How to autofill subject line in Outlook?

Author Kelly Last modified 2025-05-15

If you regularly send emails with the same subject line—or need to include the current date or specific keywords, manually retyping them each time can be tedious and inefficient. Fortunately, Outlook offers multiple ways to automatically fill in the subject line when creating new emails. This guide introduces three effective methods to autofill subject lines in Outlook:

Method 1: Autofill Subject Line Using Quick Steps (Simple & Basic)

Method 2: Autofill Date and Text into Subject with Kutools for Outlook (Quick & Easy) 👍

Method 3: Autofill Subject Line with VBA (Flexible but Manual Setup)

Method 1: Autofill Subject Line Using Quick Steps

Outlook’s Quick Steps feature allows you to create a one-click shortcut that opens a new email with a pre-filled subject line.

1. Switch to Mail view, and on the Home tab, click Create New in the Quick Steps group.

shot of the Create New option

2. In the Edit Quick Step dialog:

1) Enter a name like "Autofill Subject" in the Name box.
2) Under Choose an Action, select New Message from the Respond section.

3. Click Show Options below the To field to expand message options, and enter your preset subject in the Subject box.

shot of the subject

4. Click Finish to save the quick step.

📌 Result: To use it, just click the "Autofill Subject" quick step from the Home tab. A new email will open with the subject line already filled in.

shot of the result

⚠️ Pros & Cons of the Quick Steps Method:

✅ No coding required: View sender details with one click.
❌ Manual trigger required: You must click the Quick Step each time.
❌ No automation: The subject won’t insert automatically when composing emails.
❌ Static content only: Doesn’t support dynamic elements like dates or time codes.

📅 Auto-Insert Date and Text in Subject or Signature Instantly!

Tired of manually adding dates to emails? With Kutools for Outlook, you can automatically insert the current date—and even custom text—into your email subject or signature every time you create, reply to, or forward a message. Just set it once, and Kutools handles it for you—instantly and consistently. 🚀

💡 Quick Tip: Click Kutools > Options, then enable date insertion in subjects or signatures.

Auto Insert Date into Subject or Signature

✅ Auto-insert date in signatures
✅ Auto-add date to subject lines

✅ Custom date format
✅ Works on new & reply emails

🔥 Try Kutools for Outlook – FREE!

Method 2: Autofill Date and Text into Subject with Kutools for Outlook 👍

Need to include the current date in your subject line every time you compose an email? With Kutools for Outlook, you can automatically insert the date—or even time zone codes—into the subject line the moment you create a new message.

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1. Click Kutools > Options.

shot of the Options button

2. In the Options dialog box, under the New tab:

1) Check the Add date into subject when creating a new email option.
2) Customize the text by entering something like: Follow-up: <<DateTime>>.
3) Click OK to save the settings.

💡 Tip: You can replace <<DateTime>> with other dynamic fields like <<Date>>, <<UTCDateTime>>, or <<TimeZone>>.

📌 Result: From now on, whenever you create a new email, your customized subject line (with the current date and text) will be inserted automatically.

shot of the result of customized subject line

🌟 Advantages of the Kutools for Outlook Method:

✅ Auto-inserts dynamic content: Add current date, time, or custom text effortlessly.
✅ Zero coding required: No need to interpret header code.
✅ Highly flexible: Supports multiple variables like <<DateTime>>, <<TimeZone>>, etc.
✅ Professional output: Keeps your email subject lines clean and consistent.

Note: To apply the Options utility of Kutools for Outlook, firstly, you should download and install Kutools for Outlook.

Method 3: Autofill Subject Line with VBA

If you’re comfortable using VBA, you can create a script that generates new emails with a pre-filled subject. This is useful for custom workflows, but it requires a bit of setup.

1. Press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic for Applications editor.

2. Click Insert > Module.

3. Paste the following code into the module window:

Sub New_Secure_Email()
Dim MItem As MailItem
Set MItem = Application.CreateItem(olMailItem)
MItem.Subject = "Your preset subject"
MItem.Display
End Sub

📝 Note: Replace "Your preset subject" with your desired subject text in the code.

4. Click the Run button or press F5 to execute the code.

📌 Result: A new email window will open with the subject line automatically filled in.

⚠️ Limitations of the VBA Method:

❌ Requires basic coding skills: Not ideal for non-technical users.
❌ Manual execution: Must open the script editor and run it each time.
❌ Security prompts may appear: Some environments restrict or warn against macro execution.

Which Method Should You Use?

Here’s a quick comparison to help you choose the best approach:

Method	Best For	Automation	Customization	Ease of Use
Quick Steps	Static, repeatable subject lines	❌ Manual trigger required	⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Kutools for Outlook	Date-based or dynamic subject automation	✅ Fully automatic	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
VBA Script	Custom subject logic via code	⚠️ Manual run or setup needed	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐

📢 Conclusion: If you need a quick way to insert static subject lines, Quick Steps is simple and reliable. For automatic date-based subjects, Kutools offers a faster and more hands-off solution. VBA is best for advanced users who want full control but don’t mind manual setup. Choose the method that fits your workflow and technical comfort.

Demo: Autofill current date into subject line with Kutools for Outlook

Discover the Kutools / Kutools Plus tab in this video, added by Kutools for Outlook. Now, most features, including AI functionalities, are free! Pro features come with a 30-day trial without limitations!