This tutorial will show you how to change the default message format settings when composing messages in the Outlook for Windows app for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The new Outlook for Windows brings the latest features, intelligent assisted capabilities and a new modern and simplified design to your Outlook app. You can tailor it to your style and do more with new Outlook for Windows.
Starting in June 2023, Microsoft is beginning the process of migrating existing Windows Mail, Calendar, and People users to the new Outlook for Windows.
Beginning in 2024, Windows 11 devices will be shipped with the new Outlook for Windows as the default mailbox application free for all to use. The Mail and Calendar apps will continue to be available via download in the Microsoft Store through the end of 2024. On existing devices, users can switch to the new Outlook for Windows from a toggle in the Mail and Calendar apps.
When you forward a message, reply to a message, or create new message in Outlook, you can always manually change the message format on demand while composing that message.
You can change the message format settings below to show how you want by default when you forward, reply to, or compose a new message in Outlook for Windows:
- Always show Bcc line
- Always show From line
- Compose messages in HTML or Plain text format
- Text font
- Text size
- Bold text
- Initialize text
- Underline text
- Text color
You can change the message format from the ribbon while composing a message.
Here's How:
1 Open the Outlook for Windows app.
2 Click/tap on the Settings (gear) icon on the toolbar. (see screenshot below)
3 In Settings, click/tap on Mail in the left pane, and click/tap on Compose and reply in the middle pane. (see screenshot below)
4 If you have more than one email account added to Outlook, then select the email account in the Message format settings are applied at the account level drop menu you want to apply changes to under Message format. (see screenshot below)
5 Check or uncheck (default) Always show Bcc and Always show From for what you want. (see screenshot below)
6 Select HTML (default) or Plain text in the "Compose messages in format" drop menu for what you want. (see screenshot below)
HTML is the default message format in Outlook. HTML is also the best format to use when you want to create messages that look like traditional documents, with various fonts, colors, and bulleted and numbered lists, and when you want to show pictures inside your message.
The Plain text format works for all email programs, but it doesn’t support bold or italic text, colored fonts, or other text formatting. The plain text format also doesn't support showing pictures inside the message, although you can include pictures as attachments.
7 Select the Text settings below you want to use by default: (see screenshot below)
- Text font
- Text size
- Bold text
- Initialize text
- Underline text
- Text color
8 Review the preview text for your message format changes to see if that's what you want, and click/tap on Save when finished making changes to apply. (see screenshot below)
9 You can now close the Settings window if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
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