Anyone know how to change the font size in "compact view", i.e. when you have the reading pane open on the right and the e-mails are listed on the left?  I've tried all the obvious stuff, not having much luck.

As far as I know, user can advanced change settings of font size in View Tab > Change view > Manage View > Select "Compact" and click "Modify" > Other Settings/Format Columns.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Tony Chen
Forum Support
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Come back and mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.
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• Marked as answer by Tony Chen CHNMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:02 AM
• Unmarked as answer by cybershooters Wednesday, November 14, 2012 12:50 AM

As far as I know, user can advanced change settings of font size in View Tab > Change view > Manage View > Select "Compact" and click "Modify" > Other Settings/Format Columns.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Tony Chen
Forum Support
________________________________________
Come back and mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.
If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tnmff@microsoft.com.

• Marked as answer by Tony Chen CHNMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:02 AM
• Unmarked as answer by cybershooters Wednesday, November 14, 2012 12:50 AM

As far as I know, user can advanced change settings of font size in View Tab > Change view > Manage View > Select "Compact" and click "Modify" > Other Settings/Format Columns.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Tony Chen
Forum Support
________________________________________
Come back and mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.
If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tnmff@microsoft.com.

• Marked as answer by Tony Chen CHNMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:02 AM
• Unmarked as answer by cybershooters Wednesday, November 14, 2012 12:50 AM

Any update?

Tony Chen

Hi,

I'm marking the reply as answer as there has been no update for a couple of days.
If you come back to find it doesn't work for you, please reply to us and unmark the answer.

Cheers,
Tony Chen
Forum Support
________________________________________
Come back and mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.
If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tnmff@microsoft.com.

Sorry, I've been away for a few days, any chance of a screenshot of View Tab, I'm a bit lost in the new UI?

As far as I know, user can advanced change settings of font size in View Tab > Change view > Manage View > Select "Compact" and click "Modify" > Other Settings/Format Columns.

Hallo, I'm in the same situation as cyber. I use only compact view for my mails...

First line of mails is f***ing HUGE (when mail is unread is MONSTER-HUGE) and modifying the option you suggested changes only the bottom line.
Also conditional formatting doesn't affect that line...

Maybe there's need of a fix by Microsoft to be able to change that...

But I'm also desperate in the search of a way to make alternate row color in mail list for easy reading because until Outlook 2010 I could place the little envelope icon in the left side of messages that now is occupied by an azure column that will mark as read/unread and with that white background (I'm using the dark gray theme) mail list is a bit confusing and my eyes are burning!

Also folder tree view should be optimized or made customizable...

But an excellent work in speed has been made by Microsoft... Office apps are now super fast in opening (maybe until first SP :-P )

Thanks

Bye

PS: I tried to attach an image but since I'm not verified I couldn't

Is there any way to change that HUGE font size of the sender? I really feel uncomfortable about this change..

Mmm, right, so I wasn't lost in the UI, that option simply doesn't exist for an IMAP4 folder, compact isn't listed under manage view.  Even on a PST I can't seem to get it to work properly, there's nothing under format columns or other settings that helps.  The default font size is 8-point, and I need it to be smaller and there is nothing smaller.  Yet more Office 2013 crapness.

Also conditional formatting doesn't affect that line...

I was mistaken! I'm sorry...

After another couple of retries I created a new conditional formatting without conditions and setting the font to the smallest and the HUGE line became small!

To create a conditional formatting rule just go

Tab View-> Button View Settings-> Button Conditional Formatting

• Proposed as answer by LeeDennis Monday, November 26, 2012 4:40 AM

Also conditional formatting doesn't affect that line...

I was mistaken! I'm sorry...

After another couple of retries I created a new conditional formatting without conditions and setting the font to the smallest and the HUGE line became small!

To create a conditional formatting rule just go

Tab View-> Button View Settings-> Button Conditional Formatting

• Proposed as answer by LeeDennis Monday, November 26, 2012 4:40 AM

Also conditional formatting doesn't affect that line...

I was mistaken! I'm sorry...

After another couple of retries I created a new conditional formatting without conditions and setting the font to the smallest and the HUGE line became small!

To create a conditional formatting rule just go

Tab View-> Button View Settings-> Button Conditional Formatting

• Proposed as answer by LeeDennis Monday, November 26, 2012 4:40 AM

Also conditional formatting doesn't affect that line...

I was mistaken! I'm sorry...

After another couple of retries I created a new conditional formatting without conditions and setting the font to the smallest and the HUGE line became small!

To create a conditional formatting rule just go

Tab View-> Button View Settings-> Button Conditional Formatting

It is actually worked! Very Good!!

I still can't get it small enough, I've gotten it smaller but it looks to me as though Outlook 2013 is optimized for bigger monitors than this one I'm using.

Agree with all.  Finding Outlook 2013 to be much harder to use, primarily because the block size of the "compact view" is so big.  Between that and widescreen laptops (I miss 4:3), this gets more and more unusable with every version.  Seeing 10 emails at a time defeats the purpose.

• Proposed as answer by David - SA Computers Saturday, April 13, 2013 8:57 AM
• Unproposed as answer by David - SA Computers Saturday, April 13, 2013 8:57 AM

Agree with all.  Finding Outlook 2013 to be much harder to use, primarily because the block size of the "compact view" is so big.  Between that and widescreen laptops (I miss 4:3), this gets more and more unusable with every version.  Seeing 10 emails at a time defeats the purpose.

