Using New Outlook on Windows for professional communication and productivity
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It appears you're finding the transition to the new Outlook interface challenging, especially with the compact layout and font changes.
While the new Outlook does bring some modern updates, it unfortunately doesn’t yet offer full control over UI font or spacing like the classic version did.
Here's a breakdown of what you can do to make the new Outlook look and feel more like the classic version:
Option 1: Switch back to Classic Outlook (if available)
If you're using Windows and still have access to the classic Outlook, you can toggle back:
- Look for the “New Outlook” toggle at the top-right corner of the Outlook window.
- Turn it off to revert to the classic version.
- If prompted with feedback, scroll down and click “Skip Feedback”.
- Outlook will restart in classic mode.
If the toggle is missing, you can find under the Help tab and selecting Go to classic Outlook
Option 2: Customize the New Outlook to mimic Classic Outlook
If switching back isn’t an option, you can still tweak the new Outlook to get closer to the classic feel:
1. Change the ribbon layout
- Go to the top-right corner and click the arrow next to the ribbon.
- Select “Classic Ribbon” to expand the toolbar like the old version.
2. Adjust layout and reading pane
- Click the Gear icon on the top-right > Select Mail.
- Scroll down and find Reading Pane
- Set the Reading Pane to the Right
- Ensure the Folder Pane is visible.
3. Modify font and spacing
While font customization is limited in the new Outlook, you can:
- Go to Settings > Mail > Compose and reply.
- Change the default font for composing emails (this doesn’t affect the UI font, unfortunately).
- For spacing, try switching off Conversation View to separate emails more clearly.
4. Theme and color
- Under Settings > Select General
- Select Appearance, choose a theme that resembles the classic Outlook (e.g., neutral or dark grey).
As community moderators, we unfortunately do not have the ability to directly modify or disable features within Outlook. However, we strongly encourage you to submit your feedback directly through Microsoft Feedback Portal. This ensures that your concerns are seen by the engineering team, who can evaluate and improve the process to avoid causing further inconvenience to users.
How to submit your suggestion to Microsoft:
- Visit the Microsoft Feedback Portal:
- Go to: Microsoft 365 Feedback Hub →Send Feedback→ Describe your proposal in detail
- Upvote & collaborate:
Check existing suggestions and upvote similar ones. The more votes an idea gets, the higher its priority.
Why Your Voice Matters:
- The product team reviews all feedback submitted here directly.
- Popular ideas appear on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap if approved.
- Your suggestion could help millions of users in the future!
We truly appreciate your feature suggestion for better experience. We’ll continue to monitor feedback and share updates as they become available.
We sincerely apologize once again for the inconvenience you’ve experienced, and we truly appreciate your continued support and engagement with Microsoft.
Wishing you a great day ahead.
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