Change Plain Text Replies/Fowards to HTML

I have Outlook 2000 SP-3 and I want to change the format of plain text replies and forwards to HTML. The reason is, I get a lot of questions from a website-based email form. These come to me in plain text, but I think most people can receive HTML email back. I have a nicely formatted email signature that is constantly converted to ugly plain text.

The help file tells me to click reply, click in the body of the email message, type a character or two, go to format and pick HTML, but when I do that there is no option for HTML on the format menu. I don't have that whole section to pick HTML, Rich Text or Plain Text. When I open a message, I can see those options on the format menu, but since you can't edit in that mode, they are grayed out and unavailable. When I reply or foward, the format menu looks different. It is very frustrating.

What am I doing wrong? Do later version of Outlook allow this default to be changed?

This is because you've set Word as your e-mail editor. You can disable it in
Tools- Options- tab Mail format.

In later versions of Outlook you can use the little dropdown arrow on the
Options button (when editing the message with Word as the e-mail editor) to
select a different message format.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
www.howto-outlook.com

Tips of the month:
-Creating Signatures
-Create an Office XP CD slipstreamed with Service Pack 3

-----
"Sandy" wrote in message
...
I have Outlook 2000 SP-3 and I want to change the format of plain text
replies and forwards to HTML. The reason is, I get a lot of questions from
a website-based email form. These come to me in plain text, but I think
most people can receive HTML email back. I have a nicely formatted email
signature that is constantly converted to ugly plain text.

The help file tells me to click reply, click in the body of the email
message, type a character or two, go to format and pick HTML, but when I
do that there is no option for HTML on the format menu. I don't have that
whole section to pick HTML, Rich Text or Plain Text. When I open a
message, I can see those options on the format menu, but since you can't
edit in that mode, they are grayed out and unavailable. When I reply or
foward, the format menu looks different. It is very frustrating.

What am I doing wrong? Do later version of Outlook allow this default to
be changed?

On Thu, 3 Jun 2004 20:11:02 -0700, "Sandy" wrote:

I have Outlook 2000 SP-3 and I want to change the format of plain text replies and forwards to HTML. The reason is, I get a lot of questions from a website-based email form. These come to me in plain text, but I think most people can receive HTML email back. I have a nicely formatted email signature that is constantly converted to ugly plain text.

The help file tells me to click reply, click in the body of the email message, type a character or two, go to format and pick HTML, but when I do that there is no option for HTML on the format menu. I don't have that whole section to pick HTML, Rich Text or Plain Text. When I open a message, I can see those options on the format menu, but since you can't edit in that mode, they are grayed out and unavailable. When I reply or foward, the format menu looks different. It is very frustrating.

What am I doing wrong? Do later version of Outlook allow this default to be changed?

Please be aware that when someone sends you a message in plain text, they,
more than likely, want responses in plain text. That is why they are
choosing to send in plain text.

Although, as you wrote, "most people can receive HTML email", a LOT of
people don't want to receive ANY HTML in their mail. Some go as far as to
automatically delete any incoming HTML mail, unread.
--
SgtRich

Email Client: Microsoft Outlook 2002
News Client (Text): Forté Agent 2.0 www.forteinc.com
News Client (Binaries): News Rover 9.2 www.newsrover.com