Thousand Oaks
Personal Computer Club

Question: How do you turn off the HTML when using Outlook Express?

Answer: First, a little background.

When you send an e-mail message, you can send it as either plain text or HTML format. HTML format allows you to put fancy things in your e-mail message like font changes, graphics, or a fancy background. If you know the person you are sending the e-mail to uses the same program as you, or uses a program capable of reading HTML formatted e-mail, then they'll see all the fancy things you added to your e-mail message.

But, if you send a message in HTML format, and your recipient's e-mail program can't read HTML formatted messages, then all they see is "garbage". If you want to make sure everyone that you send e-mail to can read your message, then you need to make sure you send it as plain text.

How do you change your settings between "plain text" and "HTML" formatted messages?

In Outlook Express (version 5), click on the "Tools" menu, click on "Options", and then click on the "Send" tab. Where it says "Mail Sending Format", click on either "HTML" or "Plain Text".

In Netscape Communicator (version 4.04), click on the "Edit" menu, then click on "Preferences". If there's a "+" next to "Mail & Groups", click on the "+". Click on the "Messages" category. Clear the check mark in the "By default, send HTML messages" box.

In Netscape Communicator (version 4.7), click on the "Edit" menu, then click on "Preferences". If there's a "+" next to "Mail & Groups", click on the "+". Click on the "Formatting" category. In "Message formatting", select "Use the plain text editor to compose messages. In "When sending HTML mail messages…", select "Convert the message into plain text".

Outlook 97 uses RTF (Rich Text Format) instead of HTML to add fancy things to messages. When I sent an RTF formatted e-mail to myself and retrieved it in Outlook Express, it was converted to Plain Text. I guess Outlook Express doesn't display RTF formatted messages the way Outlook 97 does, but at least I could read it and it didn't have any "garbage".

In Outlook 98, click on "Tools" menu and select "Options". Click on the "Mail Format" tab. Click the down arrow to select the message format. If you're in the middle of composing a message, click "Format", then click the drop-down menu and select "Plain Text".

In JUNO, on the menu bar click "Options" and select "E-mail Options". Click the "HTML E-mail Preference" button. The program will lead you through adjusting security settings as well as display settings for HTML messages.

In other e-mail programs, click on the "Help" menu, click on "Contents", and search for "HTML" or "Plain Text".

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