To change Outlook back to its normal view, first check what changed. If the whole window looks different, you may have switched to the new Outlook: turn off the New Outlook toggle in the top-right corner, or select Settings > General > Go to classic Outlook if available. If only the layout changed, open the View tab and select Reset View to restore the default columns, sorting and reading pane. Press Ctrl + F1 if the ribbon has shrunk.
Applies to: classic Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016, and the new Outlook for Windows. Last reviewed October 7, 2026.
Switch back from the new Outlook
Microsoft is moving people to the new Outlook for Windows, which looks like Outlook on the web. If your Outlook suddenly looks very different, with no File tab:
- Turn off the New Outlook toggle in the top-right corner, if it’s there.
- Or select the Settings gear > General > About Outlook and look for Go to classic Outlook.
- Or open Outlook (classic) directly from the Start menu.
Work and school accounts may be required by your organization to use one version or the other.
Bring back the full ribbon
- Ribbon hidden: press Ctrl + F1, or double-click any tab name such as Home.
- Single-line (simplified) ribbon: select the arrow at the far right of the ribbon and choose Classic ribbon.
- Ribbon fully hidden: select the Ribbon Display Options button and choose Always show Ribbon.
Fix the inbox layout
- Open the Inbox and select the View tab.
- Select Change View > Compact, the normal two-line layout.
- Select Reading Pane > Right to put the message preview beside the list.
- Select Reset View to restore the default columns and sorting.
To make other folders match, select Change View > Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders.
Messages are grouped or threaded
On the View tab, clear Show as Conversations to see each email separately. To remove “Today”, “Yesterday” headings, select Arrangement > Date and turn off Show in Groups.
Focused and Other tabs appeared
Select View > Show Focused Inbox to turn them off and see all mail in one list.
Bring back the folder list
- Select View > Folder Pane > Normal.
- If the pane is collapsed to a thin bar, select the arrow at its top to expand it.
- Mail, Calendar and People icons moved to the left side in newer versions. They’re still there, just in a vertical bar.
If folders are missing entirely, see where did my folder list go in Outlook.
Fix text that’s too big or small
- Reading pane: hold Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel, or use the zoom slider at the bottom right.
- Message list: select View > View Settings > Other Settings and change Row Font and Column Font.
The new Outlook layout
If you stay with the new Outlook, its layout options are under View > Layout and the Settings gear > Mail > Layout: reading pane position, message density, conversation view and Focused Inbox.
Reset everything at once
If several things changed, close Outlook, press Windows key + R, type outlook.exe /cleanviews and press Enter. All views go back to their defaults. For more reset options, see how to reset Outlook to default settings.
Troubleshooting
Reset View is greyed out
The current view already uses its default settings. Use Change View to pick another layout, or run outlook.exe /cleanviews.
Outlook is slow or shows old emails
See how to clear the Outlook cache.
Related: how to stop grouping messages by conversation in Outlook.
Related: how to delete a folder in Outlook.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.