How to Fix Outlook Email View Changed: Reasons and Solutions

Update on 14/08/2023

Out of the many email clients available today, Outlook is one of the most popular. Outlook is a popular email client used by many individuals and businesses.

It has a lot of features and is easy to use. You can set up your inbox any way you want, such as by creating folders for different projects or keeping important emails on top.

However, the Outlook view pane has been a subject of much debate over the years. Many users complain about its user interface.

If you are frustrated with it, then read on to find out why your Outlook email view changed and how you can make it better.

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Reasons Why Your Outlook Email View Changed

Many reasons could cause the change in your view setting.

Here are some possible scenarios stating why the Outlook email view changed:

1. You Have Accidentally Clicked on the View Settings

The first reason why your Outlook email view changed is that you accidentally clicked on the View Settings.

If you do so, it will change your email view settings for all your messages to show only the content of an email and not any other info.

Besides, if Outlook keeps crashing on your system, don’t worry about it; here, we have listed some of the best fixes to resolve it easily.

2. Corrupted User Profile

If your Outlook email view changes, it could mean that your user profile is corrupted.

A user profile, also known as a mail profile, contains all the settings for an email account in Outlook.

If the user profile becomes corrupted or damaged, you may see problems with your emails.

Also, some individuals say that their ‘Outlook keeps asking for password‘ even if they have entered it several times. Let’s see how to fix it now.

3. You Are Using an Old Version of Microsoft Outlook

The most common reason the Outlook email view changed is that you are using an old version of MS Outlook.

You need to update your Outlook so that the view in which your emails are displayed and how they appear can be changed.

To check which version of Microsoft Outlook you have, go to File > Options > General.

How to Fix Outlook Email View Changed?

Has your Outlook email view changed? If you use Outlook 2013 or 2016, the default view is set to “Compact.” This change makes it easier to see more of your emails at a glance in one column and hides less critical info from you.

However, not everyone likes this new default view and wants to change it back to normal. So, let’s check out the ways of how to fix the Outlook email view:

1. Reset the Settings from the View Menu

The first thing you should always do when changing the view of your emails is to check the settings. To reset the settings from the View menu:

Open the Outlook app on your device.
Go to the menu bar.
Press the View Tab.

Hit the Reset View button or the Change View icon from the same view tab.
Choose Compact from the menu, or you might even set the Apply Current View.

You’re now ready to go!

After following the mentioned steps, you will see that you have successfully restored the default settings from the view menu.

And after this, your Outlook view changed layout will restore to its original setting.

2. Reset the Settings Through the Run Command

Resetting the settings from the View menu can be time taking. So, if you want a faster method for how to fix the Outlook email view, you can do that through the Run command.

To do so:

Start by closing the Outlook program on your computer.
Open the Run command by pressing Windows + R.
Now type outlook.exe /clean views into the Open area.
Use the Enter or Return, or OK buttons to confirm your activity.

After following the steps mentioned, your Microsoft Outlook application should reopen.

And all of your customized views will be restored to their factory defaults.

3. Disable Add-ins or Extensions

Are you using Microsoft Outlook on a desktop and notice that the emails are not rendering?

If yes, then you can disable add-ins or extensions. This is because some add-ins and extensions can cause issues with your email view. To disable them:

Open the Outlook software on your device.
To begin, select the File tab from the menu bar.
From the bottom-left corner, select Options.
Select the Add-ins option from the left-hand window at this point.
Select COM-Add-ins from the drop-down menu under the Manage section.
Then click the Go button.

Choose the Add-ins and deactivate them by unchecking the box.
In addition, you may remove them by selecting the Remove option located on the same pop-up menu.
Finally, affirm your choice by clicking the OK button.

4. Use the Outlook Application in the Safe Mode

In some cases, you may find that the Outlook view change issue is not caused by your MS Outlook settings.

But rather a bug in the application itself. In this case, performing a Safe Mode run that starts Outlook with minimal features and settings is best.

To do so:

Start by closing the Outlook window.
Open the Run Command by pressing Windows + R on your keyboard.
Fill the box with outlook.exe /safe.
To confirm your action, click the OK button.

At this point, Outlook should start up with minimal features as the Safe mode will be enabled.

5. Update to the Latest Version of Microsoft Outlook

The next thing you can do to figure out how to fix the Outlook email view change is to ensure that you are running the latest version of Outlook.

If you are using a PC, go to the Microsoft website and download the latest version of Outlook.

To do so:

Find and launch the Account application.
Click on the File tab in the navigation bar after navigating there.
Select “Office Account” from the bottom-left column.
To access the drop-down menu, click the Update Options button from the Office Updates icon.
If it’s accessible, choose the Update Now option.

Update to the Latest Version of Microsoft Outlook

Any updates are immediately found and downloaded by your software.

For Mac users, please go to the App Store and download the latest version of Outlook. After downloading and installing it, open your inbox and see if this has fixed your problem.

If you still have problems, try restarting your computer and then opening Outlook again. If that doesn’t work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the program to see if this will fix things.

If it still doesn’t work, you may have corrupted files on your computer. You can try running a scan with a third-party program to fix this problem. If that doesn’t work, contact Microsoft and let them know there is an issue with Outlook and ask for help.

6. Create a New Outlook Profile

If you’re having trouble with the Outlook view change, there’s a way to fix it. First, create a new Outlook profile. This is done by opening the Control Panel, going to folders, and clicking on Mail Accounts. Next, click ‘Add‘ next to ‘Manage existing accounts.’

Next, remove your old profile from this screen and reboot your computer. When it restarts, restore your old profile onto this screen using the same steps above but in reverse order. First, restore, then add.

Once your old profile is restored, open Outlook and see if you can view the emails again. If not, try opening a new email account using the same steps above but in reverse order: first add, then restore.

Steps to Change View in Outlook

Outlook is the most widely used email client worldwide. And it helps you manage your email and contacts.

However, its default view doesn’t give you much flexibility in organizing emails. If you want to start the process of how to fix the Outlook email view, follow these steps:

Find the Outlook app on your device, then start it.
Click on the Change View icon under the View tab.
Go to the drop-down menu and then choose Manage Views.

Click the New button on the pop-up menu.
You may pick from a variety of settings to set your current view.
To confirm your activity, press the OK button twice.

Also read: How to fix Outlook not receiving emails.

FAQs

Q1: Will resetting the current view delete my emails? No, resetting the current view will not delete any of your emails. It will only restore the default view settings in Outlook.

Q2: How can I backup my Outlook profile before repairing it? To backup your Outlook profile, navigate to the “Control Panel,” select “Mail,” and click on the “Show Profiles” button. From there, choose the profile you want to back up and click on the “Copy” button. Save the backup file to a secure location.

Q3: Can third-party add-ins cause other issues besides email view changes? Yes, third-party add-ins can cause various issues in Outlook, such as crashes, slow performance, or synchronization problems. It’s important to only install trusted and compatible add-ins.

Q4: Do I need to purchase Outlook again when reinstalling it? No, if you have already purchased Outlook, you don’t need to buy it again when reinstalling. Use the same product key or login credentials to activate the application.

Q5: How often should I review my email view settings in Outlook? It’s a good practice to review your email view settings periodically, especially after software updates or system changes. This ensures that your preferred email layout and organization are maintained.