How to Setup Outlook Appearance - Color and Patterns

For Classic Outlook on Windows, the appearance change can usually be adjusted in a few different places depending on what changed:

1. If the whole Outlook app changed to dark or black colors
   • Go to File > Options > General.
   • Under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office, adjust the Office theme.
   • If message backgrounds are changing and that is not wanted, check Never change the message background color.
2. If the mailbox or message list appearance changed
   • In Outlook, open the View tab.
   • In the Messages group, select Conversations to customize Conversation view.
   • If the folder layout looks wrong, use Reset View for the affected folder.
   • Then use View Settings or Current View to restore columns, sort order, grouping, and reading pane position.
3. If the color or pattern change is in email composition
   • Open a message window.
   • Go to the Options tab.
   • In the Themes group, choose Themes.
   • From there, change:
     • Themes
     • Colors
     • Fonts
     • Effects
     • Page Color
4. If Outlook stationery, backgrounds, or patterns changed for all new messages
   • Go to File > Options > Mail.
   • Select Stationery and Fonts.
   • On the Personal Stationery tab, select Theme.
   • Choose the theme wanted, or select (No Theme) to return to the default look.
   • This works only when the message format is HTML. To check that:
     • Go to File > Options > Mail.
     • Under Compose messages, set Compose messages in this message format to HTML.
5. If the update changed calendar Out of Office colors specifically
   • This is a known issue in some Outlook versions starting with Version 2403.
   • It is fixed in Version 2406 Build 17726.20000.
   • A registry workaround exists, but it changes Outlook behavior at the system level. Use it carefully:
     • Registry path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences
     • Create DWORD: DisableAestheticPatterns
     • Set value to 1
   • Risk: incorrect registry changes can affect Outlook or Windows behavior.

If the update made Outlook look like a different app entirely, check whether the New Outlook toggle is turned on in the top-right corner and switch back to Classic Outlook if needed.

• Change the look of your mailbox in Outlook.com and Outlook on the web | Microsoft Support
• Customize your email message | Microsoft Support
• Apply stationery, backgrounds, or themes to email messages | Microsoft Support
• Outlook Desktop calendar Out of Office color indicator unexpectedly changed | Microsoft Support
• Windows
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