How to Highlight Text in Yahoo Mail Messages

Make your text stand out when sending messages with Yahoo Mail

Close-up of pen on underlined text

Maulashree Shanbhag/EyeEm/Getty Images

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
our editorial process
Heinz Tschabitscher
Updated January 06, 2020

Yahoo Mail offers several ways to make text stand out when composing a message. For example, highlight text by adding a background color. There are even keyboard shortcuts you can use to apply underline, bold, and italic formatting quickly.

Instructions in this article apply to the standard web version of Yahoo Mail. Yahoo Mail Basic and the Yahoo Mail mobile app offer limited formatting options.

How to Underline, Bold, or Italicize Text in Yahoo Mail

Highlight the text you wish to format, and then enter one of the following shortcuts:

  • Press Ctrl+B (Windows, Linux) or Command+B (Mac) for bold text.
  • Press Ctrl+I (Windows, Linux) or Command+I (Mac) for italics.
  • Press Ctrl+U (Windows, Linux) or Command+U (Mac) for underlined text.

In addition, selecting the text you want to format and then choosing the Bold or Italic button on the toolbar at the bottom of the message window will change the format of the selected text.

How to Highlight Text With a Color in Yahoo Mail

One way to make text stand out in an email message is to call out text by changing its background color. Yahoo Mail provides formatting tools that enable you to highlight text with your choice of colors. You can change the color of both the font and the background.

  1. Select the text that you want to highlight, go to the message toolbar, and then select the Text Color button.

    Text color icon in Yahoo Mail

  2. In the Text group, select a color for the text.

    Text color picker in Yahoo Mail

  3. In the Highlight group, select a color for the text background.

How to Change the Text Size in Yahoo Mail

Making the text larger might be another suitable way to emphasize your email message.

  1. Select the text that you want to highlight, go to the message toolbar, and then select the Font button near the right end of the toolbar.

    Screenshot of Font button on message toolbar

  2. Select a size to apply it to the text. There are six size options:

  • Tiny
  • Small
  • Medium
  • Large
  • X-Large
  • Huge

You can also choose from seven different fonts in this menu.

Screenshot of text size options in Yahoo Mail

It is possible to change the size of the text of the entire email message or select different words or sections of text and change the sizes within the body of the email.

Not all email programs display highlights or other types of text formatting.

You can also change fonts for emphasis in Yahoo Mail or use ready-made email stationery.