If you're a dedicated user of Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, but you have to use Outlook.com for some reason, you can change Outlook's keyboard shortcuts to match the ones you know and love from Gmail or Yahoo! Mail.

Outlook.com Modern vs. Classic Look

Most users of Outlook.com should have the modern look and feel for their email account now, which by default shows an all blue bar.

If you've still got the classic version, which a lot of enterprise versions (the work email provided by your company) are still using, it'll show a primarily black bar by default.

Either way, the process is generally the same, but the location of the settings is slightly different.

Working with Search History in the Modern Outlook.com View

In the modern view, click the Settings cog and then click "View all Outlook Settings."

Switch to the "General" settings and then click "Accessibility."

On the right-hand side, there is an Accessibility section, with options to change your keyboard shortcuts to match Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or the Outlook client (which is the default).

You can also turn off keyboard shortcuts entirely if you're concerned about accidentally doing something you didn't mean to (or if your cat likes to walk over your keyboard a lot). When you've made your choice, click the "Save" button, and you're done.

Working with Search History in the Classic Outlook.com View

In the classic view, click the Settings cog and then click "Mail."

Switch to the "General" options and then click "Keyboard Shortcuts."

On the right-hand side, there is a "Keyboard Shortcuts" section, with options to change your keyboard shortcuts to match Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or the Outlook client (which is the default).

You can also turn off keyboard shortcuts entirely if you're concerned about accidentally doing something you didn't mean to. When you've made your choice, click the "Save" button, and you're done.