Features not available when only Outlook 2007 is installed

Click here to subscribe
to our biweekly
EMO newsletter
EMO back issues

Features not available when only Outlook 2007 is installed

Outlook 2007, when installed as part of the Office 2007 suite, uses Word 2007 as the editor and is a full-featured email client. You'll won't be able to send documents as email (Send to mail recipient) using a feature known as "wordmail". This, along with spell check as you type, was often cited when Outlook and Word versions did not match, but there are other features missing.

When only Outlook is installed, previous versions could only use the "Outlook editor", which offered different signature and less powerful spell check options. In Outlook 2007, there is no "Outlook editor", Outlook 2007 uses only Word as the editor. If Word 2007 is not installed, Outlook 2007 uses a Word dll to provide the editing capabilities. There are more Word features available than with the old "Outlook editor", but there are still some things that won't work or are disabled.

Signatures work the same way they do in Outlook 2003 with the Word editor - you can right click on the signature and select a different signature.

Missing Features

Themes

- Found on the Options tab in the compose message window and in Tools, Options, Mail Format, Stationery and Fonts, is disabled. Page Color is the only theme feature available.

AutoCorrect - Only feature available is Replace as you type (ie, ot becomes to). Some of the predefined symbols won't replace.

Spell check as you type is not available

Grammar checking is not available

Notes

If you open the Tools, Options, Spelling tab, Spelling and Autocorrect Options button when a form is open, most of the options are grayed out. If you open this dialog when only the main Outlook window is open, all of these options are 'live'. However, even though you can enable them, they won't work.

Whenever possible you should upgrade all Office versions. The cost of the upgrade version of the Office Standard suite is about twice the cost of buying just Outlook alone (which is not available in an Upgrade version) and you get two or more of the newest Office applications.

The Student and Home Office does not include Outlook - but in most cases, the cost of this suite and Outlook 2007 is less than buying Office Standard. While the S&HO suite includes licenses for 3 computers, Outlook is a single license.

More Information

This page is printer friendly
Updated Apr 09 2008