Fix Word Hyphenation in Outlook Emails

Words breaking mid-sentence with hyphens in your Outlook emails are caused by Microsoft's Smart Justification feature. This automatically hyphenates words to improve text justification, but it can make your emails harder to read. You can disable this setting in Outlook to prevent words from breaking across lines.

Who This Affects

This hyphenation occurs when either the sender or recipient has Advanced Typography enabled in their Classic Outlook settings. The setting affects how emails display, so both senders and recipients may need to adjust their settings.

Disable Advanced Typography (Recommended)

1. Open Outlook
2. Click File → Options
3. Click Mail → Editor Options
4. Click Advanced
5. Uncheck Use Advanced Typography
6. Click OK to save

This prevents hyphenation for all emails you create in Outlook.

Disable Individual Typography Features

If you want to keep some typography features but disable only hyphenation or justification:

1. Follow steps 1-4 above to reach the Advanced options
2. Uncheck Use Smart Justification (prevents automatic text alignment adjustments)
3. Uncheck Use Hyphenation (prevents word breaking with hyphens)
4. Click OK to save

Prevent Recipients from Seeing Hyphenation

If you're a sender and want to ensure recipients don't see hyphenated words regardless of their Outlook settings:

1. Follow steps 1-4 from the first section
2. Check Disable Advanced Typography for outgoing mail
3. Click OK to save

This setting ensures your emails display without hyphenation even if recipients have Advanced Typography enabled.