how to turn off formatting marks in Outlook

Hi @Duv, A,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.  

Thank you for reaching out and sharing the details of your issue. I understand how difficult it can be when formatting marks won’t turn off, especially when the usual shortcuts and ribbon options aren’t working as expected.

The Ctrl+Shift+* shortcut doesn’t work since it often conflicts with printer settings or other system shortcuts in Outlook. Also, the ¶ icon in the ribbon only appears when composing an email, not in the main Outlook window.

Here are suggestion steps to fix this issue in Classic Outlook for Windows so you can keep your preferred setup without switching to the new Outlook:

1. Open Outlook (Classic version).
2. Go to File > Options.
3. In the Mail section, select Editor Options
4. In the Editor Options window:
   • Click Display in the left panel.
   • Under Always show these formatting marks on the screen, clear all checkboxes (or just the ones you don’t want).
   • Ensure Show all formatting marks is also unchecked.
5. Click OK to apply changes.

After completing these steps, formatting marks should no longer appear in your email editor while keeping the Classic Outlook experience.

I hope this helps you quickly disable formatting marks and keep your Classic Outlook setup just the way you prefer. I'm glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.   

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