How do I use "Mail from templates" in a reply email without starting a new thread?

Question

In the past, I have used the My Templates add-on, which would allow me to apply a template to a reply email without creating a new thread. Unfortunately, My Templates is no longer appearing on my Outlook profile and will not re-download to my account. (A separate issue for a separate Q&A!)

I have noticed that with the most recent Outlook update, there is a "Mail from template" option, but it only appears if you are creating a new thread.

If I am crafting a reply email, I see "Mail template options," but none of these allow me to paste a template into the body of the email.

Is it possible to use templates in a reply email, not in a new message?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Dear Zoie K 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand you are having problem with Outlook on the web where Mail from template is available only when composing a new message, and you want to apply template text while replying in the same thread. I am happy to assist you. 

Are you using Outlook.com in a browser or the new Outlook for Windows (template entry points may differ)? 

From the screenshot:  

• The built-in Mail Templates feature is designed around creating a draft from a template via the New menu (your screenshot shows “New > Mail from template”), which results in a new draft message.  
• For inserting reusable content while composing (including replies), alternatives are signatures (can be inserted and can be configured for replies/forwards) and the My Templates add-in (short snippets).

Please follow these steps if the AI steps do not work: 

• Use a signature as your “reply template”. Create a signature in Outlook.com and choose whether it’s included on new messages and on replies/forwards. 
• Steps (Outlook.com / Outlook on the web):  
  • Settings > Mail > Compose and reply 
  • Create a signature that contains your reusable reply text 
  • Enable the option to include the signature on messages you reply to or forward 
  • Save 
  • You can create multiple signatures and choose which one to use, so you can keep multiple “templates” as separate signatures.  
• If “My Templates” disappeared and won’t re-download   
  • There is a support article: My Templates are missing from Outlook - Microsoft Support  
  • While it is being remediated: use the signature method above for replying to templates.  
• If you must use “Mail from template” content but keep the existing conversation 
  • Create a separate draft from the template. 
  • Open the template draft from Mail from template, copy the body text, and paste it into your reply draft to keep the same thread 

Please tell me how it goes. Have a lovely day!   

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Answer 2

Hi Zoie K 

I hope you are doing well ! I just want to check if you have had a chance to check my reply earlier? Please let me know.

Look forward to hearing from you. Have a lovely day!

Answer 3

In Outlook on the web and New Outlook, the built‑in Mail templates feature is designed to create a new message from a template, not to insert a template into an existing reply. The documented workflow is:

1. From the Home ribbon, select New > Mail from template.
2. Choose a template; it opens as a new draft message.

There is no documented option to apply a Mail template directly into the body of a reply message or to an existing thread. To reuse content in a reply, a different mechanism such as the My Templates add‑in (short text snippets) is required, but that add‑in’s availability depends on the account and admin configuration.

So with the current Mail Templates built‑in feature, templates cannot be used in the way described (inserting into a reply without starting a new thread).

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References:

• Send an email message based on a template
• Create an email message template