Symptom
Some of your email recipients cannot read the messages you send, or do not see text formatting the way you do.
Solution
You can compose email in either plain text (.txt) or rich text format (RTF).
Plain text (.txt)
- Can be read by anyone, regardless of the email application they use.
- Does not offer text formatting options.
- Can have pictures or graphics attached, but not inset.
Rich text format (.rtf)
- Allows you to format a message for font, justification, stylized text and other options.
- Pictures or graphics can be inset.
- Cannot be read by every type of email application.
Choosing a format
Mail defaults to rich text so that you can take advantage of its formatting choices. You may change the default behavior by using these steps:
1. Choose Preferences from the Mail application menu.
2. Click the Composing icon.
3. Choose the format you desire from the "Default message format" pop-up menu.
4. Close the Mail Preferences window.
To automatically reply to messages in the format used by a sender, check "Use the same format as original message" in the Composing pane of Mail Preferences.
Changing format on the fly
If you want to send a message that is not in your preferred format, you may do so without changing the preferences back and forth. After you click Compose for a new message, choose the alternate format from the Format menu.