the OWA bar to view the Options page.

Out of Office Assistant

Use the Assistant to have the email system generate an automatic reply to any email received.

OWA Out of Office Assistant
The Out of Office Choices

If you are not away from your office, check the first radio button as shown. Mail will be received normally, no AutoReply is sent (even though one is entered in the box as shown).
If you are or will be away from your office
- check the second radio button
- and enter the AutoReply text
- the email system will now automatically send that text as an email message when email is received for you (that is why it is called an AutoReply!)
When you return, check the first radio button to turn off the AutoReply

It is important to note that even when AutoReply is turned on, email is still placed in your Inbox when received. You can still read it and answer it if you choose using OWA.

Email Options

The Email Options. Check the boxes as you prefer.

The Email Notification Message

This message will appear in the lower right corner of the screen when new mail arrives when you are running OWA regardless of what you are doing.. The You have new mail line is a hyperlink. Click on it to read the mail. Or, you can ignore this message, it will disappear after a few seconds, and continue whatever you are doing.

Date and Time Formats

OWA Date and Time Formats
The Date and Time Formats Options

Use the drop-down boxes to set the date and time formats to your liking.

Calendar Options

The Calendar Options

Use the drop-down boxes to set the calendar options to your liking.

Reminder Options

The Reminder Options

Use the check boxes and the drop-down box to set these options to your liking.

Contact Options

Contact Options

Which list do you want to check first? Click the appropriate radio button. In the picture, you have selected to check your personal contact list first before the system's global list.

Password

Changing Your Password

Click the button if you want to change your Windows password. You will be directed to a Web site set up by an administrator in your organization for this purpose. Contact an administrator for more information.

Recover Deleted Items

Viewing Deleted Items

This option is self-explanatory!