Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook
Applies ToOutlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2024 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016 Outlook.com Outlook for iOS Outlook on the web for Exchange Server 2016

This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

Use Outlook with your keyboard and screen reader to add or edit text in your email message. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to change the font, apply different formatting options, and use headings to improve readability of your message.

Decorative icon. Need instructions on how to format text in Outlook, but not using a screen reader? See Change the size or formatting of text or Make text and apps bigger.

Notes: 

In this topic

Add or edit text

  1. To start composing an email, in your Inbox, press Ctrl+N. You hear: "Untitled, message," followed by the message format, and "Window, To, editing."

    Note: To learn more about composing an email in Outlook, refer to the "Create and send email" section in Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook.

  2. If needed, press the Tab key repeatedly to go to the message body. When the focus moves to the message body, you hear the message title, followed by "Message, editing." In JAWS, you hear: "Message, edit."

  3. Do one or more of the following:

    • To navigate the message text, use the arrow keys.

    • To add text, start typing.

    • To select text, press Shift+arrow keys until you've selected the piece of text you want.

    • To replace a piece of text, press Shift+arrow keys until you've selected the piece of text you want, and then type the new text.

Change the font

  1. When composing an email message, select the piece of text you want to change, or place the focus in the message body if there's no text yet.

  2. Press Alt+H, F, F. The focus moves to the font field. You hear the currently selected font.

  3. Press the Down arrow key to move through the font options. The screen reader announces the fonts as you move. When on the font you want to use, press Enter. The selected font is applied.

Change the default font for email messages

When you change the default font, the selected font is applied every time you use Outlook. You can change the default font for new messages that you compose, and your replies and forwarded messages independently.

  1. In Outlook, press Alt+F, T to open the Outlook Options window. You hear: "Outlook options window."

  2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Mail."

  3. Press Alt+F to move the focus to the Stationery and Fonts button, and then press Enter. The Signatures and Stationery dialog box opens with the Personal Stationery tab selected.

  4. To move to the option you want to change, do one or more of the following:

    • To change the default font for all new email messages that you compose, press F.

    • To change the default font for replies and forwards, press O.

    • To change the default font for composing and reading plain text messages, press N.

  5. The Font dialog box opens with the focus in the Font field. To browse the font options, press the Down arrow key. The screen reader announces the fonts as you move. To select an option, press Enter. The Font dialog box closes and you return to the Signatures and Stationery dialog box.

  6. To accept the change and apply the new font, press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and press Enter.

  7. To close the Outlook Options window and return to the Outlook main view, press the Tab key until you hear "OK button," and press Enter.

Change the font size

  1. When composing an email message, select the text to be resized, or place the focus in the message body if there's no text yet.

  2. Press Alt+H, F, S. The focus moves to the font size field. You hear the currently selected font size.

  3. Type the new font size you want to use, and press Enter. The new size is applied.

Change the default font size for email messages

When you change the default font size, the selected size is applied every time you use Outlook. You can change the default font size for new messages that you compose, and your replies and forwarded messages independently.

  1. In Outlook, press Alt+F, T to open the Outlook Options window. You hear: "Outlook options window."

  2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Mail."

  3. Press Alt+F to move the focus to the Stationery and Fonts button, and then press Enter. The Signatures and Stationery dialog box opens with the Personal Stationery tab selected.

  4. To move to the option you want to change, select one of the following:

    • To change the default font size for new email messages that you compose, press F.

    • To change the default font size for replies and forwards, press O.

    • To change the default font size for composing and reading plain text messages, press N.

  5. The Font dialog box opens with the focus in the Font field. To move the focus to the Size field, press Alt+S. You hear the current font size. To change it, type the size you want to use, such as 16, and press Enter. The Font dialog box closes and you return to the Signatures and Stationery dialog box.

  6. To accept the change and apply the new font size, press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and press Enter.

  7. To close the Outlook Options window and return to the Outlook main view, press the Tab key until you hear "OK button," and press Enter.

Change the font size for your inbox items

The layout of your inbox is called a view, and you can customize it—or even build new views—using the View tab in your Outlook.

  1. In Outlook, go to your Inbox, and press Alt+V, V. The Advanced View Settings: Compact dialog box opens. You hear: "Advanced View Settings."

    Tip: To quickly go to your Inbox, press Ctrl+Shift+I.

  2. To go to the font settings, press O. The Other Settings dialog box opens. You hear: "Other settings."

  3. To move to the option you want to change, select one of the following:

    • To change the font size for the column headings in your inbox, press C.

    • To change the font size for the message titles displayed in your inbox, press W.

    • To change the font size for the message preview displayed in your inbox, press T.

  4. The Font dialog box opens with the focus in the Font field, and you hear: "Font." To move to the Size field, press Alt+S. You hear the current font size. To change it, type the size you want to use, such as 16, and press Enter. The Font dialog box closes and you return to the Other Settings dialog box.

  5. Press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and press Enter. The Other Settings dialog box closes.

  6. To close the Advanced View Settings: Compact dialog box and apply the new font size, press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and press Enter. You return to the Outlook main view.

Use theme fonts

  1. When composing an email message, press Alt+P, T, F. The list of theme fonts opens, and you hear the name of the currently selected theme.

  2. Press the Down or Up arrow key to move through the font options. The screen reader announces them as you move.

  3. When on an option you want, press Enter.

Apply bold, italic, or underline

  1. When composing an email message, select the piece of text you want to format.

  2. To format the text, do one of more of the following:

    • To apply bold formatting, press Ctrl+B.

    • To apply italic formatting, press Ctrl+I.

    • To apply underline formatting, press Ctrl+U.

Add headings

  1. When composing an email message, select the piece of text you want to turn into a heading, or place the focus where you want to insert a heading.

  2. Press Alt+O, L. The Styles selection opens, and you hear: "Styles."

  3. Use the arrow keys to move through the style options. The screen reader announces them as you move.

  4. When on the heading style you want to use, press Enter. If there was a piece of text selected, the heading style is applied to it. If you're inserting a new heading, you can type the heading now.

See also

Use a screen reader to format text in Outlook for Mac email

Use a screen reader to create bulleted or numbered lists in Outlook

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Use a screen reader to zoom in or out in Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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