Outlook: How to Change and Customize Theme for Your Emails

If you want to personalize your emails, you can use a Microsoft Outlook theme. A theme can include font styles, colors, backgrounds, and images which you can customize if you wish. 

You can start picking a theme that, for example, applies to all new emails you compose for a simple way to make your messages more attractive and reduce the time to make it. Once you apply one, you can easily change the Outlook theme for a single message or just remove it. 

Here is how to change the theme on Outlook emails: 

Use the HTML Mail Format 

You must use HTML as the format for new messages, to use a theme in Outlook. 

1. To confirm or change this format, open Outlook and select the File tab, and then choose Options.
2. In the Outlook Options window, pick Mail on the left.
3. On the right side below Compose messages, select HTML in the drop-down list to Compose messages in this format.
4. Select OK to save your change, or continue below to pick your theme. 

Apply a Default Email Theme 

You have plenty to pick from in Outlook: whether you want a bright background with various colors, subtle background color with soothing fonts, or even a dark or black theme. 

1. Open Outlook and select File > Options.
2. In the Outlook Options window, pick Mail on the left.
3. On the right side below Compose messages, select the Stationery and Fonts button.
4. In the next pop-up window, confirm you are on the Personal Stationery tab.
5. Now, select Theme at the top, below Theme or stationery for new HTML e-mail message.
6. You will see a large collection of themes along the left side. Choose one to see a preview of it on the right.
7. On the bottom left, below the themes, you will see three options you can adjust. These include Vivid Colors, Active Graphics, and Background Image. Mark or unmark a checkbox to see the preview with or without that feature.
8. When you find the theme, you want and have adjusted those additional options, keep it selected and pick OK in that window and the next two.

Customize an Email Theme 

The new messages, replies, and forwards use the theme’s font. However, you can change these if you like. 

In the Signatures and Stationery window, select the Font drop-down box and pick one of the following: 

• Use My Font for Replies and Forwards 

If you decide to Use my font when replying and forwarding messages, the Font button becomes available in the Replying and forwarding messages section. 

1. 1. Select that button, pick the font you want to use, and press OK.

You can also mark the setting to Pick a new color when replying or forwarding. This setting automatically changes the color of the font when you reply or forward a message. 

• Always Use My Fonts 

If you choose Always to use my fonts, the Font buttons for New mail messages and Replying and forwarding messages become available. 

1. 1. Select the button for the message font you want to change, pick the new one, and press OK.