• Proposed as answer by David - SA Computers Saturday, April 13, 2013 8:57 AM
• Unproposed as answer by David - SA Computers Saturday, April 13, 2013 8:57 AM

Agree with all.  Finding Outlook 2013 to be much harder to use, primarily because the block size of the "compact view" is so big.  Between that and widescreen laptops (I miss 4:3), this gets more and more unusable with every version.  Seeing 10 emails at a time defeats the purpose.

• Proposed as answer by David - SA Computers Saturday, April 13, 2013 8:57 AM
• Unproposed as answer by David - SA Computers Saturday, April 13, 2013 8:57 AM

After another couple of retries I created a new conditional formatting without conditions and setting the font to the smallest and the HUGE line became small!

To create a conditional formatting rule just go

Tab View-> Button View Settings-> Button Conditional Formatting

Okay, with a ton of users asking me how to do this I see what you're getting at now:

View->Change View->Compact (probably already chosen if you've got this problem)->Manage Views->Compact->Modify->Conditional Formatting->Add

Create a new conditional formatting (called "untitled" by default), the default is Segoe UI with an 11 point font (i.e. regular).  Apply it, a warning will pop up saying it will apply to everything, OK that, and suddenly the "From" line in compact view goes to a sensible size.

You can make it smaller by fiddling with that rule.  My route is longer than the one you mentioned but this is what I'm telling users so I'm sure they get to the right thing.

Why on Earth this works is totally beyond me, why would the default font size on an untitled rule show the font smaller than Outlook does by default?  That's nuts.  Yet another bug, has to be, you would expect a new rule to come up the same size, the font size is "regular" in the new rule!

• Marked as answer by cybershooters Friday, May 24, 2013 3:04 PM

After another couple of retries I created a new conditional formatting without conditions and setting the font to the smallest and the HUGE line became small!

To create a conditional formatting rule just go

Tab View-> Button View Settings-> Button Conditional Formatting

Okay, with a ton of users asking me how to do this I see what you're getting at now:

View->Change View->Compact (probably already chosen if you've got this problem)->Manage Views->Compact->Modify->Conditional Formatting->Add

Create a new conditional formatting (called "untitled" by default), the default is Segoe UI with an 11 point font (i.e. regular).  Apply it, a warning will pop up saying it will apply to everything, OK that, and suddenly the "From" line in compact view goes to a sensible size.

You can make it smaller by fiddling with that rule.  My route is longer than the one you mentioned but this is what I'm telling users so I'm sure they get to the right thing.

Why on Earth this works is totally beyond me, why would the default font size on an untitled rule show the font smaller than Outlook does by default?  That's nuts.  Yet another bug, has to be, you would expect a new rule to come up the same size, the font size is "regular" in the new rule!

• Marked as answer by cybershooters Friday, May 24, 2013 3:04 PM

After another couple of retries I created a new conditional formatting without conditions and setting the font to the smallest and the HUGE line became small!

To create a conditional formatting rule just go

Tab View-> Button View Settings-> Button Conditional Formatting

Okay, with a ton of users asking me how to do this I see what you're getting at now:

View->Change View->Compact (probably already chosen if you've got this problem)->Manage Views->Compact->Modify->Conditional Formatting->Add

Create a new conditional formatting (called "untitled" by default), the default is Segoe UI with an 11 point font (i.e. regular).  Apply it, a warning will pop up saying it will apply to everything, OK that, and suddenly the "From" line in compact view goes to a sensible size.

You can make it smaller by fiddling with that rule.  My route is longer than the one you mentioned but this is what I'm telling users so I'm sure they get to the right thing.

Why on Earth this works is totally beyond me, why would the default font size on an untitled rule show the font smaller than Outlook does by default?  That's nuts.  Yet another bug, has to be, you would expect a new rule to come up the same size, the font size is "regular" in the new rule!

• Marked as answer by cybershooters Friday, May 24, 2013 3:04 PM

When I go to Manage View as described above, I do not see an entry with the name Compact. However, I did find another way to adjust the compact view, to some degree.

I go to View>Current View>View Settings>Other Settings>Other Options. Here we see options to adjust what provokes compact view.

Fabulous - it worked, on each individual mailbox!  Thank you.

Not working... Outlook 2013 on Windows 8.1 ... No matter what I do (tried all the suggestions here)... the font for the "from" in Compact view is hideously large. Makes the view downright unusable. 

And please, to all the "Microsoft Forum" employees, your answers are so often wrong as to be totally useless. That you mark your own posts as answers is unforgivable. 

Wow that worked for me to make the font smaller. That's a crazy fix, but thanks.

Thank you! This is the only way that worked for me.

Hi there,

Hoping I can revive this conversation...using conditional formatting to change the appearance of the sender name (which is huge in compact view) works perfectly as you've described above, however the conversation list under that message then becomes so small that it is illegible. Is there a way to use conditional formatting to decrease the sender font size without decreasing the size of the conversation view below it?

T

Same problem--expanded conversation view is now way too tiny. Did you ever get any suggestions for fixing it? Thanks.

I can tell you what I have that is working for me.... cybershooters seems to have it; don't recall exactly what I did. 

Under View -> View Settings -> Other Settings

font for both rows and columns are set to 8 pt Segoe UI

Under View -> View Settings -> Conditional formatting 

Font is 11 pt Segoe UI (selection option only allows relative settings Normal - 11 pt) 

Thanks for the reply. I am using those exact same settings with "show as conversations," and when I expand a conversation, the names are tiny. So frustrating!