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How to Fix Outlook Displaying Emails in Plain Text Instead of HTML

Applies toOutlook
2 min fix Updated 20 Jul 2026

By , 10+ years in IT support and helpdesk How these guides are checked

Quick Answer

Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Email Security, and uncheck the box for Read all standard mail in plain text.

Checked against Microsoft Learn - new Outlook for Windows, Microsoft 365 Roadmap and between 5 Aug 2026 and 12 Sep 2026. Nothing published in that period has been linked to this guide.

Estimated Time to Fix: 2 minutes

Summary ​

This article guides you through fixing a specific issue in Microsoft Outlook where every email you receive looks like a plain text document, missing all pictures, colors, logos, and layout formatting.

Symptoms ​

  • All incoming emails have no formatting (bold, italics, colors).
  • Images and company logos in emails appear as small attachments rather than displaying in the body of the email.
  • You see an information bar at the top of emails saying, "We converted this message into plain text format."

Before You Start ​

  • None required.

Instructions ​

1. Disable the "Read as Plain Text" Setting ​

  1. This issue is almost always caused by a single security setting being accidentally enabled in Outlook's Trust Center.
  2. Open Microsoft Outlook.
  3. Click File in the top left corner, then click Options at the bottom left.
  4. In the Options menu, click Trust Center on the left sidebar.
  5. Click the Trust Center Settings... button.
  6. In the new window, click Email Security on the left.
  7. Under the "Read as Plain Text" section, uncheck the box next to Read all standard mail in plain text.
  8. Click OK to close the Trust Center, then click OK again to close Outlook Options.

2. Verify Success ​

  1. Select an email in your inbox that was previously displaying incorrectly.
  2. It will immediately reload and display with its original HTML formatting, images, and colors intact.

If that message still has no images or colors, and the "We converted this message into plain text format" bar is still at the top, the setting you unchecked was not what stripped it — either the sender wrote the message in plain text, or a mail rule converted it before it reached you. Open How to Fix Email Formatting Issues to tell those two apart, then raise a ticket naming a sender whose messages arrive stripped, the date and time of one of them, and confirmation that Read all standard mail in plain text is now unchecked.

Troubleshooting ​

WARNING

If the emails still appear as plain text after changing this setting, the sender may be actively choosing to send their emails in plain text format. You cannot force a plain text email to become HTML if it was sent as plain text.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Only some emails are plain textSender preferenceThe sender composed the email in plain text. This is normal and requires no action.
Emails still strip images and show a red XPicture blockOutlook may be blocking pictures to protect your privacy. Click the information bar at the top of the email and select Download Pictures.

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Frequently asked questions

Why would anyone want to read emails in plain text?
Reading in plain text is a very old security measure. It completely neutralizes malicious scripts and tracking pixels embedded in HTML emails, but it breaks modern formatting.
Will changing this setting retroactively fix emails I already received?
Yes. The emails were delivered with the HTML formatting intact; Outlook was just choosing to hide it. Changing the setting will instantly reveal the graphics in older emails.