how to add the from field in outlook

2025

2 min read 31-03-2025

Adding a "From" field in Outlook isn't a standard feature like in some email clients. However, there are several ways to achieve a similar effect, depending on what you're trying to accomplish. This guide will walk you through the different methods and scenarios.

Understanding Your Needs: Why Do You Need a "From" Field?

Before diving into the solutions, it's crucial to understand why you want to change the "From" address. This will help determine the best approach. Are you:

Sending emails on behalf of someone else? This often requires specific permissions and setup within your organization's email system.
Managing multiple email accounts? Outlook allows you to add multiple accounts, and you can easily switch between them when composing a new email.
Creating a professional-looking email signature? This is handled differently than changing the "From" field.

Method 1: Using Multiple Email Accounts in Outlook

This is the most common and straightforward way to achieve the effect of having a different "From" address. If you need to send emails from different addresses, add those accounts to Outlook.

Steps to Add an Email Account to Outlook:

Open Outlook: Launch your Outlook application.
File > Account Settings > Account Settings: Navigate to the account settings menu.
Add Account: Click the "New" button.
Enter Account Information: Follow the on-screen prompts, providing your email address and password for the additional account.
Complete Setup: Outlook will guide you through the process of configuring the account.

Once added, you can switch between accounts when composing a new email by selecting the "From" dropdown menu located at the top of the compose window.

Method 2: Sending Emails on Behalf of Someone Else (Delegation)

If you need to send emails as someone else, this requires delegation privileges granted by the account owner. This is usually managed by your organization's IT department. They will need to configure your access to send on their behalf.

How Delegation Works:

The IT administrator will grant you "Send As" or "Send on Behalf Of" permissions for the other user's account. Once this is done, you'll see the option to select their address from the "From" dropdown menu in Outlook when creating a new email.

Method 3: Creating a Professional Email Signature (Not a "From" Field Change)

Many users confuse adding a "From" field with customizing an email signature. While they're related, they're distinct features. A signature appears at the bottom of your emails, containing contact information, disclaimers, and other details.

Adding an Email Signature in Outlook:

File > Options > Mail > Signatures: Go to Outlook's signature settings.
Create or Edit Signature: Create a new signature or modify an existing one.
Add Desired Information: Add your name, title, contact information, etc.
Assign Signature to Accounts: Choose which email accounts this signature should be attached to.

Method 4: Using Rules and Automation (Advanced)

For advanced users, Outlook Rules can be used to automatically add specific information to emails depending on certain criteria. This could be used to pre-populate a part of the "From" field or add a specific prefix, but it won't directly let you change the primary "From" address.

This approach requires significant understanding of Outlook rules and is best left to advanced users or with consultation from an IT professional.

Conclusion

While Outlook doesn't have a direct "add a 'From' field" option, using multiple email accounts is the most effective method for sending emails from different addresses. Remember that sending on behalf of others requires specific permissions, and customizing your email signature offers a different but helpful approach to branding your messages. Choose the method that best fits your specific needs.