My mini tool bar is turned off; I can't bold, italicize or underscore... How can I turn it on?

Question

My mini tool bar is turned off; I can't bold, italicize or underscore... How can I turn it on?

AG 20

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Answer accepted by question author

Victor1-V 12,935 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello AG,

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Q&A forum. I am happy to assist you.

I understand that you are having trouble enabling your mini toolbar for formatting, and I realize it is frustrating that you cannot find the "Editor" option mentioned in the previous AI-generated suggestion.

I have reviewed the response from Q&A Assist, and it appears those steps do not match your current Classic Outlook environment. Since you have already confirmed that the "Editor" option is not visible to you, I would like to provide more information to help you locate the correct setting.

To better understand and investigate your issue, I may need some more detailed information from your side:

Which specific version of Outlook are you using?
Does the toolbar fail to appear even when you right-click on highlighted text?
Since you cannot find the "Editor" button, could you please provide a screenshot of your "Message" tab or the "Options" menu you are seeing? Please ensure that any Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as your email address, is blurred or covered before uploading to protect your privacy.

In the meantime, please try these steps to re-enable the mini toolbar:

1, Enable via Outlook Options:

Click on File in the top-left corner of Outlook.
Select Options at the bottom.
In the General tab, look under User Interface options.
Ensure the box for Show Mini Toolbar on selection is checked.
Click OK and restart Outlook.

2, Check Composition Settings:

Ensure your email is being composed in HTML or Rich Text format rather than Plain Text, as Plain Text does not support formatting features like bold or italics.

Please let me know the results of these steps and if you need further assistance. I look forward to your next update for further analysis.

AG 20 Reputation points

2026-01-15T20:19:41.84+00:00

Hi Victor, thank you. Hopefully you can help me with another issue. Please see image.
Victor1-V 12,935 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-16T09:41:15.3033333+00:00
Hi AG,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad to hear the mini toolbar issue in Outlook is resolved!

Regarding the Quick Access Toolbar, you're right that the standard help article (for Word/Excel) says to right-click the ribbon to hide it. In Outlook, that option can be inconsistent.

For Outlook, please use this method:

Look at the very top-right corner of your Outlook window. At the end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the small downward arrow.

In the menu that opens, select "Show Below the Ribbon".

Now, right-click on any ribbon tab (like "Home"). You should see "Show Quick Access Toolbar". Clicking this (removing the checkmark) will hide it.

If you are actually in Microsoft Word and seeing this issue, the steps are different. For proper assistance with Word, please create a new thread in the Microsoft Q&A forum for Office so that experts in that area can help you.

Thank you again for your understanding!
AG 20 Reputation points

2026-01-16T14:45:56.42+00:00

Hi Victor,

Thank you.

I moved the Quick Access Toolbar to show below the ribbon. Then when I right-click on it only three options appear: "Delete from Quick Access Toolbar", "Show Quick Action Toolbar Above the Ribbon", and "Customize Quick Access Toolbar". The latter taking me to "Outlook Options" (see image); which I really don't want to mess with! Lol.

When I right click on an item on the Quick Access Toolbar, I see the option "Remove From Quick Access Toolbar". So, I took that option. The only thing remain is the little down arrow - I guess I can live with that...

I so appreciate you. Happy New Year!
Victor1-V 12,935 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-17T14:01:00.4833333+00:00

Hi AG,

Thank you for the detailed update and the screenshot, that is very helpful.

I'm glad that you were able to resolve the issue by removing the individual items from the Quick Access Toolbar.

I understand your point about not wanting to mess with the advanced options menu, sometimes the simplest manual fix is the best one. Since you've successfully removed the visible icons and are comfortable with just the small arrow remaining, I can consider this matter resolved.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and Happy New Year to you as well! Hope you are keeping safe and well.

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance. I wish you all the best.

1 additional answer

Your answer

AG 20 Reputation points

2026-01-15T20:19:41.84+00:00

Hi Victor, thank you. Hopefully you can help me with another issue. Please see image.
Victor1-V 12,935 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-16T09:41:15.3033333+00:00

Hi AG,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad to hear the mini toolbar issue in Outlook is resolved!

Regarding the Quick Access Toolbar, you're right that the standard help article (for Word/Excel) says to right-click the ribbon to hide it. In Outlook, that option can be inconsistent.

For Outlook, please use this method:

Look at the very top-right corner of your Outlook window. At the end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the small downward arrow.

In the menu that opens, select "Show Below the Ribbon".

Now, right-click on any ribbon tab (like "Home"). You should see "Show Quick Access Toolbar". Clicking this (removing the checkmark) will hide it.

If you are actually in Microsoft Word and seeing this issue, the steps are different. For proper assistance with Word, please create a new thread in the Microsoft Q&A forum for Office so that experts in that area can help you.

Thank you again for your understanding!
AG 20 Reputation points

2026-01-16T14:45:56.42+00:00

Hi Victor,

Thank you.

I moved the Quick Access Toolbar to show below the ribbon. Then when I right-click on it only three options appear: "Delete from Quick Access Toolbar", "Show Quick Action Toolbar Above the Ribbon", and "Customize Quick Access Toolbar". The latter taking me to "Outlook Options" (see image); which I really don't want to mess with! Lol.

When I right click on an item on the Quick Access Toolbar, I see the option "Remove From Quick Access Toolbar". So, I took that option. The only thing remain is the little down arrow - I guess I can live with that...

I so appreciate you. Happy New Year!
Victor1-V 12,935 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-17T14:01:00.4833333+00:00

Hi AG,

Thank you for the detailed update and the screenshot, that is very helpful.

I'm glad that you were able to resolve the issue by removing the individual items from the Quick Access Toolbar.

I understand your point about not wanting to mess with the advanced options menu, sometimes the simplest manual fix is the best one. Since you've successfully removed the visible icons and are comfortable with just the small arrow remaining, I can consider this matter resolved.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and Happy New Year to you as well! Hope you are keeping safe and well.

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance. I wish you all the best.

Answer 1

To turn on the mini toolbar in Outlook, you can usually do this by checking your settings. Here’s how:

Compose a new email or reply to an existing one.
Look for a horizontal row at the top of your email window that includes options like Delete, Archive, etc.
Click on the Message option in this row.
Then, select Editor and click on Editor Settings.
Look for options related to the mini toolbar and ensure it is enabled.

If the mini toolbar is still not appearing, you may want to check if there are any updates available for Outlook or restart the application to see if that resolves the issue.