How to Change Mailbox View in Outlook Classic for Windows

• Change the Reading Pane
• Change the Folder Pane
• Change the Mail View
• Reset a View
• How to Create a Custom View
• Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders
• See Also

Outlook Classic lets you customize how mail is displayed by changing the reading pane, folder pane, and view layout. Most mailbox display issues can be fixed from the View tab on the Outlook ribbon.

Change the Reading Pane

The Reading Pane controls where you preview messages.

1. Open Outlook Classic
2. Select the View tab
3. In the Layout group, select Reading Pane
4. Choose one of the following:
   • Right to show messages beside the list
   • Bottom to show messages below the list
   • Off to hide the preview pane
   • If you want the most common mailbox layout, choose Right

Change the Folder Pane

The Folder Pane is the list of mail folders on the left side of Outlook.

If your folder list is missing or taking up too much space:

1. Select the View tab
2. In the Layout group, select Folder Pane
3. Choose one of the following:
   • Normal to show the full folder list
   • Minimized to make the pane smaller
   • Off to hide the folder pane
   • Check Favorites to display favorite folders at the top of the Folder Pane If your folders are missing, choose Normal

Change the Mail View

If your inbox layout still does not look right, you may need to change the overall message view.

1. Select the View tab
2. In the Current View group, select Change View
3. Select a standard view such as Compact, Single, or another available default view

If the mailbox appears unusually formatted, switching back to a standard view often restores normal display behavior.

Reset a View

1. Select the View tab
2. In the Current View group, select Reset View

How to Create a Custom View

1. Select the View tab
2. In the Current View group, select View Settings
3. In the Advanced View Settings Window you can customize:
   • Which columns are displayed in mailbox view
   • Group by mailbox options
   • Sorting mailbox options
   • Filtering mailbox options
   • Conditional formatting options
   • Formatting column options

Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders

1. Select the View tab
2. In the Current View group, select Change View
3. Select a standard view such as Compact, Single, or another available default view