How to Edit a Received Email in Outlook

Change the subject line of a message you've received

What to Know

  • To change subject line: Open email and select entire subject line. Type a replacement and select Save.
  • To change body: Move > Actions > Edit Message and make your changes. Select Save.

This article shows how to edit the subject line and body of an email received in Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, or Outlook 2010. This is useful when emails don't provide enough information to help you organize them.

How to Edit the Subject Line

Here's how to change the subject line of any message you receive in Outlook.

  1. Double-click the message you want to edit to open the message in a separate window.

  2. Place the cursor in the subject line and press Ctrl-A on your keyboard to select the entire subject line.

    Screenshot of message with selected subject line
  3. Type the subject line you want to use.

    Screenshot of new subject line
  4. Select Save in the upper-left corner of the message window.

  5. Close the message window.

  6. The new subject line appears in the Reading Pane. The message shows the original conversation topic.

You cannot edit a message's subject line from the Reading Pane.

How to Edit the Body

The Action menu makes it possible to make changes to the text in the body of an email message you have received.

  1. Start Outlook.

  2. Double-click the message you want to edit to open the message in a separate window.

  3. Select Actions in the Move group.

    Actions button in Outlook message window.
  4. Choose Edit Message.

    Edit Message option in the Actions menu.
  5. Make any desired changes to the content of the message. For instance, you might want to add keywords or names that you can search for later.

  6. Select Save in the upper-left corner of the message window.

  7. Close the message window.

Search for emails with empty subject lines and add a subject to make these emails easier to find.

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