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How to reply in HTML format automatically in Outlook?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2024-11-21

In Microsoft Outlook, we can configure settings and compose all new messages in HTML format, but can’t reply messages in HTMT format automatically, because it always reply in the initial format of received messages. This article will introduce you tricks about replying in HTML format automatically in Outlook.

Reply in HTML format manually with formatting

Always reply in HTML format automatically with Kutools for Outlook

Reply in HTML format automatically with VBA


Reply in HTML format manually with formatting

It is easy to convert the formats of Plain Text or Rich text to the HTML format when you are replying an email message in Outlook.

1: Select the email message that you will reply later.

2: Click the Reply button on the Home tab (or on the Toolbar in Outlook 2007) to reply the selected email message.

3: Click the HTML on the Format Text tab (or Options tab in Outlook 2007).

reply in html format manually

Then the replying message is converted to the HTML format immediately.

4: Compose this replying message, and click the Send button.


Always reply in HTML format automatically with Kutools for Outlook

Here I recommend you a handy utility – Fixed Reply Formatting of Kutools for Outlook. With this utility, you can easily specify a reply formatting such as HTML, plain text and RTF, and fix the specified formatting as the reply format for all future reply emails.

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1. Click Kutools Plus > Utilities > Fixed Reply Formatting > Set Reply Formatting

2. In the Set Reply Formatting dialog box, select the HTML option and then click the OK button.

always reply in html format by kutools for outlook 1

3. Now please click Fixed Formatting > Fixed Reply FormattingEnable Fixed Reply Formatting under the Kutools Plus tab to enable the utility.

From now on, Outlook always reply an email in HTML format.

If you want to have a free trial of this utility, please go to free download the software first, and then go to apply the operation according above steps.


Reply in HTML format automatically with VBA

The following method will help you reply all email messages in the HTML format automatically in Microsoft Outlook.

1: Select the email message that you will reply in the HTML format.

2: Press the Alt + F11 keys to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

3: Click the Insert > Module.

4: Paste the following code into the new module window.

Sub AlwaysReplyInHTML()
Dim oSelection As Outlook.Selection
Dim oItem As Object
'Get the selected item
Select Case TypeName(Application.ActiveWindow)
Case "Explorer"
Set oSelection = Application.ActiveExplorer.Selection
If oSelection.Count > 0 Then
Set oItem = oSelection.Item(1)
Else
MsgBox "Please select an item first!", vbCritical, "Reply in HTML"
Exit Sub
End If
Case "Inspector"
Set oItem = Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
Case Else
MsgBox "Unsupported Window type." & vbNewLine & "Please select or open an item first.", _
vbCritical, "Reply in HTML"
Exit Sub
End Select
    Dim oMsg As Outlook.MailItem
Dim oMsgReply As Outlook.MailItem
Dim bPlainText As Boolean
'Change the message format and reply
If oItem.Class = olMail Then
Set oMsg = oItem
If oMsg.BodyFormat = olFormatPlain Then
bPlainText = True
End If
oMsg.BodyFormat = olFormatHTML
Set oMsgReply = oMsg.Reply
If bIsPlainText = True Then
oMsg.BodyFormat = olFormatPlain
End If
oMsg.Close (olSave)
oMsgReply.Display
'Selected item isn't a mail item
Else
MsgBox "No message item selected. Please select a message first.", _
vbCritical, "Reply in HTML"
Exit Sub
End If
'Cleanup
Set oMsgReply = Nothing
Set oMsg = Nothing
Set oItem = Nothing
Set oSelection = Nothing
End Sub

5: If you want to only reply this selected message in html format, please press the F5 key to run the code. Then the replying message window pops up, please compose it and press the Send button to send the email.

Tips::
If you want to always or frequently reply emails in html format in the future in Outlook, please go on configuring as follows.
1) Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button in Outlook ribbon and then click More Commands from the drop-down.
reply in html format by vba 1
2) In the Outlook Options dialog box, you need to:
2.1) Select Macros in the Choose commands from drop-down list;
2.2) Select Project1.AlwaysReplyInHTML in the command box;
2.3) Click the Add button (you can see the selected macro is added to the right box);
2.4) Click the OK button. See screenshot:
reply in html format by vba 2
3) Now the macro is added on the Quick Access Toolbar and displayed as an  icon. Every time when you need to reply an email in html format, please select the email and click this button to activate it.
reply in html format by vba 3

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