How To Change View Settings In Outlook : Adjust Reading Pane Options

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Adjusting how your email list, reading pane, and calendar appear starts in Outlook’s View tab. If you’ve ever wondered how to change view settings in outlook to match your workflow, this guide covers every option step by step. Whether you use Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021, or Outlook on the web, these instructions apply with slight variations.

Most people stick with default views, but customizing them can save you hours each week. You can show more messages per screen, hide the reading pane, or group emails by conversation. Let’s walk through each setting so you can build a view that works for you.

How To Change View Settings In Outlook

The View tab is your control center. It sits between the Folder and Help tabs in the ribbon. Click it once to see all view-related options grouped into sections like Layout, Current View, and Arrangement.

Before making changes, decide what you want to improve. Do you need to see more emails at once? Want to preview messages without opening them? Or maybe you prefer a clean, minimal layout. Each adjustment starts here.

Adjusting The Reading Pane

The reading pane shows email content without opening a new window. You can place it on the right, bottom, or turn it off entirely.

  1. Go to the View tab.
  2. Click Reading Pane in the Layout group.
  3. Choose Right, Bottom, or Off.

Right is the most common choice because it uses horizontal space well. Bottom works better on wide monitors. Off gives you a full list view, which is useful if you preview messages by double-clicking.

You can also mark items as read after a few seconds in the reading pane. To adjust this:

  1. Click File > Options > Mail.
  2. Under Outlook panes, click Reading Pane.
  3. Set Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane and adjust the delay.

This prevents emails from appearing unread when you’ve already scanned them.

Changing The Message List Layout

The message list is where your inbox lives. You can switch between compact and single-line layouts, add or remove columns, and change font size.

Compact Vs. Single-Line Layout

Outlook offers two main layouts for the message list:

  • Compact – Shows sender, subject, and preview in a stacked view. Best for dense inboxes.
  • Single-line – Displays each message on one line with icons. Saves vertical space.

To switch:

  1. In the View tab, click Message Preview and choose Off, 1 Line, or 3 Lines.
  2. Click View Settings (in the Current View group) for more options.

Single-line mode is ideal if you have many folders and want to scan quickly. Compact mode gives you more context per message.

Adding Or Removing Columns

Columns like From, Subject, Received, and Size can be customized.

  1. Click View Settings > Columns.
  2. In the dialog, select available columns from the left and add them to the right.
  3. Use Move Up and Move Down to reorder.
  4. Click OK.

Common columns to add: Categories, Flag Status, and Attachment. Remove columns you never use, like Sensitivity or Importance.

Grouping Emails By Conversation

Conversation view groups emails with the same subject thread. This keeps related messages together, even if they arrive days apart.

  1. In the View tab, check the box Show as Conversations.
  2. Choose All folders or This folder.

When enabled, you’ll see a triangle next to each thread. Click it to expand or collapse. You can also sort by conversation date to see the most recent reply first.

Some users find conversation view confusing because replies appear indented. If you prefer a flat list, uncheck the box.

Sorting And Filtering Emails

Sorting changes the order of your messages. Filtering hides messages that don’t meet criteria.

Sort By A Single Column

Click any column header to sort ascending or descending. For example, click Received to show newest first. Click again to reverse.

For more control:

  1. Click View Settings > Sort.
  2. Choose a field like From or Subject.
  3. Select ascending or descending order.
  4. Click OK.

Apply A Filter

Filters hide messages that don’t match rules. For example, show only unread emails or emails from a specific person.

  1. Click View Settings > Filter.
  2. Go to the Advanced tab.
  3. Define criteria like Read equals No.
  4. Click Add to List and OK.

Filters are temporary. To remove them, go back and clear all criteria. You can also create multiple views with different filters and switch between them.

Changing The Calendar View

Outlook’s calendar offers Day, Work Week, Week, and Month views. You can also change the time scale and number of days shown.

  1. Open the Calendar module.
  2. In the View tab, choose Day, Work Week, Week, or Month.
  3. To adjust time slots, click Time Scale and pick 30, 60, or 15 minutes.

Work Week shows Monday through Friday. Week shows all seven days. Month gives a broad overview but hides appointment details.

You can also overlay multiple calendars. In the View tab, click Overlay Mode to see two calendars stacked. This helps when comparing schedules.

Customizing The Navigation Pane

The navigation pane on the left shows folders, favorites, and modules (Mail, Calendar, People). You can resize it or change what appears.

  • Drag the right edge of the pane to resize.
  • Click View > Folder Pane > Normal, Minimized, or Off.
  • To add favorites, right-click a folder and choose Show in Favorites.

Minimized mode saves space but keeps quick access. Off hides the pane entirely, which some users prefer for a cleaner look.

Using Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting changes font color, style, or background based on rules. For example, make emails from your boss appear in bold red.

  1. Click View Settings > Conditional Formatting.
  2. Click Add and name the rule.
  3. Click Condition and set criteria like From contains a name.
  4. Click Font and choose formatting.
  5. Click OK twice.

