Send Text Messages Using Outlook 2010

With Microsoft Outlook 2010, you can stay connected beyond just e-mail messages. Sending and receiving text messages (SMS) in Microsoft Outlook 2010 is a convenient way to send a quick note to say you are running late, a reminder to a co-worker, or just to say Happy New Year!

With text messaging in Outlook 2010, you can also forward your upcoming Outlook schedule or important e-mail messages directly to your mobile device as a text message — a great way to stay connected when you are on the go.

Getting Started

There are two ways to set up text messaging in Outlook 2010. The easiest way is with a Windows phone running 6.1 with an update or 6.5, and connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 account. With this setup, your text messages are synchronized from Outlook to your mobile device for sending. As an added bonus, messages that you receive are synchronized back to Outlook for easy reading in your Inbox.

If you don’t have a Windows phone or an Exchange 2010 account, you can still configure text messaging in Outlook 2010 by signing up for a third-party service that sends text messages on your behalf. These services charge a nominal fee for message delivery, but there is a free trial period so you can try it out before you subscribe. Although the use of a third-party messaging service requires more initial setup, after connected, you can then send texts from the convenience of your computer. No longer will you be hunched over a tiny phone trying to add all of those addresses from your phone book just to say “Be there in 10.”

For more information and instructions on setting up text messaging, see Introduction to Text Messaging in Outlook.

Melissa MacBeth and Effon Khoo

Outlook Program Managers