New Outlook Quick Steps: Which automations survive and which need rules

You have used Quick Steps in classic Outlook for years to automate repetitive email tasks like moving messages to folders, forwarding to your team, or replying with a template. With the transition to the new Outlook for Windows, some of those Quick Steps carry over automatically, while others stop working and require a different approach using Rules or Power Automate. This article explains exactly which Quick Step actions survive the migration, which ones break, and how to recreate each broken automation using Rules in the new Outlook.

Why some Quick Steps break and others survive in new Outlook

Quick Steps in classic Outlook are powered by a combination of built-in Outlook commands and VBA scripts. The new Outlook is built on a different codebase that does not support VBA macros, custom scripts, or complex multi-action sequences that were created using the Quick Steps editor. Actions that rely on simple, server-side or Exchange Web Services commands tend to survive because they are reimplemented natively in the new client. Actions that depend on local script execution, custom dialog boxes, or third-party add-ins fail because the new Outlook sandbox does not allow those operations.

The migration process copies Quick Steps from the old profile to the new Outlook automatically when you sign in for the first time. However, any Quick Step that contains an action not supported in the new client will appear as a grayed-out entry with a warning icon. You can still see the name and description, but you cannot run it until you edit and remove the unsupported action. Understanding which actions are safe and which are not saves you from trial-and-error troubleshooting.

Quick Steps that survive in new Outlook

The following Quick Step actions carry over and work exactly as they did in classic Outlook. You can run them from the Quick Steps gallery on the Home tab or by using the assigned keyboard shortcut.

• Move to Folder — Moves the selected message to a specified folder. This works because the action is a simple server-side move command.
• Copy to Folder — Copies the message to a specified folder. Same reason as Move.
• Delete — Moves the message to Deleted Items. No dependencies.
• Mark as Read — Changes the read status to read. Works natively.
• Mark as Unread — Reverses the read status. Works natively.
• Categorize — Assigns a color category to the message. Categories sync via Exchange.
• Flag Message — Adds a follow-up flag. Works natively.
• Forward — Opens a new forward message. The recipient list and body template are preserved.
• Reply — Opens a reply to the sender. Works natively.
• Reply All — Opens a reply to all recipients. Works natively.
• Reply to All with Meeting — Creates a meeting request. Works natively.
• Done (default Quick Step) — Marks as read, categorizes, and moves to a folder. Each sub-action survives individually.

Quick Steps that break and need Rules instead

The following Quick Step actions do not survive the migration. For each broken action, the replacement method using Rules in new Outlook is provided.

Reply with Template

This Quick Step allowed you to reply to a message using a predefined template. In new Outlook, the Reply with Template action is not available. To recreate this automation, use a Rule with the template action.

1. Create the template message
   Compose a new message with the subject and body you want to use. Save it as an Outlook template (.oft) file on your computer.
2. Open Rules in new Outlook
   Go to Settings > Mail > Rules. Click Add new rule.
3. Set the condition
   Choose a condition such as Sent to me only or Subject contains. For a manual trigger, select Apply rule on messages I receive and then set the condition to From specific people.
4. Set the action
   Select Reply using a specific template. Browse to the .oft file you saved in step 1.
5. Name and save the rule
   Give the rule a descriptive name and click Save.

New Message To

This Quick Step created a new blank message addressed to a specified recipient. In new Outlook, the New Message To action is not available. Use a Rule with the forward action instead, or use a Quick Step with Forward and set the recipient manually.

To create a Rule that sends a new message to a specific person when a condition is met:

1. Open Rules
   Go to Settings > Mail > Rules > Add new rule.
2. Set condition
   Choose a condition like From specific people or Subject contains.
3. Set action
   Select Forward to or Redirect to and enter the recipient email address.
4. Save the rule
   Name it and click Save.

Custom Script Quick Steps

Any Quick Step that includes a custom VBA script or a script action will not work in new Outlook. The new client does not support VBA macros. To replace a script-based automation, use Power Automate. For example, if your script saved attachments to a network folder, create a Power Automate flow that triggers on new email arrival and saves attachments to OneDrive or SharePoint.

Forward with Custom Message

The Forward action survives, but if your Quick Step included a custom message body that was inserted automatically, that body text is not carried over. In classic Outlook, you could type a message in the Quick Step editor. In new Outlook, the forward action opens a blank message. To include a custom message, use a Rule with the forward action and then edit the rule to include a template. However, Rules do not support inserting custom text before forwarding. Use Power Automate for this scenario.

Quick Steps that partially survive and need manual editing

Some Quick Steps contain a mix of surviving and broken actions. For example, a Quick Step that moves a message to a folder and then replies with a template will show up in new Outlook but will be grayed out because the template action is unsupported. You can edit the Quick Step to remove the broken action and keep only the Move to Folder action.

1. Open the Quick Step gallery
   On the Home tab, click the Quick Steps group. Right-click the grayed-out Quick Step and choose Edit.
2. Remove the unsupported action
   Click the X next to Reply with Template or any broken action. Leave only the actions that survive.
3. Save the Quick Step
   Click Finish. The Quick Step is now active with only the surviving actions.

If Outlook Still Has Issues After the Main Fix

Quick Step is missing entirely after migration

If a Quick Step does not appear in new Outlook at all, it may have been created in a different profile or on a different machine. Quick Steps are stored locally in the classic Outlook profile, not on the Exchange server. They do not sync across devices. To recover them, sign in to classic Outlook on the original machine and export the Quick Steps to a file. Then import them into new Outlook on the new machine. However, new Outlook does not have an import feature for Quick Steps. You must recreate them manually.

Quick Step runs but does not apply the expected action

If a surviving Quick Step runs but the result is different from classic Outlook, check the action details. For example, the Forward action in new Outlook does not include the message body from the original Quick Step. Edit the Quick Step to verify the recipient and subject. If the action requires a template, switch to a Rule as described above.

Keyboard shortcut for a Quick Step does not work

Keyboard shortcuts assigned to Quick Steps in classic Outlook do not carry over to new Outlook. You must reassign them. Open Settings > Mail > Quick Steps. Click the Quick Step and then click the keyboard shortcut field. Press the key combination you want to use. Only Ctrl+Shift+number combinations are supported.

Item	Survives in new Outlook	Replacement method
Move to Folder	Yes	None needed
Copy to Folder	Yes	None needed
Delete	Yes	None needed
Mark as Read	Yes	None needed
Categorize	Yes	None needed
Forward	Yes (no custom body)	Rule with forward action
Reply with Template	No	Rule with Reply using a specific template
New Message To	No	Rule with Forward to
Custom Script	No	Power Automate flow
Done (default)	Yes	None needed

You can now identify which of your existing Quick Steps will work in new Outlook and which need to be recreated as Rules or Power Automate flows. Start by reviewing your Quick Steps in classic Outlook and noting any that use Reply with Template, New Message To, or custom scripts. For those, open the Rules settings in new Outlook and create the equivalent automation. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+2 can be assigned to your most frequently used Rule-triggered action. If you have complex multi-step automations, test them in a sandbox mailbox before deploying to your main account.