Office Settings & Configuration

How to Enable and Display @Mentions in Outlook 2016

Chanuka Geekiyanage Sep 30, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to learn how to use the @mention feature in email messages and how to restore or display the Mention column in their inbox view.

How to Enable and Display @Mentions in Outlook 2016

Product: Microsoft Outlook 2016
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Tagging colleagues within email bodies and organizing the inbox to quickly identify emails where the user has been mentioned.
Observed behavior: The Mention column is missing from the 'All Mail Fields' list in the user's Outlook 2016 view settings, preventing them from sorting or seeing mentions at a glance.

Before you start

Verify that your Outlook application is connected to an Exchange Server or Microsoft 365 account, as the @mention functionality relies on these specific account types to operate.

Solution 1Recommended

Using the @Mention Feature in Email Messages

Use this method to quickly tag contacts in your email, which automatically adds them to the 'To' field and draws their attention.

The @mentions feature is designed to make collaboration faster. By typing a simple symbol, you can immediately notify colleagues and ensure they are added to the email loop without manually typing their email address in the recipient field.

Start a new email or reply

Open your Outlook 2016 application and either create a new email message or click reply to an existing thread.

Type the @ symbol

In the body of the email, type the '@' symbol followed immediately by the first or last name of the person you want to tag.

Select the correct contact

A drop-down list of suggestions will appear. Click on the correct person's name to insert the mention. Outlook will automatically add this person to the 'To' line of the email.

Using the @Mention Feature in Email Messages

Mention Indicator: Once the email is sent, the recipient will see an @ symbol in their message list, indicating they were specifically mentioned in the thread.

Solution 2

Adding the Mention Column to Your Inbox View

Follow these steps if the Mention column is completely missing from your inbox and you want to display it to track your tags.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are @mentions not working in my Outlook 2016 account?

The @mentions feature is only supported for Microsoft Exchange Server (Exchange 2016 CU5 or later) and Microsoft 365 accounts. If you are using a POP3 or IMAP email account (such as a standard Gmail or Yahoo setup), this feature will not be available.

Can I quickly filter my inbox to see only the emails where I am mentioned?

Yes, you can easily find these emails by clicking the 'Mentioned Mail' filter option at the top of your message list, or by typing '@me' directly into the Outlook search bar.

Does using an @mention automatically give the recipient access to links in the email?

No. Using the @mention feature only adds the recipient to the 'To' line and highlights their name in the email body. If you share links to secure cloud documents, you must still ensure they have the necessary file permissions.

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