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cannot change paragraph spacing in Outlook for Mac

Michael Moulton 5 Reputation points
2025-07-29T15:52:05.0533333+00:00

I am using Outlook for Mac version 16.99.1. I no longer have the option to format the line spacing of paragraphs in emails. It defaults to 1.0 spacing between lines, which is too spaced out. There is no longer a "Format Text" option on the menu bar, and the line spacing drop-down menu only has four static options: 1.0, 1.15, 1.5 and 2.0. I tried solutions offered by other users, including Help-->Clear Application Data-->Click "Experimental Features" and "Identity", which did not help. For reference, below is a screenshot of my email.Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 8.49.32 AM

Outlook | MacOS | New Outlook for Mac | For business
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  1. Vergil-V 2,115 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-07-30T02:53:24.8633333+00:00

    Hi @Michael Moulton 
    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum 
    I understand how frustrating and inconvenient it can be when the line spacing formatting function is missing in Outlook for Mac, especially since it's such an essential feature for composing emails. 

    Based on my testing environment (Outlook for Mac version 16.99.1), I can confirm that the line spacing, or paragraph formatting options are not visible, just as shown in the image you provided. From my research, other users have reported the same issue and have raised it on the Microsoft Feedback Portal. To help bring this to the attention of our developers, I recommend either posting a new entry describing your experience or upvoting an existing one.   

    In the meantime, here are a few workarounds that may help: 

    Option 1: Use Outlook on the Web 
    Outlook Web App includes paragraph spacing options, which can be a helpful alternative for composing emails with more formatting control. 

    undefined Option 2: Use macOS Paragraph Settings 

    You can format your email content using macOS's built-in paragraph settings: 

    +Select the email body content you want to format 

    +Right-click > Paragraph > Adjust spacing as needed 

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    Optionally, you can select Set as Default to apply the paragraph settings to future emails automatically 

    Option 3: Revert to a compatible Outlook on MAC version 

    If possible, please consider reverting to a previous version of Outlook for Mac that is compatible with your macOS and still includes the formatting features you need.  You can download earlier versions from the official Microsoft Learn page:  Update history for Office for Mac - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn 

    I hope this helps clarify your situation and guides you toward regaining access to your accounts. Please feel free to ask if you have any other questions.   

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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