how do I add a note to an email using outlook

Thanks for the nice tip D A K, unfortunately it doesn't work in current versions, even on the desktop (Outlook for M365 MSO version 2405). If you disable message previews, you'll get something which seems to work (a cursor in the field), but you won't actually be able to type or even paste text inside.

This has been reported since 2012 for individual emails:

• Adding Comments To E-mail in Custom Column (Outlook 2010)
• Outlook 2013: Custom columns in emails not editable in Conversation View (Outlook 2013)

Unfortunately, although Microsoft recommended this solution as recently as 2022, that thread is now broken and locked, and Microsoft has since acknowledged in How do I add a note to an email using outlook? - previous thread unresolved that this feature is just missing.

@D A K thanks, this seems to be the first solution that really meets the requirement.

However, it has some limitations;

• It works only in the old desktop Outlook. The "New Outlook" does not have this function.
• It works only if you use the full table view of the emails (Reading Pane either off or at the bottom). If you use the Reading Pane on the right, there is no possibility to edit the note even if you see the field in the emails' list.

By the way, there is an alternative way to add this column:

In the ribbon, select View toolbar. Then, in Arrangements group, click the button "Add columns". And of course "Allow in-cell editing" - still needed.

How do I add a note to an email using Outlook

Hello all! I hope the following is helpful. The snippets are in order but apologize if they are difficult to follow.

1. From your Inbox, right-click on one of the Field titles or Column titles.
2. Scroll and select View Settings.
3. The Advanced View Settings: Single window will appear. Click on the Columns button.
4. Click on the New Column button in the middle. The New Column window opens.
5. Type whatever you want in the Name: field (ex: My Notes)
6. Select OK.
7. At the Advanced View Settings: Single, click on Other Settings...
8. Check the box next to Allow in-cell editing.
9. Select OK. Select OK again.

This is one case where Gmail wins hands-down. A 3rd party has created an extension which allows one to add simple notes to any given email - and believe me, once you've used this for a few weeks, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. It's truly transformative. In this world where emails are such a big part of how we organize our lives, this feature is invaluable. Whether jotting down some notes regarding a troubleshooting email, or pasting in the URL to the reservation to a meetup - the uses are endless.

If MS adds this feature, they risk overdoing it. They LOVE to clutter up a function with endless additional features nobody wants. If they could just add the ability to attach notes to an email, that would be a win for us all. But they won't. They'll get lost in the weeds, doing weird things like trying to make the notes follow the "conversation" or some such.

But it WOULD be a lovely feature to have on hand!

Cutomize ribbon>> All Commands>> "7.NOTE"

Its not in the "N" Section. the icon is to the top of the list, listed as "7.NOTE"