Customize the appearance of Outlook on the web

To make your email work best for you, customize the appearance of Outlook on the web. For example, if you're used to Workspace Email, you can make these changes to get a similar visual experience in Outlook on the Web.

Select a feature to jump to that section:

• Focused inbox
• Display density
• Arrange message list and reading pane
• Reading pane
• Message preview text

Focused inbox

Microsoft sorts email it determines to be important into your Focused inbox, while the rest goes to the Other inbox. You can switch between inboxes by going to each tab. If you prefer to have new email go to a single inbox, you can combine these two tabs into one by turning off Focused inbox.

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
2. In the upper-right corner, select Settings.
3. To get an experience similar to Workspace Email, turn off the Focused Inbox toggle.
   

Email previously sorted into the Other tab will now appear in your single Inbox. Any unwanted email will continue to go to your Junk Email folder.

Display density

Display density adjusts the spacing around messages in your inbox, which means more or fewer messages will be visible on the screen at one time. By default, your email is set to Full, which shows the least number of messages. Change the display density to Medium or Compact to show more messages.

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
2. In the upper-right corner, select Settings.
3. Under Display density, select your preferred option:
   • Full: View sender images, attachment previews, and message preview text. This option is set by default.
   • Medium: View message preview text with some spacing between messages.
   • Compact: View message preview text with minimal spacing between messages. This option is closest to Workspace Email.
     

Arrange message list and reading pane

The message list is displayed on the left side of your inbox. When you select a message, it’ll open in the Reading pane to the right of your inbox.

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
2. In the upper-right corner, select Settings.
3. Under Arrange message list, select your preferred option:
   • Group into conversations: Combine all related messages from a single conversation into one line in your inbox. If you select this option, you can choose whether the Reading pane displays the newest messages on the top or the bottom.
   • Show each message separately: Each reply in a conversation appears as a new item in the inbox, rather than combined with the previous conversation. If you select this option, then the reading pane will also show each message separately. This option is closest to Workspace Email.
     

Reading pane

Choose where the Reading pane is displayed or hide it from your inbox. Hiding the Reading pane allows for more space to display your messages, including more preview information in the list.

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
2. In the upper-right corner, select Settings.
3. Under Reading pane, select your preferred option:
   • Show on the right: The preview will appear to the right of the message. This option is set by default.
   • Show on the bottom: The preview will appear below the message list.
   • Hide: You won't see a preview. This option is closest to Workspace Email.
     

Message preview text

You can reduce the message preview text, which shows the sender, subject, and part of the first line of the message. Hiding the message preview text prevents the first line of text from appearing in the list, so you'll need to open the message to see its contents.

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
2. In the upper-right corner, select Settings, and then select View all Outlook settings.
3. Select Mail, and then select Layout.
   
4. Under Message preview text, select Hide preview text.
   .
5. Select Save.

Related step

• Sign in to webmail

More info

• Compare Workspace Email and Microsoft 365.
• Get the most out of Microsoft 365
• Check out more ways you can change the appearance of Outlook on the web from Microsoft.