Outlook for Mac is a widely used email client that offers a range of features to help manage your emails and stay organized. One of the key features of Outlook is the ability to customize the way your emails are displayed by changing the columns. This can be particularly useful if you have specific information that you want to see at a glance, such as the sender’s name, subject line, or date.
In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of changing the columns in Outlook for Mac. Whether you are a Mac user looking to customize your email experience or a new Outlook user interested in learning more about its features, this guide will provide you with the necessary instructions to make the changes you desire.
To get started, launch Outlook on your Mac and open the folder that contains the emails you want to customize. Then, click on the “View” tab at the top of the screen and select the “Columns” option from the drop-down menu. A new window will appear, showing a list of available columns that you can add or remove.
To add a column, simply select the desired column from the list and click on the “Add” button. The column will then appear in the “Show these columns in this order” list. You can also rearrange the order of the columns by selecting a column and clicking on the up or down arrow buttons.
If you want to remove a column, select it from the “Show these columns in this order” list and click on the “Remove” button. The column will be removed from the list and will no longer be displayed in your Outlook folder. It’s as simple as that!
By customizing the columns in Outlook for Mac, you can tailor your email experience to suit your needs and preferences. Whether you want to focus on specific information or simply want to organize your emails in a way that makes sense to you, changing the columns in Outlook can help you achieve a more efficient and personalized email management system.
Step 1: Open Outlook Preferences
To change the columns in Outlook for Mac, you need to start by opening the Outlook Preferences. Here is how you can do it:
- Open the Outlook application on your Mac.
- In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on “Outlook” and select “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
- A new window will appear with various options. Click on the “General” tab.
- In the General tab, you will find a list of preferences. Look for the “Personal Settings” section and click on “Columns”.
By following these steps, you will be able to access the preferences menu in Outlook for Mac, where you can change the columns according to your preferences.
Step 2: Select the “View” Tab
After opening Outlook on your Mac, you will see the main menu at the top of the screen. Look for the menu item labeled “View” and click on it to access the View options.
Once you click on the “View” tab, a drop-down menu will appear with various view options for your Outlook inbox. This menu allows you to customize the appearance and layout of your inbox, including the number of columns you see.
In this menu, you can choose different options such as “Arranged by,” “Sort,” and “Clean Up” to organize your emails. However, for our purpose of changing the columns, you’ll need to focus on the “Arrangement” section.
Selecting the Layout
Under the “Arrangement” section, you will find different options for configuring the layout of your inbox. These options include “Compact,” “Single,” “Preview,” “Conversation,” and “Custom.” Each option provides a different way of displaying your emails.
If you prefer a more compact view, you can choose the “Compact” option which will minimize the space occupied by each email in your inbox. Conversely, if you want to see more details about each email, you can choose the “Preview” or “Single” options that display a larger preview pane.
To change the number of columns in your inbox, you will need to select the “Custom” option. This will allow you to manually configure the columns by specifying the information you want to display.
Customizing the Columns
After selecting the “Custom” option, a window will appear where you can specify the columns you want to see in your inbox. You can choose from a variety of options such as “From,” “Subject,” “Received,” “Size,” and many others.
To add a column, simply click on the checkbox next to the desired option. You can also rearrange the order of the columns by dragging and dropping them in the desired position.
Once you have selected the columns you want to display, click on the “OK” button to save your changes. Your inbox will now be updated with the new column layout that you have chosen.
Step 3: Click on “Reading Pane”
After accessing the View menu, you will see a list of options related to the appearance of your Outlook for Mac. Locate and click on the “Reading Pane” option to continue customizing your columns.
The “Reading Pane” allows you to choose how your emails are displayed in the main window. You can opt to have the reading pane displayed on the right side, bottom, or deactivated completely. This choice depends on your personal preferences and the way you want to interact with your emails.
Once you click on the “Reading Pane” option, a drop-down menu will appear with the available display options. You can choose “Right,” “Bottom,” or “Off” based on your preferences.
If you choose the “Right” or “Bottom” option, the reading pane will appear next to or below your list of emails, giving you the ability to preview an email without fully opening it. This can be handy when you want to quickly glance at the content of an email without opening it in a separate window.
On the other hand, if you choose the “Off” option, the reading pane will be disabled completely, and you will have to open each email in a separate window to preview its content.
Take a moment to consider how you typically interact with your emails and choose the reading pane option that best suits your needs. Once you have made your selection, you can proceed to the next step to further customize the columns.
Step 4: Choose the Number of Columns
After selecting the Columns button from the Format menu, you will see a drop-down menu with options for the number of columns you want to use in your Outlook for Mac.
You can choose to have one, two, or three columns for your emails. This can be helpful if you have a lot of information to include or want to separate different types of content.
If you’re not sure how many columns you need, start with one column and see if it works for your email. You can always go back and change the number of columns later.
Keep in mind that adding multiple columns can affect how your email looks on different devices and email clients. It’s always a good idea to test your email on different devices to ensure it displays correctly.
Once you have chosen the number of columns, you can start formatting your email content accordingly. You can insert text, images, and other elements into each column to create a visually appealing and organized email.
Remember to save your changes frequently to avoid losing any work.
Mac Tutorial for Beginners / Windows Users (2023)
