Outlook Web Access (OWA)

Outlook Web Access allows you to access your e-mail residing on the UNC Charlotte Exchange e-mail server from an Internet-connected computer. Outlook Web Access is very similar to the Outlook client with a few major exceptions:

• Personal Folders cannot be accessed using Outlook Web Access.
• You cannot view another person's calendar.

Outlook Web Access opens the Inbox folder by default after login. Unread messages appear in bold with a yellow envelope icon on the left, while previously read messages have an open envelope icon.

The Inbox folder default view gives you a reading pane with a preview of the highlighted e-mail message. Click the Show/Hide Reading Pane icon in the toolbar to see the options for viewing the reading pane. You can choose to have the reading pane display to the right or bottom of your Inbox, or you can turn this option off.

The Inbox (Messages) drop down menu above the toolbar is used to filter messages which appear in the Inbox. For example, you can show only unread messages or sort by sender or subject. These filters do not delete mail; they only change the message view. The current setting will be saved when you log out of Outlook Web Access.

Click the New icon on the toolbar to compose a new message.

Outlook Web Access includes a Spell Check feature. The Spell Check icon appears in the toolbar when you open a new mail message. The first time you use this feature, you must specify the language as English (United States). You may also choose to Always check spelling before sending, then click Check Document to perform the check.

You can change the font in your message by clicking the large A to the left of the font setting. This font window displays all the fonts installed on your computer. The drop down list to the right has 5 standard fonts. You can change the font color by clicking the A with a red line underneath, which reveals a palette for choosing a font color.

Click To, Cc , or Bcc to open the Find Names dialogue box. You can choose between Global Address List and Contacts in the Find names in: drop down list. Type in the information you know about your intended recipient. You can narrow your search by providing as much information as possible, then click Find. Click the recipient, and then click To, Cc, or Bcc. Once you have finished adding names, click Close to return to the message.

The paper clip icon on the toolbar launches a window which allows you to browse for the file you want to attach to your mail message. Click Browse to Choose a file to attach:, click Attach to Add the file to the list. Attached files are shown in the Current file attachments box. To remove attached files, check the box next to the file name and then click Remove. When you've completed selecting the files to attach, click Close.

To access the calendar, click the Calendar tab on the lower left side of the Folders list.

When you login to Outlook Web Access, any appointment reminders that you previously assigned will appear in a popup window. You can choose Dismiss All to close all the reminders, Open Item to open the highlighted appointment or Dismiss to remove the highlighted reminder.  Snooze allows you to postpone a reminder for a selected period of time. Selecting Close will move the reminders to the bottom left of the screen for this session but they will reappear as a popup on your next login.

The Options tab on the lower left side of the window allows you to set the Out of Office Assistant and change various personal preferences such as displaying signatures, changing formatting and appearance and using spell check. You can also change your Outlook password and recover deleted items. Use the Save and Close icon on the toolbar to save your preferences before closing.

When you've completed work in Outlook Web Access, click the Log Off icon in the upper right of the toolbar. You will receive a Microsoft Outlook Web Access page with the message You have been logged off. Click Close and you will receive a Microsoft Explorer pop-up window asking if you want to close the window, click Yes.