Create, change, or customize a view

Each Outlook folder, such as Inbox and Calendar, displays its items in a layout called a view. And each folder has several predefined views that you can choose from, or you can create custom views.

A view is composed of a view type, fields, colors, fonts, and many other settings, and gives you different ways to look at items in a folder. You can build a new view based on an existing one, or you can create a new, custom view.

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What would you like to do?

Create a new view

1. On the View tab, in the Current View group, choose Change View > Manage Views.

2. In the Manage All Views dialog box, choose New.

3. In the Create a New View dialog box, enter a name for your new view, and then choose the type of view.

4. Under Can be used on, accept the default setting of All Mail and Post folders or choose another option, and then choose OK.

5. In the Advanced View Settings: New View dialog box, choose the options that you want to use, and then choose OK.

6. To use the view immediately, choose Apply View.

Note: New views are added to the Current View.

Build a view based on a predefined view

1. On the View tab, in the Current View group, choose View Settings.

2. In the Advanced View Settings: Compact dialog box, under Description, choose the button associated with the settings you want to change, make your changes, and then choose OK when finished.

3. On the View tab, in the Current View group, choose Change View > Manage Views.

4. UnderViews for folder, select Current view settings.

5. Click Copy, and in the Copy New View dialog box, in the Name of new view box, enter a name.

6. Under Can be used on, accept the setting of All Mail and Post folders or choose another option to change where the view is available.

7. Choose OK when you're finished.

Note: If you want other selected folders to use the current view, on the View tab, in the Current View group, choose Change View > Apply Current View to Other Folders. Select the check boxes of the folders to which you want to apply the view.

Delete a custom view

Important: You can't delete a predefined view, even if you changed its settings.

1. On the View tab, in the Current View group, choose Change View > Manage Views.

2. Under Views for folder, select the custom view that you want to remove.

3. Choose Delete, confirm deletion, and then choose OK.

What you like to do?

Create a view based on a standard view

1. Switch to the view that you want to base the new view on.

2. On the View menu, point to Arrange By, and then click Custom.

3. For each type of change that you want to make, click a button, and then select the options that you want. For example, if you want to add or remove columns, click Fields (columns are also known as fields). Then add or remove fields, or create a custom field.

4. When you finish making changes, close the Customize View: view name dialog box.

5. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Define Views.

6. In the Views for folder folder name box, click Current view settings.

7. Click Copy.

8. In the Name of new view box, enter a name.

9. To change where the new view will be available, click an option under Can be used on.

Note: 

• If you are using multi-line layout and have added several fields to your view, you may need to increase the number of lines displayed in multi-line layout to see all the information.

  How?

  • On the View menu, point to Current View, and click Customize Current View.

  • Click Other Settings.

  • Under Other Options, change the value entered for x in Use compact layout in widths smaller than x characters.

    For example, a setting of 80 characters indicates that whenever the list of message headers is reduced to a width of fewer than 80 characters, Outlook automatically displays a two-line preview.

• New views are added to the Current View submenu.

• In Contacts, Tasks, and Notes, you can quickly change the current view by using the Customize Current View option in the Navigation Pane.

Create a view from scratch

1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Define Views.

2. Click New.

3. In the Name of new view box, type a name.

4. In the Type of view box, select the view type that you want.

5. To change where the view will be available, select an option under Can be used on.

6. Click OK.

7. In the Customize View: view name dialog box, select the options that you want to use.

8. When you finish selecting options, click OK.

9. To use the view immediately, click Apply View.

Note: 

• If you are using multi-line layout and have added several fields to your view, you may need to increase the number of lines displayed in multi-line layout to see all the information.

  How?

  • On the View menu, point to Current View, and click Customize Current View.

  • Click Other Settings.

  • Under Other Options, change the value entered for x in Use compact layout in widths smaller than x characters.

    For example, a setting of 80 characters indicates that whenever the list of message headers is reduced to a width of fewer than 80 characters, Outlook automatically displays a two-line preview.

• New views are added to the Current View submenu.

Change the name of a custom view

1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Define Views.

2. In the Views for folder folder name box, click the view that you want to rename.

3. Click Rename.

4. In the New name of view box, type a new name.

Note: You can't rename a predefined view, even if you have customized the view. Instead, copy the predefined view, give the copy a new name, and then change the settings.

Change when and where a view is available

1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Define Views.

2. In the Views for folder folder name box, click the view that you want to be available in other locations.

3. Click Copy.

4. In the Name of new view box, type a name.

5. To change where the view will be available, click an option under Can be used on.

6. Click OK.

7. To use the view immediately, click Apply View.

Note: New views are added to the Current View submenu.

Change the font and other elements in a view

1. Switch to the view that you want to change.

   How?

   • On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click the view that you want.

2. On the View menu, point to Arrange By, and then click Custom.

3. Click Other Settings.

4. Select the options that you want, and then click OK.

Reset a standard view

1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Define Views.

2. In the Views for folder folder name box, click the view that you want to change back to its original settings.

3. Click Reset.

Note: If the Reset button is unavailable, you may have selected a custom view or a standard view that has not been customized.

Delete a custom view

1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Define Views.

2. In the Views for folder folder name box, click the view that you want to delete.

3. Click Delete.

Note: You can't delete a predefined view, even if you have changed the settings for the view.