How do I get Pixe Reader to work with my Outlook?

Hi AdaOP219,

Pixie Reader cant be enabled directly inside the standalone Outlook desktop program because it is a third-party web browser extension for Chromium browsers and Firefox and not a native Microsoft 365 add-in. Neither Classic Outlook for Windows (located at C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE on 64-bit Office or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE on 32-bit Office, which are the core system folders where traditional Office desktop programs run) nor the new Outlook for Windows app (launched via the user execution alias %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\olk.exe) supports browser extension screen overlays. Also, the behavior you noticed with Microsoft's built-in Immersive Reader is a known product limitation in both Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows, where activating Immersive Reader forces your email out of the Reading Pane into a separate full-screen window. There is no native setting to keep Immersive Reader inside the Reading Pane in those interfaces, and users seeking built-in inline support must wait for an official Microsoft update.

To use Pixie Reader's Reading Ruler over your Outlook Reading Pane right now, open your email using Outlook on the web inside Microsoft Edge (C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe) or Google Chrome (C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe). Visit the official Microsoft Edge Add-ons store to install Pixie Reader (store ID hinaankffeaehkhgdiljhepdlinekogo) or the Chrome Web Store to install Pixie Reader (store ID oihhpemnlfdlkdhbiajjjkbbojdojchj) or the standalone Pixie Reading Ruler (store ID bgojfhndbiggndbooboponhfoepaknkd). Installing the extension saves its files into your hidden local user profile folder at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Extensions\ or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\ under its store ID without needing administrator rights. Once installed, enter edge://extensions or chrome://extensions in your browser address bar to ensure the extension is toggled on, pin it to your toolbar, sign in to [https://outlook.office.com](https://outlook.office.com) or [https://outlook.live.com](https://outlook.live.com), and turn on the Reading Ruler from the Pixie Reader sidebar so it follows your cursor smoothly over the Reading Pane. If you are on a work computer and receive a BLOCKED_BY_ADMINISTRATOR error, your IT department restricts browser add-ons through the Windows Registry keys HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionSettings and ExtensionInstallBlocklist (the system policy paths that block unapproved extensions). Do not try to bypass these corporate security policies; instead, give your IT help desk the extension ID and ask them to add it to their ExtensionInstallAllowlist policy as an accessibility accommodation.

If you prefer to stay inside the Windows desktop Outlook program rather than using a web browser, you have two Microsoft-supported options. In Classic Outlook (OUTLOOK.EXE version 2111 or later), selecting the View tab and clicking Immersive Reader keeps the email inside the Reading Pane and reveals a Line Focus button on the ribbon that highlights one, three, or five lines at a time, while Word's rendering engine saves your reading layout and typography settings in the Windows Registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word\ReadingMode and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word\Options\WordMail (the registry database paths where Office stores email display behavior). However, if you want a transparent cursor-tracking ruler that never reformats your email text or slows down your reading, open the official Microsoft Store and install either the standalone Reading Ruler app or Microsoft PowerToys (Microsoft.PowerToys). PowerToys stores its master configuration in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\settings.json and its crosshair module settings in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\MousePointerCrosshairs\settings.json (the local folders that save your personal tool preferences); inside PowerToys, open Mouse Utilities, enable Mouse Pointer Crosshairs (activated with Win + Alt + P), change the Orientation setting to Horizontal, and adjust the thickness and opacity to project a clean horizontal reading line directly over your desktop Outlook Reading Pane.

Hope this answer has brought you some useful information. If it did, please hit “accept answer”. Should you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

VPHAN