How to Zoom In on Outlook (and Make It Stay Zoomed)

Tiny email text is one of those small daily irritations that adds up, especially on a high-resolution laptop screen or at the end of a long day. Outlook lets you enlarge the email you're reading in a couple of clicks, and classic Outlook can even remember the size you like. Here's how to zoom in every version, and why your zoom keeps snapping back to normal.

Zoom in new Outlook

1. Select an email so it opens in the reading pane.
2. Go to the View tab.
3. Select Zoom.
4. Click the plus button to enlarge the text, or minus to shrink it.
5. Select Reset to go back to the default size.

If Zoom looks greyed out, it's usually because no email is selected. Click a message first and it becomes available.

Zoom in classic Outlook

Classic Outlook gives you two quick temporary methods:

• The zoom slider at the bottom right of the Outlook window. Drag it right to enlarge the email you're reading.
• Ctrl and the mouse wheel. Click inside the reading pane, hold Ctrl and roll the wheel away from you to make the text bigger, or towards you to make it smaller.

Make your zoom level stick in classic Outlook

Here's the bit most people never find. Microsoft explains that zooming in the reading pane affects only the email you're looking at. When you move to another email or folder, the reading pane goes back to the default zoom of 100 percent. That's why your zoom keeps resetting. To change the default, do this:

1. Double-click an email so it opens in its own window.
2. Near the right end of the ribbon, select Zoom. If you can't see it, open the more commands menu (the three dots) and choose Zoom.
3. Set the percentage you want.
4. Tick Remember my preference, then select OK.

Which method to use

You want	Do this
To read one email more easily	Ctrl and mouse wheel, or the slider
Bigger text on every email (classic)	Zoom with Remember my preference
Bigger text in new Outlook	View, Zoom, then plus
Back to normal	Reset (new) or the slider back to 100 (classic)

Zooming versus changing the font size

Zoom enlarges the email you're reading. It doesn't change the size of the message list on the left, or the font your own emails are written in. If the list of emails is what's too small, look for font or display settings for the message list instead. And if your outgoing emails look tiny to other people, change your default font size for new messages, which is a separate setting.

Making Outlook easier on your eyes generally

• Change the reading pane layout. In classic Outlook, View, Layout, Reading Pane lets you move it to the right or bottom, or switch it off.
• Try dark mode in the evening if bright screens tire you.
• Use your computer's display scaling if everything on screen feels small, not just Outlook.
• Use your browser's own zoom in Outlook on the web, which resizes everything on the page.

I bump the zoom up a couple of notches on my laptop and leave it there. It makes long client emails much easier to get through.

Zoom in Outlook on the web

In Outlook on the web and Outlook.com, you have two choices. Use the same View tab and Zoom option as new Outlook to enlarge the email you're reading, or use your browser's zoom, which makes the whole page bigger, including the message list and buttons. Browser zoom is handy on a small laptop screen because it fixes everything in one go.

Zoom on your phone

In the Outlook mobile app, you can pinch to zoom on an email to enlarge it, just like a web page. For bigger text throughout the app, use your phone's own text size setting in accessibility, which the app follows.

When zoom isn't the fix

If emails from one sender always look tiny, the problem is their formatting, not your settings. Designed newsletters often use small fonts or fixed widths. Zoom helps you read them, but it's also a reminder to keep your own emails readable. If you send newsletters or client updates, my welcome sequence swipe file uses simple, readable formats, and this piece on why fewer emails get read explains why clear emails matter more than ever.

Quick fixes for common zoom problems

• Zoom keeps resetting: set Remember my preference in classic Outlook.
• Zoom is greyed out: select an email first.
• Everything looks small, not just emails: change your computer's display scaling.
• Ctrl and wheel does nothing: click inside the reading pane first so it has focus.

My verdict

In new Outlook, View, Zoom and the plus button. In classic Outlook, use the slider or Ctrl and your mouse wheel for a quick boost, and open a message, choose Zoom and tick Remember my preference to stop it resetting to 100 percent. If the message list is the problem, change the font size instead.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make the text bigger in Outlook?

In new Outlook, select an email, then View, Zoom and the plus button. In classic Outlook, use the zoom slider or Ctrl and the mouse wheel.

Why does Outlook zoom keep going back to normal?

Zoom in the reading pane only affects the current email, and Outlook returns to 100 percent when you move on. Set Remember my preference in classic Outlook.

How do I set a default zoom in Outlook?

Open a message in its own window, choose Zoom, set the percentage, tick Remember my preference and click OK.

Why is Zoom greyed out in new Outlook?

Select an email so it shows in the reading pane, then Zoom becomes available.

Can I zoom in on the Outlook app on my phone?

Yes. Pinch to zoom on an email, or increase your phone's text size in its accessibility settings.