Classic Outlook to New Outlook: Quick Parts – Where reusable text lives in the new editor

You need to reuse a standard paragraph or signature in a new Outlook for Windows email, but the Quick Parts button you knew in classic Outlook is gone. Quick Parts in classic Outlook stored reusable text blocks in the Insert tab. The new Outlook for Windows replaces Quick Parts with a feature called My Templates. This article explains exactly where to find your saved text in the new editor and how to create, edit, and delete reusable templates.

How Quick Parts and My Templates Differ

In classic Outlook, Quick Parts stored reusable content like standard replies, disclaimers, and boilerplate paragraphs in the Insert > Quick Parts gallery. You could save any selection as a Quick Part and insert it with a single click. The new Outlook for Windows does not include Quick Parts. Instead, it uses a pane-based feature called My Templates. My Templates stores text snippets in a sidebar that appears when you click Insert > My Templates. You can create multiple templates, each with a title and body text, and insert them into any email.

My Templates syncs across devices if you use the same Microsoft 365 work or school account. Classic Quick Parts were stored locally in the NormalEmail.dotm file. My Templates are stored in your Exchange mailbox. This means your templates follow you to Outlook on the web and to other computers where you sign in with the same account.

You cannot import your classic Quick Parts into My Templates automatically. You must manually recreate each text block as a new template. The steps below show you how to create, use, edit, and delete templates in the new Outlook editor.

Steps to Create and Use My Templates in New Outlook

The following steps work in the new Outlook for Windows version 1.2021 or later. Open a new email message before you begin.

1. Open the My Templates pane
   Click Insert on the ribbon. In the Insert group, click My Templates. A pane opens on the right side of the message window.
2. Create a new template
   At the top of the My Templates pane, click New Template. A small dialog box appears.
3. Name your template
   In the Title field, type a short name for the template. Use a name you will recognize later, such as Standard Reply or Meeting Agenda.
4. Add the template content
   In the Content field, type or paste the text you want to reuse. You can include plain text only. The new Outlook editor does not support rich formatting like bold, italic, or colored text inside templates.
5. Save the template
   Click Save. The template appears in the list inside the My Templates pane.
6. Insert a template into an email
   Click the template name in the My Templates pane. The content is inserted at the cursor position in the email body. You can insert multiple templates in the same message.

To close the My Templates pane, click the X in the top-right corner of the pane. You can reopen it at any time from Insert > My Templates.

Edit and Delete Templates

You can modify or remove templates you no longer need. These actions are done from the My Templates pane.

1. Open the My Templates pane
   Click Insert > My Templates.
2. Edit a template
   Hover over the template name. Click the pencil icon that appears on the right. The edit dialog opens. Change the Title or Content and click Save.
3. Delete a template
   Hover over the template name. Click the trash icon that appears on the right. Confirm the deletion when prompted. The template is removed permanently.

Common Issues and Limitations

My Templates pane is missing or grayed out

The My Templates button is available only in the new Outlook for Windows version 1.2021 and later. If you use an older version, update Outlook. Open File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now. If you use a Microsoft 365 subscription with a work or school account, the feature should appear after the update. The button is also unavailable when you are composing in plain text mode. Switch to HTML format by clicking Format > HTML in the message.

Templates do not sync between devices

My Templates syncs through your Exchange mailbox. If you create a template on one computer and it does not appear on another, sign out of Outlook and sign back in. Go to File > Account > Sign Out. Restart Outlook and sign in again. If the template still does not sync, check that both devices use the same Microsoft 365 work or school account. Personal Microsoft accounts (like Outlook.com) do not support My Templates.

Cannot use rich formatting in templates

My Templates stores only plain text. Bold, italic, bulleted lists, tables, and images are stripped when you save a template. To insert formatted content, create the formatted block manually in the email body, then copy and paste it into future messages. Alternatively, use Outlook’s built-in signature feature for formatted reusable blocks. Go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures to create a formatted signature that you can insert into any message.

Templates disappear after an Outlook update

My Templates are stored server-side and should persist after updates. If templates vanish after an update, open the My Templates pane and click Refresh at the top of the pane. If that does not work, close and reopen Outlook. If the issue continues, contact your Microsoft 365 administrator to verify your mailbox is healthy.

Item	Classic Outlook Quick Parts	New Outlook My Templates
Location	Insert > Quick Parts gallery	Insert > My Templates pane
Storage	Local NormalEmail.dotm file	Exchange mailbox (server-side)
Formatting support	Rich text (bold, colors, tables)	Plain text only
Sync across devices	No (local file only)	Yes (with same Microsoft 365 account)
Import from classic	Not applicable	Not supported — must recreate manually
Keyboard shortcut to insert	F4 (after assigning a gallery name)	None — click template name in pane

In the new Outlook for Windows, My Templates replaces Quick Parts for reusable text. You can create, edit, and delete templates from the Insert > My Templates pane. Templates sync across devices when you use the same Microsoft 365 work or school account. For formatted reusable blocks, use the signature feature instead. To speed up template insertion, pin the My Templates pane open while composing emails. This keeps your templates one click away.