How to Change Outlook View to Default?
Microsoft Outlook is used for most professional communication. As the application offers multiple features along with the option to customise the interface as the per users need. If helps with the ease of navigation from emails to the events. However, the same flexibility could cause issues like unwanted clutter, inefficient or confusing layouts. If you have made any changes to the views, added or removed column or changed the reading pane, and now want to change Outlook view to default settings. Here, we will find out how easily we can bring back the original Outlook view.
It is an easy process to reset the Outlook view back to the factory settings. The steps might be different for different Outlook users, but in general, the steps are similar across all versions. Here we have provided the details guide to change the Outlook View back to normal.
Understand What Outlook View Settings is
If you are new to this term, lets gets the basic understanding of those. Views in Outlook are settings that determine how the information is displayed in the folder, such as the Inbox, Send Items, Contacts, Calendar, etc. Not only the folders, but there are other factors too that the Outlook View settings are capable of:
- Layout: There are different sections in Outlook that are dedicated for certain purpose. This can be changed to a different arrangement as per the requirement.
- Email Column Visibility: The columns in Outlook can be organised using these settings. The column included Subject, From, To, etc.
- Filtering: As the name says, users are free to set a rule to display only the items that meet the specified conditions.
- Sorting and Grouping Content: Outlook view settings let you choose how emails are ordered. Similar emails can be grouped so the inbox is easier to read and manage.
- Reading Panel: the reading panel, which shows the messages, can be set to right, bottom or hidden.
These are the few settings for the Mail view; other settings are for calendar, contacts and tasks. However, we will focus on how to bring back the original Outlook view.
Change Outlook View to Default – How to Steps
We can find several ways to revert Outlook views to their default state. The most common one is to use the Reset view option. Whereas the steps may vary as per the scenarios:
How to Reset the Current Folder View to Default?
- Sign in to Outlook.
- Open the folder to reset the view.
- Click on the View tab in the Outlook ribbon.
- Now, locate the View settings.
- This will open the Advanced Settings dialogue box for the current folder.
- Click on the “Reset Current View” button.
- Press Yes to confirm.
- Finally, click Ok in the Advanced View Settings to apply the changes.
The current open folder will now revert to the original default view settings. It will affect the column arrangement or any view-specific customisation you have made earlier.
How to Change Outlook View to Default in All Folders?
If the customisations were done to different folders and you want to start fresh, we need another solution. Here we are using the command line to switch all Outlook views simultaneously.
- Firstly, Close Outlook.
- Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
- Then, type outlook.exe/resetviews.
- Click the Ok button.
- Now, Outlook will start with the default view settings.
Create a New Outlook View and Change Outlook View to Similar to Default
If you are in a situation where you want to keep some of the customised view settings but want to change the view based on the default settings. We can create a new view and configure it with the default view.
- Open the Outlook folder where you want to create a new default-based view.
- Go to View, find Change View and click on Manage Views.
- Click on the “New…” button on Manage all Views.
- Then, name the View.
- In the View type section, ensure the default view type for the folder is selected
- Go to View, click Change View and select the newly created view
This method allows you to have customised views and a clean default-based view.
Note: Whenever we apply any changes to the Outlook view settings, it is to be ensured that it is done while Outlook is online. If you find in the status bar – Working Offline, toggle the settings, if it’s not working, then get different solutions from here – Fix Outlook stuck in Offline mode.
Conclusion
To change back to the normal Outlook view settings is not a simple solution to ask for. As an uncertain settings could lead to a confusing interface. Therefore, we came up with different methods to change Outlook view to default settings. The steps outlined here will help you navigate the process effortlessly. Keep or customise the Outlook interface as needed, ensuring it remains clear, organised, and well-suited for effective communication.