I can't highlight and delete text inside outlook emails for mac

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. I understand how frustrating it is when you try to highlight or delete text in Outlook for Mac and nothing responds, especially when you rely on email editing for daily communication. It can feel like Outlook suddenly stopped working the way it should.

This behavior usually occurs when Outlook for Mac opens the message in a non‑editable mode, often because the message is being viewed instead of opened in full edit mode, or the message format is set to plain text, which can limit editing controls. In other cases, the New Outlook for Mac may temporarily disable editing if the account is syncing or if the message is part of a conversation where Outlook locks the content. Opening the message in a separate window, switching the format to HTML, or restarting Outlook typically restores normal edit behaviors. These steps match Microsoft’s guidance for resolving editing issues in Outlook for Mac.

To better understand what you are experiencing, are you unable to edit only replies and forwards, or does this happen even when composing a brand‑new email? That detail helps identify whether this is a formatting issue or a New Outlook editing restriction.

Please feel free to follow up and I’ll be happy to guide you step‑by‑step until you can highlight, edit, and delete text normally again in Outlook for Mac.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Noel

In Outlook for Mac, text selection and deletion inside email bodies use the same underlying editor behaviors as Word for Mac, so issues often come from editing preferences or selection behavior rather than Outlook itself.

Try these steps:

1. Check selection behavior
   • Verify that text can be selected at all (the text should highlight when dragging with the trackpad/mouse or using Shift+arrow keys).
   • If dragging with the trackpad is unreliable, use alternative selection methods:
     • Click at the start of the text, then hold Shift and click at the end of the text.
     • Or click in the text and use Shift + Left/Right arrow keys to extend the selection.
   • If these methods work, the issue is likely with drag-selection behavior on macOS/trackpad rather than Outlook itself.
2. Use keyboard shortcuts to delete
   • After selecting text, press Delete to remove it.
   • To delete characters without selecting:
     • Delete removes the character to the left of the cursor.
     • Fn+Delete (or the forward delete key, if present) removes the character to the right of the cursor.
3. Verify cursor movement and selection keys
   • Use these keys to confirm the editor is responding correctly:
     • Move cursor left/right: Left/Right arrow.
     • Move cursor up/down: Up/Down arrow.
     • Move to beginning/end of line: Command+Left/Right arrow.
     • Move to beginning/end of paragraph: Option+Up/Down arrow.
   • Combine with Shift to select text while moving the cursor.
4. If selection works but text will not delete
   • This behavior can mirror Word for Mac when certain edit preferences are disabled. In Word, enabling “Delete selected text when you type” resolves similar issues. Outlook for Mac does not expose the same option directly in its UI, but if the problem appears only in Outlook and not in other apps, reinstalling or resetting Office profile data (as described for Office apps in the context) can help:
     • Quit Outlook and other Office apps.
     • Remove Office app containers and Group Containers as per the Office reset steps, then reinstall Office.
5. Use plain keyboard-only editing if drag-select is unreliable
   • Rely on Shift + arrow keys for precise selection and Delete/Fn+Delete for removal. This avoids any trackpad/drag-related issues.

If none of the above works (no selection at all, or Delete never removes selected text), a full Office for Mac reset and reinstall following the documented removal of app containers and Group Containers is recommended.

References:

• Keyboard shortcuts in Outlook for Mac
• Outlook for Mac features
• Microsoft Office apps for Mac quit unexpectedly - Microsoft Q&A
• Delete Text - Microsoft Q&A
• I cannot copy text on word. I have a MacBook and I can highlight and copy on every other platform but Word. Any fix or solution? - Microsoft Q&A
• How do I select text with a trackpad? - Microsoft Q&A