Please Restore the Ruler Feature in New Outlook

Question

Please Restore the Ruler Feature in New Outlook

Sheila Ip 0

The removal of the ruler in the New Outlook compose window has significantly reduced my effectiveness when formatting emails. This feature was essential for precise alignment and professional layout, especially for business communication. Without it, I spend extra time adjusting spacing manually, which impacts productivity and workflow. Please prioritize bringing back the ruler—it’s not just a convenience, it’s a critical tool for efficiency.

Locked Question. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

ARCHANA MAHAJAN - TMGSL, Service Excellence 5 Reputation points

2026-08-19T09:17:32.9566667+00:00

Pleas add back the Ruler Feature in New MS Outlook / O365 Outlook
Hornblower409 15,140 Reputation points

2026-08-19T09:24:28.7433333+00:00

@ARCHANA MAHAJAN - TMGSL, Service Excellence said

Pleas add back the Ruler Feature in [New Outlook]

Adding to a old thread is not going to get your request any attention. I would suggest that you Vote for and Comment on this existing Feature Request.

https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/2111121a-b86c-f011-95f2-7c1e52a55eeb

(You must "Sign In" at the top right of the Feedback page before you can vote).
Lindsey Andreas 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T17:01:35.6566667+00:00

The removal of the ruler from the New Outlook compose window has significantly impacted my ability to efficiently format and organize emails. The ruler was a valuable tool for maintaining precise alignment, consistent indentation, spacing, and overall professional formatting, particularly when composing business correspondence.

Without this feature, formatting now requires additional manual adjustments, which is time-consuming and negatively affects productivity and workflow. The ruler provided a simple and effective way to maintain consistency and control over the layout of email content.

I strongly encourage Microsoft to consider restoring the ruler to the New Outlook compose window. This functionality is an important formatting tool for users who regularly create professional and business communications, and its return would greatly improve the overall composing experience.

4 answers

ARCHANA MAHAJAN - TMGSL, Service Excellence 5 Reputation points

2026-08-19T09:17:32.9566667+00:00

Pleas add back the Ruler Feature in New MS Outlook / O365 Outlook
Hornblower409 15,140 Reputation points

2026-08-19T09:24:28.7433333+00:00

@ARCHANA MAHAJAN - TMGSL, Service Excellence said

Pleas add back the Ruler Feature in [New Outlook]

Adding to a old thread is not going to get your request any attention. I would suggest that you Vote for and Comment on this existing Feature Request.

https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/2111121a-b86c-f011-95f2-7c1e52a55eeb

(You must "Sign In" at the top right of the Feedback page before you can vote).
Lindsey Andreas 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T17:01:35.6566667+00:00

The removal of the ruler from the New Outlook compose window has significantly impacted my ability to efficiently format and organize emails. The ruler was a valuable tool for maintaining precise alignment, consistent indentation, spacing, and overall professional formatting, particularly when composing business correspondence.

Without this feature, formatting now requires additional manual adjustments, which is time-consuming and negatively affects productivity and workflow. The ruler provided a simple and effective way to maintain consistency and control over the layout of email content.

I strongly encourage Microsoft to consider restoring the ruler to the New Outlook compose window. This functionality is an important formatting tool for users who regularly create professional and business communications, and its return would greatly improve the overall composing experience.

Answer 1

Currently, the new Outlook for Windows does not support the ruler feature in the compose window. This change is part of the reimagined design aimed at creating a more streamlined user experience. While the ruler was a useful tool for formatting emails, its absence may require users to adapt to new methods of alignment and spacing. Unfortunately, there is no indication of when or if this feature will be reinstated, as the focus has shifted towards enhancing stability and performance with other features.

References:

Overview of the new Outlook for Windows

Answer 2

Dear @Sheila Ip,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand how the removal of the ruler in the new Outlook can be frustrating, especially when you rely on it for precise alignment, spacing, and maintaining a professional email layout. When formatting is part of your daily workflow, losing a familiar and practical tool can definitely impact productivity and efficiency.

At the moment, the ruler is not available in the new Outlook compose experience. To ensure your feedback reaches the right product team, I strongly recommend submitting this request directly through Microsoft’s feedback channels. This helps prioritize feature improvements based on real‑world usage.

You can submit feedback here:

In New Outlook: Go to Help > Feedback > Submit feedback
Or via Feedback Hub: Ideas · Community

When submitting, it’s helpful to explain how the missing ruler affects your formatting workflow and business communication needs. Product teams actively review this input when planning future updates.

Our product team is in charge of the site, and they constantly check customer reviews and feedback, The higher votes, the more attention the related team will pay on. And a lot of the features are developed and improved based on customer feedback.

Please kindly understand that as a forum moderator, I do not have the authority to influence Microsoft’s updates, features, or design decisions as user.

Answer 3

Hornblower409 15,140

@Sheila Ip

Instead of creating yet another duplicate Feature Request as @Darren-Ng suggested. You can Vote for any number of similar Request that already exist. This search will pull them up.

https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/search/14c10fe9-fe8b-ef11-ac20-7c1e520b2631?q=Ruler

You must "Sign In" at the top right before you can vote for a request.

0 comments

Answer 4

@Lindsey Andreas said

the ruler was a valuable tool

Many of us (myself included) agree with you. But you won't get any attention commenting on an old Q&A post.

I would suggest that you Vote for and Comment on this Feature Request.

Add Ruler to the new outlook
https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/2111121a-b86c-f011-95f2-7c1e52a55eeb
(You must open the Feedback Portal link and "Sign In" at the top right of the Feedback page before you can vote).