
Reactions in Microsoft Outlook can significantly improve email engagement by allowing users to quickly respond to messages without typing out a full reply.
Outlook reactions are available in the Reading pane, making it easy to respond to emails without leaving the inbox.
You can choose from six different reactions, including Like, Love, Angry, Sad, Laugh, and Neutral.
Using reactions can save time and boost productivity, as you can respond to multiple emails at once.
A different take: Backup Emails Outlook Web
For Receiving a Reaction
If you receive a reaction in Outlook, you'll see it in a few different places. The reaction will appear below the message controls towards the top corner of the message window.
You can also see the reaction in the Notifications pane in Outlook. If you're not seeing reaction notifications, you can check your settings by clicking the Bell icon and making sure the slider is on for 'Reactions'.
Reactions will also appear on the sent email itself, in the top right-hand corner. If you've sent the email to multiple people, you'll see all reactions given and a count for each.
If you're not seeing any reaction notifications, here are some steps to check your settings:
- Click the Bell icon
- Click ‘Customise’
- Make sure the slider is on for ‘Reactions’
Using Reactions
To react to an email in Outlook, you'll need to open the message and press the reactions button in the message options bar in the top-right. This will display a gallery of emoji reactions.
You can choose from a variety of reactions, including thumbs up, heart, celebrate, laugh, surprise, and sad. You can also hover over the button to see a preview of the reactions.
The reaction you choose will be displayed below the message controls and will be sent to the message sender and anyone else in the conversation who has an Exchange Online mailbox.
You can only send one reaction per message, but you can change it by selecting a different reaction.
Here are the available emoji reactions in Outlook:
- Thumbs up
- Heart
- Celebrate
- Laugh
- Surprise
- Sad
Keep in mind that reactions are meant to be a quick way to show your feelings and opinions, but it's still important to catch up on essential emails with a full response, too.
Customizing Settings
You can customize some aspects of your reaction experience in Outlook by changing your settings.
To change your reactions settings, you can decide whether or not to show reactions in your notifications feed and daily digest emails. This allows you to control what you see and receive.
The setting should be applied automatically once you've updated your settings.
Customizing Your Settings
You can customize some aspects of your reaction experience in Outlook by changing your settings.
You can choose whether or not to show reactions in your notifications feed and daily digest emails.
To change your reactions settings in Outlook, you need to exit the menu once you’ve updated your settings.
This is a simple step that can make a big difference in your email experience.
MAPI Message Properties
MAPI Message Properties can be inspected using the MFCMAPI editor, which reveals properties used to track reactions.
The ReactionsSummary property shows the count of reactions a message received from recipients.
Several properties track the count of reactions, giving you a clear view of how your messages are being interacted with.
A user's history of adding reactions to a message is also tracked, allowing you to see how your audience is engaging with your content.
Notifications
Notifications are a crucial part of the new reaction feature in MS Outlook.
Email senders will receive notifications as recipients add reactions to messages.
Microsoft claims that senders of messages who receive reactions will receive a digest email.
For more insights, see: Microsft Pinned Messages Hard to Find
Business Impact
The introduction of 'reactions' to Outlook emails is a competitive move by Microsoft to meet user needs and expectations.
Microsoft is not alone in this move, as other popular platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Snapchat have also introduced similar features recently. This shift towards reactions is likely a response to users' desire for a faster and easier way to respond without wasting time on unnecessary written responses.
The impact of this change on businesses could be significant, as it may save valuable time and streamline communication.
Cross Tenant
Cross Tenant reactions work across different tenants, but it's unclear what the exact criteria are for this to happen. Microsoft's official stance is that reactions only work for messages received from someone inside the same tenant.

However, the author of the article has tested this feature and found that it seems to work even across different tenants, possibly if the two tenants are in the same Office 365 data center region.
Reactions don't work across the commercial-consumer boundary, meaning they won't work if you're interacting with someone who has an Outlook.com account and you have a commercial Exchange Online account.
What Does This Mean for Your Business?
The introduction of reactions to Outlook emails is a competitive move by Microsoft to meet user needs and expectations. This feature is a natural progression for emails and can save businesses valuable time.
Many users involved in quickly evolving chats on collaborative working platforms and social media now value a fast, easy way to respond without wasting time on an unnecessary, new written response.
Using expanded reactions in Outlook may help businesses reduce the time spent on responding to emails, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.

Microsoft is not alone in introducing this feature, as other platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Snapchat have also introduced similar features recently.
This move by Microsoft could be a game-changer for businesses that heavily rely on email communication, such as those in the customer service or sales industries.
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