How to Remove Formatting from an Email in Outlook

To remove formatting from an email in classic Outlook, select the text in the message you’re writing, then select Clear All Formatting in the Basic Text group on the Message tab. To strip every bit of formatting from a whole email, switch the message to plain text instead: Options > Switch to plain text in new Outlook, or Format Text > Plain Text in classic Outlook.

These steps cover classic Outlook for Windows (Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016), new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web, and Outlook for Mac. They follow Microsoft’s support articles on clearing all text formatting and changing the message format in Outlook, checked in October 2026.

Which Outlook Do You Have?

The buttons are in different places, so check this first. Classic Outlook has a File tab in the top left corner. New Outlook for Windows has a Settings gear in the top right corner and no File tab. Outlook on the web runs in your browser at outlook.com or your work’s Microsoft 365 address, and it uses the same steps as new Outlook.

How to Clear Formatting From Selected Text in Classic Outlook

1. Open the message you’re writing (a new email, a reply, or a forward).
2. Select the text you want to reset. To select the entire message body, click in it and press Ctrl+A.
3. Go to the Message tab.
4. In the Basic Text group, select Clear All Formatting (the letter A with an eraser). The text changes back to your default font and size.

Microsoft says Clear All Formatting removes formatting such as bold, underline, italics, color, superscript, and subscript. Your signature and any text you didn’t select keep their formatting.

Highlighting may stay behind. If yellow (or any other) highlight is still there, keep the text selected, open the Text Highlight Color list in the same Basic Text group, and choose No Color.

Keyboard shortcut: classic Outlook uses Word’s editor, so Word’s Ctrl+Spacebar shortcut works here too. Select the text and press it to remove character formatting such as bold, italics, and font changes. Paragraph settings, such as indents and spacing, stay as they are (see the troubleshooting section below).

How to Clear Formatting in New Outlook and Outlook on the Web

1. Open the message you’re writing. If it’s in the Reading Pane, you can work there or select Pop Out for a larger window.
2. Select the text you want to reset, or press Ctrl+A in the message body to select everything.
3. Select the Format text tab at the top of the message.
4. Select Clear formatting (the A with an eraser). If your window is narrow and you don’t see it, select More options (three dots) at the end of the toolbar to find it.

The selected text goes back to the default font and size you set for new messages.

Paste Text Without Its Formatting

Most messy formatting comes from pasting text from Word, a web page, or Excel. You can stop it from coming in at all.

In classic Outlook for Windows:

1. Copy the text from the other program.
2. In your message, right-click where you want the text.
3. Under Paste Options, choose Keep Text Only (the clipboard icon with an A). Microsoft says this option drops all formatting and nontext items, such as pictures. Tables turn into plain lines of text.

If you already pasted with Ctrl+V, select the small Paste Options button that appears next to the pasted text and choose Keep Text Only there.

To make Keep Text Only the default in classic Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail, select Editor Options, then Advanced. Under Cut, copy, and paste, set Pasting from other programs to Keep Text Only, then select OK twice. From then on, Ctrl+V pastes plain text from other apps.

In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, press Ctrl+Shift+V instead of Ctrl+V to paste without formatting. If that pastes nothing or keeps the formatting, paste normally and use Clear formatting as described above.

In Outlook for Mac, paste the text, click the paste control icon at the bottom of the pasted text, and choose Keep Text Only. Microsoft’s Format email messages in Outlook for Mac page says this removes all formatting and images and leaves only the text. Choose Match Destination Formatting instead if you only want the font to match your message and want to keep pictures.

For pasting tips in other Windows apps, see how to copy and paste on Windows 11.

How to Switch One Message to Plain Text

Plain text is the most thorough option. Microsoft notes it works for all email programs, but it doesn’t support bold or italic text, colored fonts, other text formatting, or pictures inside the message (you can still attach pictures). Links show as plain web addresses.

In New Outlook

1. Create a message, or select Reply, Reply All, or Forward.
2. If you’re working in the Reading Pane, select Pop Out.
3. In the message window, select Options.
4. Select Switch to plain text. For a reply or forward, confirm with OK.

