How to @Mention Someone in an Outlook Email
Long email to six people, and one of them needs to actually do something. Type @ and their name in the sentence that concerns them. Their name is highlighted, Outlook adds them to the To line if they weren't there, and they can filter their inbox to find emails where they've been mentioned. It's the email equivalent of catching someone's eye across the room.
Quick reference
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Mention someone | Type @ then their name, pick from the list |
| Shorten the name | Press Backspace after inserting it |
| Find emails that mention you | Filter → Mentions me |
| Mentions in the message list | Look for the @ symbol next to the subject |
1. Mention someone
1. In the body of an email, type @.
2. Start typing the person's name. A list of matches appears.
3. Click the right person (or press Enter).
2. Start typing the person's name. A list of matches appears.
3. Click the right person (or press Enter).
Their name appears highlighted in blue, and they're added to the To line automatically if they weren't already a recipient.
Works in new Outlook, classic Outlook, Outlook on the web and the phone app.
2. Keep it friendly: drop the surname
By default, the mention inserts the full name — "@Sarah Jones, could you check the figures?" reads a bit formally. After inserting the mention, press Backspace once and the surname disappears, leaving @Sarah. The link still works.
3. Find emails where you've been mentioned
Emails that mention you show a small @ next to the subject in your inbox. To see only those:
• New Outlook / web: click Filter above the message list and choose Mentions me (it may be under ⋯).
• Classic Outlook: click Filter Email → Mentioned, or click the Mention column heading.
• Classic Outlook: click Filter Email → Mentioned, or click the Mention column heading.
If you're drowning in group emails, this is often the fastest way to find the ones that actually need you.
4. Use mentions sensibly
• Mention someone for a specific request in a long thread — "@Tom can you confirm the delivery date?"
• Don't mention everyone — it's the inbox equivalent of shouting.
• Mentioning someone adds them to the email. Check the To line before you send if that's not what you intended; you can remove them.
• Don't mention everyone — it's the inbox equivalent of shouting.
• Mentioning someone adds them to the email. Check the To line before you send if that's not what you intended; you can remove them.
5. Mentions in Teams
Mentions work the same way in Teams chat and channels — type @ and the name. In a channel, @channel or @team notifies everyone. The difference: in Teams a mention sends a notification; in Outlook it just highlights and adds them to the email.
Troubleshooting
The name list doesn't appear when I type @. The person needs to be in your organisation's directory or your contacts, and the email must be in HTML format (classic Outlook: Format Text → HTML). Plain-text emails can't hold mentions.
I mentioned someone and they didn't get a notification. Outlook doesn't notify for mentions the way Teams does — they just receive the email as normal, with the mention highlighted. If it's urgent, say so in the subject.
The person was added to To and I didn't want that. Delete them from the To line before sending. The @mention text stays, but they won't receive the email.
Wrapping up
Type @Name where you need someone's attention, press Backspace for first-name-only, and filter by Mentions me when you're catching up. Small habit, far fewer "Did you see my email?" follow-ups.
