Do you need to send a text, but don’t want to bother with the charges or hassle of texting with your phone? Well, if you have Outlook on your computer, you’re in luck. Here’s a tip that will save you the time and hassle of having to switch from your computer to your phone.

1. Most cell phone carriers provide e-mail addresses to each cell phone number and support text messaging by e-mail. To figure out the specific formatting your recipient’s carrier uses, click here.
2. Enter the phone number of the recipient, followed by the specific formatting mentioned above. It is recommended that you save the formatting in your Outlook as a contact so that you don’t need to refer back to the list each time you send a new message.
3. Now just compose your text message by clicking “New”, then “Message”. Write the message as you would with any other email, but do keep in mind that most messages have a limited number of characters (160 is common). Also, make sure to remove your signature from the e-mail.
4. Remember that any replies to your text message will come back into your email inbox, not your cell phone.

If you’ve enjoyed this tip, please feel free to pass it on to your friends/coworkers.