How do I change the page colour of an email in NEW outlook? Not outlook theme, but the white background of emails.

Question

In the previous version of Outlook there was an icon in the "options" tab to change page colour of emails you are writing so those requiring accessibility adjustments can be better communicated with. To confirm, this was to change the white background of emails being written and sent by me.

Now I can't find it, how can I change it? Is there any update on when this critical feature will return? Given the original question was in July 2024, I'd have hoped for progress.

The setting appears to have been either accidentally or, more worryingly, deliberately removed without regard for user's needs.

It's having an adverse affect on our neurodivergent staff, and has meant having to revert of classic outlook so we don't get questioned about implementing updates without regard to The Equalities Act 2010 (UK).

This question has been sat here for almost a year with no update: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum/all/how-do-i-change-the-page-color-of-an-email-in-new/006fe278-3248-4546-b90d-ec97a91d985e?page=1

Answer 1

Hi @BRADLEY, Ian (FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST)

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum. Thank you for reaching out and raising this accessibility concern.

After reviewing documentation and testing, it’s confirmed that in the New Outlook, the option to change the background color while composing an email has been removed. While changing the Outlook theme color is still available, this does not affect the background color of individual emails. This change has caused frustration, especially for users who rely on visual adjustments for accessibility or neurodivergent-friendly communication.

At this time, there’s no confirmed timeline for its return in New Outlook. However, accessibility and user experience are priorities, and feedback like yours is vital to ensuring those needs are addressed. I strongly encourage you to share your feedback through Help > Feedback in the Outlook app or by visiting Microsoft Feedback Portal.

While we await official updates, using Classic Outlook remains the most effective workaround to retain this functionality.

Your feedback is sincerely appreciated and plays an important role in guiding future improvements. Thank you for your patience and continued advocacy for accessibility.

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Answer 2

You can provide feedback with-in the new Outlook for Windows. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/contact-support-and-provide-feedback-in-new-outlook-for-windows-4a4bcc80-c71e-4e44-97c1-d0e62452ef4a