Format Text and Links in Outlook 2007

Those on a Microsoft Exchange server can format e-mail messages with colors, fonts, bulleted lists and other options. Home office workers can format messages, but the recipient may not see the formatting depending on the email software he/she uses.

Note: In HTML formatted e-mail; the recipient sees what you send. However, those using other e-mail clients may see the message formatted differently. If you aren't sure what the recipient uses, consider creating your e-mail message in Plain Text. In an e-mail message, select "Plain Text" from the "Options" tab.

Find everything you need to format a message in the "Format Text" tab of an e-mail message. These override the default settings, which you can set by going to the "Mail Format" tab in the "Options" window. Use the formatting commands as you would a Word or other electronic document. Select or highlight the text and click the command you want to apply to it.

To apply plain text formatting to every message, do the following:

1. Select Options from the Tools menu
2. Select the Mail Format tab.
3. Select Plain Text.

Outlook contains a helpful formatting feature. As you move your mouse pointer over a font, color and styles, the e-mail changes to reflect the current item. The change doesn't stick unless you click the item. Move your pointer to different colors and fonts without selecting anything and see how the e-mail changes.

Including links to Web sites on the Internet into an e-mail makes it easier for the recipient to click and go to the site. You can add a link in any of the following ways:

1. Enter the link into the e-mail (ex: www.brighthub.com). You don't have to use http:// when using www in the link.
2. Drag a link from Internet Explorer or elsewhere into an e-mail message.
3. Select the Insert tab from within an e-mail and click Hyperlink to enter a link. This displays the link.
4. Select text from within the e-mail, select the Insert tab and click Hyperlink to enter a link. The selected text is clickable. This works well for long links.

Note: An Internet address with spaces needs its link enclosed within chevrons (<>). Example: <http://www.brighthub.com/1st Quarter Report.doc> Using chevrons on all links especially long ones helps keep the link intact instead of splitting up in the e-mail. Split links require copying and pasting several times.

To remove a link, right-click the link and select "Remove Hyperlink." You can also edit a link by right-clicking the link and selecting "Edit Hyperlink."