How to Change the Reading Pane in Outlook (2026)
The reading pane shows a message preview next to (or under) your inbox so you don’t have to open each email in a window. You can put it on the right, at the bottom, or turn it off entirely — and tune when a previewed message counts as read.
1. Change the Reading Pane (Classic Outlook for Windows)
- Go to the View tab on the ribbon.
- Click Reading Pane.
- Choose Right, Bottom, or Off.
To control read behavior: View > Reading Pane > Options, then set Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane and the delay.
2. Change the Reading Pane (New Outlook for Windows)
- Click the View tab (or the Settings gear).
- Choose Reading pane (under Layout).
- Select Show on the right, Show at the bottom, or Hide.
Mark-as-read timing lives in Settings > Mail > Message handling.
3. Change the Reading Pane (Outlook on the Web)
- Click the Settings gear (top right).
- Go to Mail > Layout.
- Under Reading pane, pick Show on the right, Show at the bottom, or Hide.
- Set Reading pane options for when messages are marked as read.
4. Reading Pane on Outlook Mobile
The mobile apps use a single-column layout, so there’s no movable reading pane — tapping a message opens it full screen. You can adjust the conversation view under Settings instead.
5. Troubleshooting
Emails get marked as read just by previewing them
Open the Reading Pane Options and either uncheck Mark items as read when viewed or increase the wait time before it marks them.
The reading pane disappeared
It’s set to Off / Hide. Reopen View > Reading Pane and pick Right or Bottom.
Images don’t load in the preview
Outlook blocks remote images by default. Click the prompt in the message to download pictures, or change the setting in Trust Center (classic) / Settings (new Outlook/web).
Related Outlook guides: How to turn on Focused Inbox in Outlook · How to enable dark mode in Outlook · How to filter emails in Outlook · How to mark an email as unread in Outlook · How to clean up your inbox in Outlook
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