You can create multiple rules. They apply in order, so the first matching rule wins. Use this to highlight unread messages, flagged items, or emails from specific senders.

Saving And Switching Between Views

Once you’ve customized a view, save it as a new view. This lets you switch between layouts without redoing work.

  1. Click View Settings > Save Current View As a New View.
  2. Name the view (e.g., “Unread Only” or “Wide Layout”).
  3. Choose who can see it: All folders or This folder.
  4. Click OK.

To switch views, go to the View tab and click Change View. Your saved views appear in the list. You can also reset a view to default by clicking Reset View.

Resetting A View To Default

If you mess up a view, reset it quickly.

  1. Click View Settings.
  2. Click Reset Current View.
  3. Confirm the reset.

This removes all customizations for the current folder. It does not affect other folders or saved views.

View Settings For Outlook On The Web

Outlook on the web (OWA) has fewer options but still lets you customize.

  • Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right.
  • Go to Mail > Layout.
  • Choose Message list layout: Compact or Preview.
  • Adjust reading pane position: Right, Bottom, or Hidden.
  • Set Conversation view on or off.

OWA also lets you change the density: Comfortable or Compact. Compact shows more items per page.

Keyboard Shortcuts For View Changes

Speed up your workflow with shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + 1 – Switch to Mail
  • Ctrl + 2 – Switch to Calendar
  • Ctrl + 3 – Switch to People
  • Ctrl + Shift + 1 – Switch to Inbox
  • Alt + V – Open View tab
  • Alt + V, R – Change reading pane
  • Alt + V, C – Change view

These work in the desktop version. OWA uses browser shortcuts like Ctrl + E for search.

Common View Issues And Fixes

Sometimes view settings don’t stick or look wrong. Here are quick fixes:

  • View resets after restart – Check if you’re using a cached mode. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > double-click your account > ensure Use Cached Exchange Mode is checked.
  • Columns missing – Reset the view or add columns manually.
  • Conversation view not working – Make sure the folder is set to show conversations. Check if you have multiple accounts – each account needs its own setting.
  • Reading pane too small – Drag the divider between the message list and reading pane.

If all else fails, create a new profile. Go to Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles > Add. This gives you a fresh start.

Advanced View Customizations

For power users, Outlook supports custom views with XSLT transformations. This is advanced and rarely needed. Instead, focus on:

  • Instant Search – Use search folders to create dynamic views. Go to Folder > New Search Folder.
  • Categories – Color-code emails and group by category in the view settings.
  • Quick Steps – Combine view changes with actions. For example, create a Quick Step that moves an email and marks it read.

These tools work alongside view settings to streamline your daily tasks.

View Settings For Different Folders

Each folder can have its own view. Your Inbox might use compact layout with conversation view, while your Sent Items folder uses single-line without preview.

To apply a view to multiple folders:

  1. Set up the view in one folder.
  2. Click View Settings > Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders.
  3. Select the folders you want.

This saves time if you want consistency across your mailbox.

View Settings For Shared Mailboxes

If you access a shared mailbox, view settings work the same way. However, changes apply only to your profile. Other users won’t see your customizations.

To set a default view for a shared mailbox:

  1. Open the shared mailbox in Outlook.
  2. Customize the view as needed.
  3. Save it as a new view for that folder.

This is useful if you manage multiple mailboxes and need different layouts for each.

View Settings For Public Folders

Public folders behave like regular folders. You can change their view, but the changes are local to your computer. To share a view with others, you’d need to export and import settings.

Exporting view settings is done via the File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a file > Outlook Data File (.pst). This saves your settings along with data.

View Settings For Mobile Devices

Outlook mobile apps have limited view options. You can change:

  • Message list layout – Compact or preview.
  • Reading pane – On or off.
  • Sort order – By date, sender, or subject.

To access, tap your profile picture > gear icon > Mail > Message list. These settings sync with your account but not with desktop views.

View Settings For Different Email Accounts

If you have multiple accounts (e.g., Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo) in one profile, each account’s folders can have independent views. However, the default view applies to all folders unless you override it.

To set a different default view per account:

  1. Open the account’s root folder (e.g., [email@domain.com]).
  2. Customize the view.
  3. Save it as a new view for that folder.

This way, your work email can have a dense layout while personal email uses a spacious one.

View Settings For Different Modules

Outlook has modules: Mail, Calendar, People, Tasks, Notes, and Journal. Each module has its own view settings. Changing the calendar view doesn’t affect the mail view.

To switch modules, click the icon in the bottom left or use Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 7. Each module’s View tab offers unique options.

View Settings For Tasks And Notes

Tasks can be viewed as a list, timeline, or detailed. Notes appear as icons or list. To change:

  1. Open the Tasks or Notes module.
  2. In the View tab, choose List, Timeline, or Icons.
  3. Use View Settings for more options like grouping by due date.

These views are less used but helpful for project management.

View Settings For People (Contacts)

The People module shows contacts as cards or list. To change:

  1. Open People.
  2. In the