How to Show the Reading Pane in Outlook

When Outlook shows only a list of messages and you have to double-click each one to read it, the Reading Pane is turned off. In classic Outlook for Windows (Microsoft 365), go to the View tab, select Reading Pane in the Layout group, and choose Right or Bottom. The new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web and Outlook for Mac use different labels, covered below, along with why the pane can vanish from just one folder.

Which Outlook are you using?

The steps depend on the app, so check this first:

• Classic Outlook for Windows has a File tab at the far left of the ribbon. It is the Outlook that comes with Microsoft 365 desktop apps and with Outlook 2016 to 2024.
• New Outlook for Windows has no File tab and looks much like Outlook in a browser. It has a Settings (gear) button in the header, which is how Microsoft tells the two apart.
• Outlook on the web runs in your browser at outlook.com for personal accounts or outlook.office.com for work or school accounts.

Microsoft’s page What version of Outlook do I have? shows the differences.

Show the Reading Pane in classic Outlook for Windows

1. Open a mail folder such as your Inbox.
2. Select the View tab.
   

   

3. In the Layout group, select Reading Pane, then select Right or Bottom. Select Off later if you want it gone again.
   

   

Right suits wide screens, since the message list and the message sit side by side. Bottom works better on narrow or portrait monitors, where long subject lines need the full width.

If your ribbon shows only one row of buttons (the Simplified ribbon), Reading Pane may be tucked under a Layout menu or the More commands (…) button at the end of the row. Switching to the Classic ribbon shows the Layout group in full. If the ribbon is hidden completely, see how to show a hidden ribbon in Outlook first.

Reading Pane options

The same menu has an Options item that controls how the pane treats messages:

• Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane, with Wait n seconds before marking item as read: useful if you skim mail and don’t want everything marked read instantly.
• Always preview messages: shows each message in the pane as you select it.
• Single key reading using space bar: the space bar scrolls through a message, then jumps to the next.

Why the pane disappears from one folder

In classic Outlook, the Reading Pane is saved as part of each folder’s view. Microsoft notes that selecting Off closes it only for the folder you are in. That explains a common puzzle: the pane shows in Inbox but not in Sent Items or a project folder.

To copy a working layout to other folders:

1. Open the folder where the Reading Pane looks right.
2. On the View tab, select Change View > Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders.
3. In the Apply View dialog, check the folders to update (and subfolders if you want), then select OK.

If a folder’s view is badly scrambled, the Reset View command on the View tab (in the Current View group) returns it to the default layout. Microsoft’s help pages do not describe this command, so expect any custom columns or sorting in that view to reset as well.

If Reading Pane is greyed out, Microsoft does not document a cause. Open a mail folder such as the Inbox, try Reset View on that folder, then restart Outlook.

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web

Microsoft says the Reading Pane is on by default in the new Outlook. To bring it back or move it:

1. Select the View tab.
2. In Layout, select Reading Pane.
3. Choose Show on the right or Show on the bottom.

Microsoft lists no Off item. To close the pane, it gives Fill screen, where the message replaces the list when you open it, and Popout only, where each message opens in its own window. If your pane seems to have vanished, one of those two is probably selected.

You can make the same change in settings: select Settings > Mail > Layout, and under Reading pane pick Right, Bottom, Fill screen or Popout only. Microsoft’s layout instructions cover the new Outlook; Outlook on the web uses a very similar Settings > Mail > Layout page.

To change when messages are marked as read in the new Outlook, go to Settings > Mail > Message handling.

Outlook for Mac

In legacy Outlook for Mac, Microsoft’s steps are Organize > Reading Pane, then Right, Bottom or Off. The newer Mac layout may place the option elsewhere, such as the View menu in the menu bar; Microsoft’s Mac page describes only the legacy steps.

Reading Pane or message preview?

These are easy to mix up. The Reading Pane shows the whole selected message. Message preview shows a line or two of each message’s text inside the list. In classic Outlook, change it with View > Message Preview. In the new Outlook, use the Message preview dropdown in the Messages group of the View tab and choose Show preview text or Hide preview text.

Older versions: Outlook 2013 to 2021

Outlook 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2021 use the same View > Layout > Reading Pane menu with Right, Bottom and Off. The screenshots above are from Outlook 2013, so the ribbon looks older, but the commands are in the same place.

Reading pane questions

Can I make the Reading Pane bigger?

Yes. Drag the border between the message list and the pane. To enlarge the text instead, use Zoom: in the new Outlook select View > Zoom; in classic Outlook, use the zoom control at the bottom right of the window.

Is the Reading Pane the same as the Preview Pane?

Yes. Older Outlook versions and many people call it the preview pane; current Outlook labels it Reading Pane.

Why did my layout change on its own?

The most common reasons are a view that changed in one folder, or a switch between classic and new Outlook, which have their own layout settings. Check which app is open before changing anything.

Microsoft’s page on using and configuring the Reading Pane covers both Windows apps. For other layout tweaks, you can hide user photos in Outlook, turn off conversation animations or show more navigation options for Calendar, People and Tasks. Separately, if you get a lot of receipt requests, see how to turn off read receipts in Outlook.