In Classic Outlook

1. Create a message, or open a reply or forward.
2. If you’re working in the Reading Pane, select Pop Out.
3. In the message window, choose Format Text, then choose Plain Text.

The message body loses all formatting, and the email is sent as plain text. In classic Outlook, choose Format Text > HTML to switch back before you send. Formatting you already removed doesn’t come back, so press Ctrl+Z right away if you switched by mistake.

How to Make All New Messages Plain Text

If you always want unformatted emails, change the default format:

• New Outlook and Outlook on the web: Select Settings at the top of the page, select Mail, then Compose and reply. Under Message format, choose Plain text, then select Save. The same Mail settings are where you can turn off text predictions and suggested replies in Outlook.com.
• Classic Outlook: On the File tab, choose Options > Mail. Under Compose messages, in the Compose messages in this format list, select Plain Text, then select OK.

Microsoft notes that HTML is the default format in new Outlook, and it’s the best choice when you want different fonts, colors, lists, or pictures in the message. Classic Outlook also offers Rich Text, but Microsoft calls it a legacy format and recommends HTML. Rich Text messages can also cause attachment problems for people outside your organization.

Which Method Should You Use?

If you want to…	Use
Reset a pasted paragraph to normal text	Clear All Formatting (classic) or Clear formatting (new Outlook)
Stop formatting before it arrives	Keep Text Only when you paste
Remove every bit of formatting from one email	Switch to plain text
Never send formatted emails	Change the default message format
Hide the ¶ and dot symbols on your screen	Turn off formatting marks (below)
Change just the size of your text	See how to change the font size in Outlook

Troubleshooting

Paragraph symbols (¶) and dots appear in the message

These are formatting marks. They show where you pressed Enter, Tab, or the spacebar, and they never appear in the email the recipient gets. To hide them in classic Outlook, open the Format Text tab in the message window and select Show/Hide ¶ in the Paragraph group, or press Ctrl+Shift+* (the asterisk on the 8 key). Microsoft’s formatting marks page explains that the setting applies to new messages, replies, and forwards.

If some marks still show, go to File > Options > Mail, select Editor Options > Display, and clear the check boxes under Always show these formatting marks on the screen.

Text is still indented after clearing formatting

Clear All Formatting resets the font, but an indent can remain from a pasted list or quote. Select the text and select Decrease Indent on the Format Text tab until it lines up. For a stubborn indent in classic Outlook, right-click the text, choose Paragraph, set Left and Right to 0 and Special to (none), then select OK. If the text is in a bulleted or numbered list, turn off Bullets or Numbering first.

Lines are double spaced

Pasted text often brings extra space after each paragraph. In classic Outlook, select the text, right-click, choose Paragraph, set Before and After to 0 pt and Line spacing to Single, then select OK. Pressing Shift+Enter instead of Enter also starts a new line without adding paragraph spacing.

The formatting buttons are grayed out

The message is already in plain text, which has no formatting to change. Switch it back to HTML (Format Text > HTML in classic Outlook), or check the default under Message format in new Outlook.

A message you received has a background or theme

You can’t edit a received email’s formatting, but classic Outlook can show all incoming mail as plain text. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Email Security, and under Read as Plain Text, check Read all standard mail in plain text. To see one message the normal way again, select the bar at the top of it and choose Display as HTML.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Clear All Formatting remove links or pictures?

Microsoft describes it as removing text formatting such as bold, underline, italics, and color. It doesn’t list links or pictures, and they stay in the message. To remove everything, switch the message to plain text.

Will the recipient see my formatting?

Microsoft explains that the recipient’s email program affects how a message appears. If their program is set to convert messages, an HTML message you send could be shown as plain text.

Can I undo Clear All Formatting?

Yes. Press Ctrl+Z right after you clear it, or select Undo, and the original formatting comes back.

Does switching to plain text change my signature?

Yes. A plain text message shows your signature as plain text, so logos and colors are removed from that email. Your saved signature itself doesn’t change.

Related Guides

• How to strikethrough text in Outlook
• How to clear formatting in Google Docs
• How to add a signature in Outlook