This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Outlook for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to add or edit text in your email message. You'll learn how to change the font and font size or the text display size and apply other formatting options, such as bold, italic, and underline.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
In this topic
Add or edit text
-
To start composing an email, in your Inbox, press Command+N. A new message window opens with the focus on the To field.
Note: To learn more about composing an email in Outlook for Mac, refer to the "Create and send email" section in Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook.
Tip: To quickly go to your Inbox, press Command+1.
-
If needed, press the Tab key repeatedly to go to the message body. When the focus moves to the message body, you hear "Leaving formatting bar, entering body, edit text," followed by the current text insertion point.
-
Do one or more of the following:
-
To add text, start typing.
-
To navigate the message text, use the arrow keys.
-
To select text, press Shift+arrow keys until you've selected the piece of text you want.
-
To replace a piece of text, press Shift+arrow keys until you've selected the piece of text you want, and then type the new text.
-
Change the font
-
When composing an email message, select the piece of text you want to change, or place the focus in the message body if there's no text yet.
-
Press Command+D. You hear: "Font dialog."
-
To go to the list of font options, press the Tab key until you hear the current font and "Font combo box." Press the Down or Up arrow key to move through the font options. When you hear the font you want to use, press Control+Option+Spacebar. The new font is applied.
Change the default font for email messages
When you change the default font, the selected font is applied every time you use Outlook for Mac. You can change the default font for new messages that you compose, and your replies and forwarded messages independently.
-
In Outlook for Mac, press Command+Comma (,). The Outlook Preferences dialog box opens.
-
Press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear: "Fonts, button." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select. The Fonts dialog box opens.
-
To move to the option you want to change, select one of the following:
-
To change the default font for new email messages that you compose, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "New mail," press Control+Option+Right arrow key once, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To change the default font for replies and forwards, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Reply or forward," press Control+Option+Right arrow key once, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To change the default font for composing and reading plain text messages, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Plain text," press Control+Option+Right arrow key once, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
-
The Font dialog box opens with the focus in the Font tab. Press the Tab key once. You hear the current font and "Font combo box."
-
To browse through the font options, press the Down arrow key. When you hear the font you want, press Return.
-
The focus returns to the Fonts dialog box. To close the dialog box and return to the Outlook main view, press Command+W.
Change the text display or font size
You can change the font size while you're composing or reading a message.
For instructions on how to set and use a new font size every time you open Outlook for Mac, refer to Change the default font size for email messages or Increase the text display size.
-
In the email you're composing or reading, do one of the following to change the font size by two points:
-
Press Command+Plus sign (+) to increase the size. You hear: "Increase font size."
-
Press Command+Minus sign (-) to decrease the size. You hear: "Decrease font size."
-
Change the default font size for email messages
When you change the default font size, the selected size is applied every time you use Outlook for Mac. You can change the default font size for new messages that you compose, and your replies and forwarded messages independently.
-
In Outlook for Mac, press Command+Comma (,). The Outlook Preferences dialog box opens.
-
Press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear: "Fonts, button." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select. The Fonts dialog box opens.
-
To move to the option you want to change, select one of the following:
-
To change the default font size for new email messages that you compose, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "New mail," press Control+Option+Right arrow key once, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To change the default font size for replies and forwards, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Reply or forward," press Control+Option+Right arrow key once, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To change the default font size for composing and reading plain text messages, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Plain text," press Control+Option+Right arrow key once, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
-
The Font dialog box opens. To move to the Size menu, press the Tab key until you hear the current font size and "Size, combo box." Type the new font size and press Return. The Font dialog box closes and you return to the Fonts dialog box.
-
To close the Fonts dialog box and return to the Outlook main view, press Command+W.
Increase the text display size
You can change the text size used in the folder pane, message list, and reading pane all at the same time.
Note: This feature requires macOS 10.11 and later.
-
In Outlook for Mac, press Command+Comma (,). The Outlook Preferences dialog box opens.
-
Press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear: "Fonts, button." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select. The Fonts dialog box opens.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear the current display size, for example, "Default, text display size, slider."
-
To move the slider to the right and increase the text size, press the Right arrow key until you hear the value you want. The change is applied immediately.
-
To exit the dialog box, press Command+W. The focus returns to your Inbox.
Apply bold, italic, or underline
-
When composing an email message, select the piece of text to be formatted, or place the focus in the message body.
-
To select a formatting option, do one or more of the following:
-
To apply bold formatting, press Command+B.
-
To apply italic formatting, press Command+I.
-
To apply underline formatting, press Command+U.
See also
Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook (Windows, Mobile, Web)
Use a screen reader to zoom in or out in Outlook
Use a screen reader to create bulleted or numbered lists in Outlook
Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook
Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook
Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
