How to Use Rich HTML Text Formatting in AIM Mail or AOL Mail

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 AOL

by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated August 04, 2018

Using AIM Mail and AOL Mail in Internet Explorer, you can use some HTML formatting for the text in the emails you write. You can make passages bold, italic or underlined, for example, or choose a different font and font size. The color of both text and background can also be changed, and you can create bullet lists easily.

Use Rich HTML Text Formatting in AIM Mail or AOL Mail

To use rich HTML text formatting in AIM Mail or AOL Mail:

  • Choose Settings from the upper AIM Mail or AOL Mail navigation bar.
  • Go to the Authoring category.
  • Make sure Use Rich Text / HTML Editing is checked under Composing.
  • Click Save.
  • Make sure you use Internet Explorer on Windows (or a browser using Internet Explorer rendering, such as Netscape 8) when composing a message in which you want to use rich text formatting.

For email clients and services that cannot display HTML-formatted messages, AIM Mail automatically produces an alternative plain text version of the rich messages you send.