Bored of using "Calibri, 11pt" for every postal service yous send in Outlook? Default vivid, white email background making your eyes hurt? Fear not, you can modify the default electronic mail theme to be whatever you lot desire, and here's how.

Modify the Theme for a Single Message

If yous desire to alter the theme for a single message you're creating, get to Home > New Items > E-mail Message Using > More Stationery.

This will open up the "Theme or Jotter" window, where you tin pick whatever theme you want.

Select the theme from the left card to come across a preview in the right-hand panel, and when you've found one y'all similar, click "OK" to use it to your message.

Change the Theme for All Letters

To change the default theme for all messages you lot send, become to File > Options > Mail service (or File > Options > Ease of Access) and click the "Jotter and Fonts" button.

This will open the "Signatures and Stationery" window, where y'all can choose a default theme for new emails, equally well every bit make changes to the theme for replies and frontwards.

Click the "Theme" push to open the "Theme or Stationery" window over again.


There are three options at the bottom to choose from, of which the lesser two will ordinarily be turned on by default.

These options are:

  • Vivid Colors: Changes the font colors to ones which stand out a bit more than for improve contrast.
  • Active Graphics: Lets you add together graphics in-line (that ways "in the body of the email") instead of adding them as an zipper. Don't turn this off if yous always insert pictures, have an epitome in your signature, or employ emojis.
  • Background Image: A lot of themes have a background epitome that is used in the body of the mail. If you lot simply want the font changes and not the image, turn this off.

Select the theme you want and click "OK" to apply it to all new electronic mail letters you create from now on. You've too got the pick to edit the font details for both new emails and replies/forrad, by clicking the relevant "Font" button.

These Font buttons won't be bachelor if you've selected the "Use Theme's Font" option, so change that first if you want to edit the font.

You've also got the option of telling Outlook to "Pick a new color when replying or forwarding." The colors Outlook chooses are non editable, but it can assist the readability of a long email thread, if you don't mind your recipient getting multi-colored replies from you.

These theme changes just impact HTML messages, which are the default types of messages in Outlook. If you're the kind of person who prefers to transport or read plain text messages, you can't add a theme just you lot can modify the default font blazon and size.

When y'all've made whatever changes you want, click "OK," and you're finished.

Create Your Own Theme

If you lot want to create your own theme, yous can. Open a new bulletin and customize the fonts, bullet points, background color, and anything else y'all want. Click File > Save As, and in the location paste the following location:

%appdata%\microsoft\jotter

Change the "Salve as blazon" dropdown to HTML.

Click "Save." Your new theme will now be available for you to select, either for individual messages or equally the default. If you want other people to use this theme, such every bit members of your team, and then share the file with them and get them to save information technology in the "%appdata%\microsoft\jotter" location.