why doesn't my cursor left align when drafting an email in outlook?

Question

why doesn't my cursor left align when drafting an email in outlook?

Answer 1

Hi Peter Roebuck

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum support regarding you're experiencing an issue where the cursor does not align to the left when composing emails in Outlook (Classic for Windows).

This behavior may be caused by formatting settings or features such as Immersive Reader being enabled. Immersive Reader is designed to enhance readability but can affect how text appears during email composition. Here some recommended solutions you can try

Option 1: Formatting settings 

Some users experience new emails being center-aligned instead of left-aligned when Immersive Reader is enabled. This feature can change how text is displayed. You can disable it by searching for “Immersive Reader” in the Outlook search bar and clicking Close Immersive Reader. 

When you're in Immersive Reader mode, click Close Immersive Reader or press the Back button to return to the regular email editing view. Immersive Reader is mainly designed for reading emails, not composing them. If you're in this mode, exit it to return to the standard email composition interface. 

Option 2: Fix the Default Paragraph Style:

To resets the default formatting for all new emails:

• Open a New Email in Outlook > Click into the body of the email > Select the Format Text tab on the top ribbon. 
• In the Styles section, find the style named Normal > Right-click on Normal and choose Modify....

• In the "Modify Style" window, click the Left Align icon > Click the Format button at the bottom-left and select Paragraph.... 

• In the Paragraph window, ensure the settings: Alignment: Left, Indentation (Left): 0", Indentation (Right): 0", Special: (none) > Click OK. 

• Crucial Step: Back in the "Modify Style" window, select the option for "New documents based on this template" > Click OK. Close the draft and create a new email to test. 

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. 

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Answer 2

this totally worked!! thank you for getting me back to "normal" so quickly!!