How to reset view in Outlook – News Block

Is the view of your Outlook inbox not what you’d like it to be? Maybe email columns aren’t what they used to be anymore? Fortunately, you can return it to the default view so that everything in the app is exactly as it was when you first opened the app, with all customizations removed.

How to change the view in Outlook to the default

To return to the default view of Outlook, first, start the Outlook application on your computer. In the application ribbon at the top, select the “View” tab.

On the “View” tab, in the “Current View” section, choose “Reset View.”

In the open message, select “Yes”.

Your Outlook view is now set by default.

If the application is still not the way you want it, then on the same “View” tab, click “Change view” and choose one of three options: “Compact”, “Single” or “Preview”.

Outlook has now applied your chosen view and you’re all set.

How to restore Outlook to default view using one command

Another way to reset Outlook view is by using a command in the Windows Run dialog box. Type a command in this box, and the command starts Outlook and clears the custom view, all by itself.

To do that, on your Windows PC, open the “Run” dialog using Windows + R. Here, type the following command and hit Enter:

outlook.exe /cleanviews

Outlook will start and you will see that it is now using the default view.

Fix Outlook email view by starting the app in safe mode

If Outlook still doesn’t display the default view, an in-application add-in may be causing the problem. Check if that is the case by starting the app in safe mode. Safe mode disabled all your plugins when opening the app.

To do that on your Windows PC, open the “Run” dialog using Windows + R. Type the following command in the box and press Enter:

outlook.exe /safe

In the app’s “Choose Profile” prompt, select your default email profile and click “OK.”

When Outlook starts in safe mode, open the “View” tab and click “Reset View”. If this returns the view to default, it’s likely your plugins are to blame. In this case, turn off all your plugins, then enable one plugin at a time to find the culprit.

Close and reopen Outlook so that the application is not in safe mode. Then, in the upper left corner of the application, click on “File”. In the left sidebar menu, select “Options”.

In the “Outlook Options” window, on the left sidebar, click “Add-ins”. In the right pane, next to the “Manage” dropdown menu, choose “Go”.

In the “COM Add-ins” window, clear the check box of a plug-in. Then go back to the main Outlook screen, open the “View” tab and choose “Reset View”. This way, you will find the problematic plugin.

To then remove that faulty plugin, in the “COM Add-ins” window, select that item and choose “Remove”.

RELATED: How to disable Outlook add-ins to fix problems

Resolve Outlook view issue by updating the app

When you’re having trouble with Outlook, it’s worth checking to see if you’re running the latest version of the app. Outdated versions often have a lot of problems, which are fixed in newer versions.

You can probably fix all app-related issues simply by updating your app to the latest version available. To do this with Outlook, in the upper left corner of the application, select “File.”

In the left sidebar, select “Office Account”. In the right pane, select Update Options > Update Now.

Follow the instructions on the screen and your Outlook app will be updated.

RELATED: How to update Microsoft Outlook

Set Outlook to default view by creating a new profile

If you still can’t get back to the default Outlook user interface, your profile in the app might be corrupted. A corrupted profile often causes various problems, including the one you are experiencing.

To fix this, create a new profile in the app and add your email account to it. Since Outlook syncs all your emails with your email provider’s cloud servers, you won’t lose any data by doing this.

To get started, open Outlook and select File > Info > Account settings > Manage profiles.

Select “Show Profiles” and choose “Add” to create a new profile. In the text box, type a name for your new profile and select “OK.”

In the “Add account” window that opens, enter your email account details to add this account to your new profile.

Back in the “Mail” window, click the “Always use this profile” dropdown menu and choose your newly created profile. This way, Outlook will always start with your preferred profile.

Then choose “Apply” followed by “OK”.

Exit and reopen Outlook, and your issue should now be resolved. Happy emailing!

RELATED: How to manage multiple mailboxes in Outlook