How to Change the Color & Appearance of Outlook?

Whether you want to create an email space that suits your taste, cultivate a consistent brand image, or make your messages more attractive, changing the appearance of your Outlook inbox is a simple but useful task!

Find out how to change the colors in Outlook, from the background to the calendar to the font of your emails.

Why Change the Appearance of Your Emails?

For the same reasons you fell in love with that neon green top (yes, it's very pretty, we promise!). Well, not only that.

Changing the appearance of your email client and emails is obviously a matter of personal taste. Customization options allow you to design an email space that you like and improves your visual comfort, for example when creating your Outlook mailbox.

But changing the style and colors of your emails also improves readability and accessibility for your recipients. The more readable and visually appealing your emails are, the more likely your message is to be understood and even remembered!

What's more, by adapting the look of your emails to your graphic charter, you can ensure that your communication is aligned with your brand image and has a greater impact.

Tips for Choosing the Right Look for Your Emails

Here are our three best tips for customizing your emails wisely!

Especially in your professional correspondence, make sure your emails are readable and accessible.

To do this, first prioritize contrast by choosing a light font color on a dark background, or vice versa. Also, check that any background patterns do not interfere with readability.

The style of your font is also important: if you opt for a slightly unusual typeface, make sure it remains readable!

Don't forget: the visual aspect of your messages has a real impact on your communication. If your emails sometimes feature orange font on a polka dot background and sometimes purple font on a striped background, this gives the impression of an uncertain visual identity (and therefore brand)!

So choose a design and colors that are in line with your graphic charter and brand image. Your communication will be more consistent and memorable, and will therefore have more impact on your audience.

And to really boost your communication, don't forget to create your own Outlook email signature!

When customizing your emails, make sure you adapt the style you choose to the type of message.

For a professional email or correspondence of a more serious nature, clear fonts and dark font colors (black, navy blue) on a neutral, light background will reinforce the professional effect. Speaking of professional effect, always stay responsive with email forwarding!

If your message is more lighthearted, or addressed to friends and family, you can give your creativity free rein by adding patterns or opting for warm, cheerful colors.

How to Change Outlook Theme and Microsoft Theme

Here are our answers to three frequently asked questions about changing the overall appearance of Outlook!

How Do I Change the Appearance of Outlook 365?

How Do I Enable Dark Mode in Outlook 365?

How Do I Change the Display of Emails in Outlook 365?

Change Colors in Outlook

Make way for colors! Here's how to change the colors of different elements in Outlook.

How Do I Change the Outlook Colour Scheme?

On Mac, Outlook automatically matches the macOS system theme: it is not possible to customize the background color. However, you can enable dark mode in System Preferences.

Changing Outlook Background Color

Please note: this option only works for messages in HTML format.

How Do I Change the Font Color in Outlook?

In Outlook Web, you can simply use the formatting bar above the message composition window. It is not possible to set a default font color in this version of Outlook.

How Do I Change the Calendar Color in Outlook?

There you have it! Now you know how to use colors to create a messaging space and emails that reflect your personality! To keep up the creative momentum, check out our email signature tool for Outlook 365.