Removing indents from message in Outlook 2013 1

[AndrewMozley]

I am using Outlook 2013 for emails, and when I am editing them I believe I am using Word 2013.

When I receive replies to my emails from some correspondents, the original email is indented; and if there have been several exchanges, there may be several levels of indentation.

However these do not show up on the ruler at the top of the screen which shows margins and tabs; the left margin has not been changed in this ruler. And if I click on the "Show paragraph marks" symbol, there is nothing in the text to show why it has been indented.

I would like to remove the indentation. I have tried clicking on the "Decrease indent" button in the "Format Text" ribbon of the menu at the top of the screen, but this has no effect.

How can I remove this indentation which has appeared in these emails? Thanks.

 

[Andrzejek]

If you do "reply" or "forward" with such e-mail, can you eliminate indentation?

Have fun.

---- Andy

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

 

[AndrewMozley]

Outlook 2013. I need to remove unwanted indents from a reply which I have received; These do not seem to be part of the message, and it is not possible to remove them by using the (Margin and Tab) ruler at the top of the screen, or the 'Decrease Indent' button (part of the 'Format Text' Ribbon).

If anyone using Outlook 2010 or 2013 has experienced this problem and has a solution, I would be grateful to hear of it.

Thanks. Andrew

 

[zelgar]

Under Outlook Options (File Menu), Select Mail and under the Replies and forwards item (about halfway down), you'll see two items with drop-down menus: When replying to a message: and When forwarding a message:

There are 5 Options available:
Do not include original message
Attach original message
Include original message text
Include and indent original message text
Prefix each line of the original message

Odds are you have one of the Bottom 2 listed. If you want to keep the original message but not have it indented select Include original message text (the 3rd option) for both drop-down menus.

 

[AndrewMozley]

Thank you Zelgar. My option was already set to "Include original message text" for both Replies and Forwards.

The problem is not in fact arising when I Reply or Forward. It is that a few of my correspondents, when they reply to my emails, have some facility for indenting the text - perhaps they are using the 4th option you describe. And when I receive these replies, the text is indented (perhaps to many levels if there have been several exchanges). And I find that if I wish to forward the email to someone else, I cannot remove these indents. I would like to do so!

If you care to send an email to andrew.mozley I will send an example of this text with the 'Hard' indents, and perhaps you can figure out how to remove them. I am using btinternet.com.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[zelgar]

Don't ask me why this works, but try the following:
1. After you've clicked Reply, go to the 2nd line of the email
2. Hold <Shift><Ctrl><End> to select and Copy
3. With the email still selected, Paste over the email. The indents should be deleted

 

[AndrewMozley]

Thank you Zelgar

This works up to a point. I do as you say, and on Step3 paste over the email. If the text is still selected, it does indeed replace it, but the resultant text is uniformly indented two levels (in this case this was the largest indent, in the last message at the foot of the email).

If however (at Step 3) I unselect the original test and then do Ctrl-V, I do get what I want, the message uniformly unindented, but with the original indented message still present below. A further Ctrl-Shift End and a delete finally removes it.

There appears to some undocumented formatting in these messages; but in the great scheme of thing this bug is not too crippling - perhaps it is a 'Feature'

Cheers. Andrew