You need to make sure your most critical emails get noticed. Outlook provides a priority flag to signal importance to recipients. This feature adds a visual indicator to the message in the recipient’s inbox. This article explains how to mark your emails as high or low priority before you send them.
Key Takeaways: Setting Email Priority in Outlook
- Tags > Importance – High/Low: Sets a visual flag and can influence message sorting in the recipient’s inbox.
- Keyboard Shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H / Ctrl+Shift+L: Quickly marks a new email as high or low importance while composing.
- File > Properties > Importance: Accesses the priority setting through the message properties dialog for more control.
Understanding Outlook’s Importance Feature
The priority or importance level is a metadata flag attached to an email message. It tells the recipient’s email client how to categorize the message visually. Most clients, including Outlook, show a red exclamation mark for high importance and a blue down arrow for low importance next to the message in the inbox list.
This setting does not change the delivery speed or guarantee the recipient will read it first. Its effect depends entirely on how the recipient’s email application is configured to handle such flags. Some systems may sort or filter messages based on this property. You should use it for genuine urgency, not for routine messages.
Prerequisites for Setting Priority
You can set importance on any new email, reply, or forward. The feature works with all account types in Outlook, including Microsoft 365, Exchange, IMAP, and POP3. The visual indicator is a standard part of the email format, so it should display in most other email clients like Gmail or Apple Mail, though the exact icon may differ.
Steps to Set Email Priority in a New Message
Follow these steps to add an importance level while composing an email. The setting is saved with the draft and applied when you send it.
- Open a new message window
Click New Email on the Home tab or press Ctrl+N. - Navigate to the Tags group
In the message window, locate the Tags group on the Message tab of the ribbon. - Click the Importance button
Click the downward arrow next to the exclamation mark icon labeled Importance. Select High Importance or Low Importance from the dropdown menu. The button icon will change to reflect your choice. - Complete and send your email
Finish writing your message and click Send. The priority flag is now attached.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts for Speed
- Press Ctrl+Shift+H for High Importance
While the cursor is in the new message window, use this key combination. A red exclamation mark will appear in the message header. - Press Ctrl+Shift+L for Low Importance
Use this shortcut to mark the message with low priority. A blue down arrow will appear. - Press the same shortcut again to remove it
If you change your mind, pressing the same keyboard shortcut a second time will clear the importance setting back to normal.
Setting Priority Through Message Properties
For more detailed settings, use the message properties dialog. This method also allows you to request a delivery receipt for high-priority messages.
- Open the Properties dialog
In your new message window, go to the File tab and select Properties. - Set the importance level
In the Properties dialog box, find the Settings section. Use the Importance dropdown menu and select High, Normal, or Low. - Apply and close
Click Close to return to your message. The setting is saved, and you can now send it.
Common Mistakes and Limitations to Avoid
Priority Flag Does Not Make Email Deliver Faster
The importance setting is only a visual tag. It does not change network routing or server processing. Your email is placed in the sending queue based on the same rules as a normal message. Do not rely on it for time-critical delivery.
Recipient’s Client May Ignore the Setting
The recipient can configure rules to move high-importance messages to a specific folder or even delete them. They can also disable the visual indicator entirely in their own Outlook settings under File > Options > Mail > Message arrival. Your flag is only a suggestion.
Overusing High Priority Renders It Ineffective
If you mark every email as high importance, recipients will start to ignore the flag. Reserve it for truly urgent communications to maintain its signaling value. For routine updates, use normal priority.
Normal, High, and Low Importance: Key Differences
| Item | Normal Importance | High Importance | Low Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Indicator | None | Red exclamation mark | Blue down arrow |
| Keyboard Shortcut | Ctrl+Shift+H (toggle off) | Ctrl+Shift+H | Ctrl+Shift+L |
| Common Use Case | Standard daily communication | Urgent requests, deadlines | Informational FYI messages |
| Effect on Sorting | Default inbox order | May sort to top if recipient has a filter | May sort to bottom |
| Ribbon Location | Message tab > Tags > Importance (default) | Message tab > Tags > Importance – High | Message tab > Tags > Importance – Low |
You can now flag your emails to signal their urgency to recipients. Use the Ctrl+Shift+H shortcut for quick access when composing urgent messages. Next, explore creating rules in Outlook to automatically sort incoming emails based on their priority flag. For advanced control, use the Properties dialog to combine priority settings with delivery and read receipt requests.