How to Enable or Disable Link Preview in Outlook on Windows 11
Link preview in Outlook on Windows 11 shows a small card with an image, title and short summary when you paste a web URL into an email message. It is also called link unfurling. Outlook reads details from the target website so you can see what the page is about before you click. You turn the feature on or off in the Mail settings, and the choice controls how web links look in your messages. The steps below use the new Outlook for Windows. Classic Outlook does not have this setting.
Open Outlook, click the gear icon for Settings, then go to Mail Compose and reply. Check or uncheck “Preview links in email” to enable or disable the feature.
Why use Link Preview?
Link Preview shows a title, image and description for website links you add to emails. That helps you and your recipients see what a link is about without opening it. If you turn it off, links appear as plain text, which is useful when you want shorter, simpler messages.
What happens when you are done?
Once you finish these steps, your emails will either show rich previews or just the simple text links, depending on your choice. The setting only affects links you paste after you change it. A link you already pasted into an open draft may keep its current look. If you want to undo the change, repeat the steps and set the box back the way it was.
How to change Link Preview settings
Link Preview in Outlook on Windows 11 lets you turn on or off the visual cards that appear when you paste web addresses into your messages. You change this option in the app settings. It decides whether web links show a picture and a summary when you send them to other people. The setting is the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro, and you don’t need to restart Outlook or Windows afterward.
- First, open the new Outlook app on your computer. You can find it by clicking Start All apps Outlook If your Outlook window has a New Outlook toggle in the top right corner, make sure it is switched on. Classic Outlook does not have the link preview setting. You should see the new Outlook window with your mailbox open.
Open the new Outlook app in Windows 11 - Click the Settings button. It looks like a gear icon in the top right corner. The Settings window opens with a list of categories on the left.
Add Gmail to Outlook app in Windows 11 - Click the Mail tab on the left side of the window. A second list of mail options appears next to it.
- Click Compose and reply. The options for writing and replying to messages appear on the right. You may need to scroll down to find the one you want.
- Look for the Link preview section. Uncheck the box that says Preview links in email to turn it off. Check the box to turn it back on. If a Save button appears at the bottom of the window, click it so the change sticks. Then close Settings.
enable or disable link preview in Outlook Windows 11
If you can't find the option, check that you are using the new Outlook and not the classic version. On a work or school account, your organization may also manage some settings, so ask your IT team if the option is missing or greyed out. To test the result, start a new message and paste a web address into the body.
Summary
Link Preview is a feature in the new Outlook that shows a thumbnail and description for website links. You can enable or disable it in the Compose and reply settings, which keeps your messages looking the way you want. No restart is needed, and you can switch it back at any time.
Reference: Microsoft help
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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