Outlook: Desktop Alerts

Desktop alerts are messages that appear on your screen whenever a new email arrives. You can open, flag, or delete an email directly from the desktop alert.

Turn desktop alerts on or off

1. Go to File > Options.
2. In the left column, click Mail. Look for the "Message arrival" section under this tab.
3. In the “Message arrival” section, check or uncheck the box next to "Display a Desktop Alert."

Move desktop alerts

You can move desktop alerts to a different place on your screen, i.e. to the top right corner instead of the bottom right corner. To move the desktop alerts:

1. Go to File > Options.
2. In the left column, click Mail. Look for the "Message arrival" section under this tab.
3. Click the [Desktop Alert Settings…] button in the "Message arrival" section.
4. Click [Preview]. A sample desktop alert will appear.
5. Click and drag the sample desktop alert to the place on the screen where you want desktop alerts to appear.
6. Click [OK].
7. Click [OK] in the Outlook Options box to save the setting.

You can also change the location of desktop alerts when they appear by clicking and dragging them to a new location.

Edit desktop alert appearance

1. Go to File > Options.
2. In the left column, click Mail. Look for the "Message arrival" section under this tab.
3. Click the [Desktop Alert Settings…] button in the "Message arrival" section.
4. To change how long the desktop alerts appear for, drag the indicator to the left (Short) or the right (Long). The length of time (i.e. 8 seconds) will display in the bottom of the "Duration" section.
5. To change the transparency of the desktop alert, drag the indicator to the left (Solid) or the right (Clear).
6. Preview your changes by clicking [Preview]. A sample desktop alert will appear on your screen.
7. When you are finished, click [OK].
8. Click [OK] in the Outlook Options box to save the setting.