Use the keyboard to format an email message in Mail for Windows 10

Format buttons in Mail for Windows 10 are on the Format tab ribbon, which appears only when you're composing an email message. The ribbon contains three tabs: Format,Insert, and Options.

To format an email message

1. Select the text in the message body that you want to format.

2. Press the Alt key to move to the ribbon, and use the Left Arrow key or Right Arrow key to move between the tabs.

3. Choose the Format tab, and then press the Down Arrow key to move into the lower ribbon.

4. Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to move between the buttons on the Format ribbon. For more information about formatting, see Format, Insert, and Options buttons on the Format tab later in this topic.

5. Press Alt+S to send the message.

Format, Insert, and Options buttons on the Format tab

The following sections contain detailed information about buttons on the Format, Insert, and Options tabs.

Buttons on the Format tab

The following list provides more detail about the buttons on the Format tab and their associated menus.

Font button

• Font style and font size

• Text format: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, subscript, and superscript

• Highlight

• Font color

Alignment button

• Bulleted and numbered lists

• Indent, out dent

• Alignment (left-, right-, centered, and justified)

• Line spacing

• Space before and after paragraphs

Paragraph styles button

• Headings

• Titles and subtitles

• Other styles from template

Undo button

• Simple undo of previous action, no menu

Buttons on the Insert tab

The following list provides more detail about the buttons on the Insert tab on the ribbon.

• Attach button - Opens the File Explorer dialog so you can select a file to attach. For more information, see Use a screen reader to add an attachment to an email message in Mail for Windows 10.

• Table button – Adds a a table in a format of three cells by three cells in the message body. It also opens a new ribbon with options to modify or format the table. For more information, see Use a screen reader to insert a table in an email message in Mail for Windows 10.

• Pictures button– Opens the File Explorer dialog so you can select a picture file to add. It also opens a new ribbon tab with options you can use to modify the picture. For more information, see Use a screen reader to insert a picture in an email message in Mail for Windows 10.

• Link button – Opens a dialog box where you can enter the web address and text to display for a hyperlink. For more information, see Use a screen reader to insert a hyperlink in an email message in Mail for Windows 10.

Buttons on the Options tab

The following list provides more information about the buttons on the Options tab.

• High Importance button – Adds a High Importance flag to a message.

• Low Importance button – Adds a Low Importance flag to a message.

• Language menu – Drop-down menu of languages for setting the default language.

• Spelling button – Scans words in the message. If an error is found, Mail for Windows 10 opens a ribbon with spelling suggestions for a selected word.

• Proofing and language button – Opens a menu for selecting whether to show proofing marks.

• Zoom button – Opens a menu of zoom options listed as percent of increase. For more information, see Use a screen reader to zoom in Mail for Windows 10.

More information

Use a screen reader with Mail for Windows 10

Keyboard shortcuts in Mail and Calendar apps for Windows 10