To make sure emails from important contacts stand out and do not go unnoticed, you can set up a rule that makes the email appear in a specific color or a specific size and type of font. For example, you can make emails from your boss appear in a larger font or have emails from family members all appear in red. To set up the way emails are displayed for Outlook for Microsoft 365 (downloaded app only, not web-based outlook.live.com), Outlook 2021, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, and Outlook 2010:
For Outlook 365 (downloaded application) and Outlook 2021:
- Go to the View tab
- Select Current View
- Select View Settings
- Choose Conditional Formatting
- Click Add
- Name your rule
- Click on Font
- Pick a color, style and size and click OK
- Click on Condition
- Type in the email address of the sender or senders you want to highlight. For multiple people, separate the email addresses with a semicolon. And, if you all emails from a particular company with a unique domain name, you can use the "@" domainname.com. For example, Techlicious would be: @techlicious.com. Then select OK.
Here's how email will appear if you assign red to a contact.
If you want to apply this color coding to all of your email folders, go to:
- View
- Change Views
- Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders.
- Select the folders where you want the conditional formatting. There's a box at the bottom that lets you choose to "Apply view to subfolders" so you'll be covered if you create new subfolders.
For Outlook 2019 and Outlook 2016:
- Go to the View tab
- Select View Settings
- Choose Conditional Formatting
- Click Add
- Name your rule
- Click on Font
- Pick a color, style and size and click OK
- Click on Condition
- Type in the email address of the sender or senders you want to highlight. For multiple people, separate the email addresses with a semicolon. And, if you all emails from a particular company with a unique domain name, you can use the "@" domainname.com. For example, Techlicious would be: @techlicious.com. Then select OK.
Here's how email will appear if you assign red to a contact.
If you want to apply this color coding to all of your email folders, go to:
- View
- Change Views
- Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders.
- Select the folders where you want the conditional formatting. There's a box at the bottom that lets you choose to "Apply view to subfolders" so you'll be covered if you create new subfolders.
For Outlook 2010:
- Go to the View tab
- Select View Settings
- Choose Conditional Formatting
- Click Add
- Name your rule
- Click on Font and pick a color, style and size and click OK
- Click on Condition
- Type in the email address of the sender or senders you want to highlight. For multiple people, separate the email addresses with a semicolon.
Updated on 1/17/2022 with steps for Outlook 2021
[Image credit: important email concept via BigStockPhoto]
For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.
Given that macs make up
From James Eliot on January 18, 2011 :: 11:15 am
Given that macs make up the majority of computers for early adopters, and an even higher percentage for female early tech adopters, you might note that the color coding of email works easily in Mac Mail as well.
Merely go to Mail > Preferences > Rules and add a rule that assigns a color to specific senders as you designate.
Keep up the good work. By the way, I really liked the daily coverage of CES.
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Macs do not appear to have this feature under rules
From Paco V. on February 12, 2012 :: 2:12 am
Outlook from mac does not appear to have an option to modify colors, nor modify fonts under rule actions.
I have not been able to “merely” go to Mail > Preferences > Rules and add a rule that assigns a color to senders, recipients, etc…
Are there extra steps or commands that might be missing?
-PV
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