Simple Steps: How to Change View in Outlook Back to Normal & Reset Layout

Understanding Outlook’s View Settings and Layout Options

Outlook offers a high degree of customization to tailor its appearance and functionality to your specific needs. This flexibility is primarily controlled through its view settings and layout options. These settings determine how emails, calendars, contacts, and tasks are displayed.

Key View Settings and Layout Options:

• Reading Pane: This pane displays the content of selected emails. You can choose to position it on the right or bottom side of the message list, or you can hide it altogether.
• Message List: This is the main area where your emails are listed. You can customize the column width, font size, and other display settings.
• Folder Pane: This pane displays your email folders and other navigation options. You can choose to show or hide it, and you can adjust its width.
• Ribbon: This is the toolbar at the top of the Outlook window. It contains various commands and options for managing your email, calendar, contacts, and tasks.

Steps to Change Outlook View Back to Default

If you've inadvertently altered your Outlook view and wish to restore it to its original state, there are a few methods you can employ.

Using the Reset View Option to Restore Outlook View to Original

The most straightforward approach to revert to the default view is by using the "Reset View" option. This feature effectively resets all customizations made to the current view, bringing it back to its original configuration.

Steps to Reset View:

Step 1. Open Outlook: Launch Outlook on your computer.

Step 2. Click the "View" tab: This will display the ribbon with various view options.

Step 3. Click the "Reset View" button: This will open a dropdown menu with different view options.

Step 4. Select "Reset View": This will reset the view to its default settings. And confirm by selecting "Yes" in the prompt.

Switching Outlook View to Normal from Other Layouts

Outlook provides various layout options, such as "Compact" and "Preview," to optimize screen space and information display. If you've switched to one of these layouts and want to return to the standard "Normal" view, you can easily do so by selecting the appropriate view option from the "View" tab.

Steps to Switch to Normal View:

Step 1. Click the "Change View" button: This will open a dropdown menu with different view options.

Step 2. Select "Compact": Select "Compact".

Step 3. Click "Layout": Instead of the Change View dropdown menu, open the Layout dropdown menu.

Step 4. Select "Normal": Click Folder Pane and select Normal.

How to Customize and Save Default View Settings

Beyond restoring default views, you can also customize and save your preferred view settings. This allows you to create personalized views for specific tasks or scenarios. By saving these custom views, you can easily switch between them as needed.

Steps to Customize and Save a View:

• Open the desired folder: Navigate to the folder where you want to create a custom view.
• Customize the view: Adjust the font size, column width, reading pane position, and other settings to your preference.
• Click the "View" tab: This will display the ribbon with various view options.
• Click the "Change View" button: This will open a dropdown menu with different view options.
• Select "Manage Views": This will open a dialog box where you can create, edit, and delete views.

• Click "New View": This will open a new dialog box where you can name and configure your custom view.
• Configure the view: Adjust the settings to match your preferences.

• Click "OK": This will save the custom view.

Bonus Tip: How to Manage and Back Up Outlook Emails

This article demonstrates “how to change view in Outlook back to normal”. If you’re considering backing up your Outlook, MultCloud can be extremely useful. Trusted by over 3 million users, MultCloud is a multi-cloud management tool that facilitates the transfer or synchronization of files between various cloud services.

For instance, you can save your Outlook emails as PDFs to your computer or cloud drives, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, in bulk. MultCloud also enables you to access and manage all your cloud or Email accounts via a single application. Currently, it supports more than 30 different cloud services, including Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, Google Photos, iCloud Photos, FTP, WebDav, and more.