Read Email in Plain Text? How & Why

Yes, you can read email in plain text, and it is a built-in option in virtually every major email client, including Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and Thunderbird. When enabled, it strips away HTML formatting, images, and styling, showing only the raw text of the message. This article explains why you might want to do this, how to turn it on in the most common apps, and what you lose when you do.

What “Plain Text� Actually Means

An email can be sent in two basic formats: HTML or plain text. HTML emails are like small web pages—they can include colored text, fonts, hyperlinks, buttons, and embedded images. Plain text emails contain only unformatted characters: letters, numbers, and basic punctuation. No bold, no italics, no clickable links (though many clients automatically turn URLs into links), and no images.

Most modern email is sent as multipart, meaning it includes both an HTML version and a plain-text version. The recipient’s email client chooses which one to display. When you select “read as plain text,� you force the client to ignore the HTML part and show only the text part. If the sender didn’t include a text version, the client may attempt to convert the HTML to text on the fly, which can sometimes look messy.

Why Bother? The Real Benefits

The main reasons people switch to plain text are security, privacy, and focus.

• Block tracking pixels: Many marketing emails contain tiny invisible images that notify the sender when you open the email and sometimes log your IP address and approximate location. Plain text blocks these images, so the sender gets no read receipt.
• Avoid phishing links: In HTML, a link’s visible text can say “bank.com� while the actual destination is a malicious site. In plain text, the URL is shown in full, so you can see where it really goes before clicking.
• Reduce distractions: Without banners, colors, and animations, you can read the actual content faster, especially for long newsletters or work correspondence.
• Lower data usage: Text-only emails are tiny compared to image-heavy HTML, which matters on slow connections or limited data plans.
• Compatibility: Some older devices, screen readers, or text-based terminals display plain text far better than HTML.

How to Enable Plain Text in Popular Email Apps

The exact steps vary by client, but here are the general locations for the most common ones.

Gmail (Web)

1. Open an email message.
2. Click the three-dot menu (More) in the top-right of the message window.
3. Select “Show original�—this opens a new tab with the full raw source, including headers and the plain-text part.
4. To permanently disable HTML, you need a browser extension (like “Minimalist for Gmail�) or use the “Plain Text� mode in the Gmail app’s settings (see below).

Gmail (Mobile App)

1. Open the Gmail app and tap the menu (hamburger) icon.
2. Scroll to Settings, then select your account.
3. Scroll down and tap “Plain text mode� and toggle it on.

Microsoft Outlook (Desktop)

1. Go to File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings.
2. Select “Email Security�.
3. Under “Read as Plain Text,� check “Read all standard mail in plain text� and optionally the same for signed mail.
4. Click OK. You can still view a specific message in HTML by clicking the info bar that appears.

Apple Mail (macOS)

1. Open Mail → Preferences (or Settings in newer macOS).
2. Go to the Viewing tab.
3. Check “Use fixed-width font for plain-text messages�—this doesn’t disable HTML, but it ensures plain-text messages are displayed with a monospaced font.
4. To read a specific HTML message as text, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift+Command+T (or right-click and choose “Show as Plain Text�).

Thunderbird

1. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) → Settings → General.
2. Scroll to “Reading & Display�.
3. Check “Ignore simple HTML messages� or set “Display messages as� to Plain Text.

What You Lose When You Switch

Plain text is not without downsides. You lose:

• Visual hierarchy: Headings, bold, and bullet points are gone, so long emails become walls of text.
• Embedded images: Charts, product photos, and infographics won’t display—you’ll see a placeholder or nothing.
• Clickable buttons: “Click here� becomes a raw URL, which may be long and ugly.
• Formatting for tables: Tables lose their columns and become jumbled.
• Read receipts: Some senders rely on HTML to know if you read their email; in plain text, they won’t get that signal (which many consider a benefit).

Also, some emails are HTML-only. In that case, the client will try to strip the tags, but the result can be garbled—showing raw code like <div style="color:red"> or missing line breaks. This is rare but happens with poorly coded newsletters.

Common Misconception: “Plain Text Is Always Safer�

Plain text blocks tracking pixels and makes phishing URLs visible, but it does not make you immune to phishing. A malicious link in a plain-text email is still clickable—you just see the full URL. The danger is if you click it anyway. Also, plain text does nothing to stop malicious attachments; a PDF or Word file can still contain malware. So treat plain text as a layer of protection, not a silver bullet.

How to Choose: Should You Enable It Permanently?

For most people, the best approach is a middle ground:

• Keep HTML on by default for friends, family, and most work emails—you’ll get better formatting and images.
• Switch to plain text for unknown senders or when you suspect a phishing attempt.
• Use the “show original� feature in Gmail when you need to inspect a suspicious link without clicking it.

If you work in a security-sensitive field, or you’re tired of trackers, you can enable plain text globally and only switch to HTML for specific messages when needed (Outlook and Thunderbird let you do this with a one-click button).

Frequently Asked Questions

Will plain text break my email signatures?

Yes, if your signature uses images or fancy formatting, it will appear as plain text—often just the text part of the signature. Many email clients let you set a separate plain-text signature, so you can keep a simple one with your name and phone number.

Can I send an email in plain text instead of HTML?

Yes. In most clients, when composing a new message, you can switch the format to “Plain Text� (in Outlook, it’s under Format Text; in Gmail, click the three-dot menu in the compose window and select “Plain text mode�). This sends only the text version, which some recipients prefer.

Does plain text stop all tracking?

No. Tracking pixels are the most common tracker, and plain text blocks them. But some trackers use other methods, like a unique link that records when you click it. Plain text does not hide the link destination, but clicking it still reveals your IP address and tells the sender you clicked.

Why do some emails look broken in plain text?

Because the sender only provided an HTML version and your client has to guess how to strip the tags. The result can have missing spaces, weird characters, or broken lines. This is a sender issue, not a problem with your client.

Does plain text affect email deliverability?

No. Whether you read an email in plain text or HTML does not affect whether it gets delivered. It only affects how it is displayed on your screen.

Can I read plain text on my phone?

Yes. Most mobile email apps (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) have a plain text mode in settings. On iPhone’s Mail, you can also use the “Show as Plain Text� option when viewing a message (tap the reply arrow, then “Show as Plain Text�).

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