Is there a way to increase contrast for selected message in Outlook message list?

Question

In teh message list of my Outlook inbox, the selected message is highlighted; in this case, faint gray-blue over white. It's very difficult to see that highlight and know which message(s) are selected. Is there a way to change the highlight color or shade?

Answer 1

Hello. Outlook for Mac (both New and Legacy) does not let you change the background color or shade used to highlight the selected message in the message list. That color is predetermined by the app’s theme and macOS system settings, and is not configurable within Outlook itself.

You can:

1. Go to System Preferences → General → Highlight color and pick a more visible color.
2. Enable Accessibility → Display → Increase Contrast to make UI elements, including selection rows, more distinct.

These changes apply globally on macOS, not just Outlook.

Answer 2

I discovered that you can choose the fuschia Theme (4th from the left) in General Settings and the highlight color is a bright pick. At least you can see that and you don't have to adjust your computer's system settings just for the benefit of one application.