MS Outlook has become a trusted & reliable email client for many users for their personal or organisational communication. However, users sometimes face a “body of email not showing in Outlook” error, where the email body appears blank or the message content fails to load, even though attachments such as images or documents may still be present.

In this article, we’ll answer your question, “Why is the body of my email not showing in Outlook?” and offer you effective steps to recover your missing content.

What You’ll Learn Hide
  1. Instant Checks Before Deep Fixing
  2. Why Is Outlook Not Displaying Body of Message?
  3. Troubleshooting Steps for “Outlook Message Body Disappears”
  4. Some Special Cases
  5. Safeguards for Future Challenges
  6. Conclusion

Instant Checks Before Deep Fixing

  1. Verify Network Connectivity: If unstable, make sure that your internet connection is strong, as it can help in avoiding errors like “Outlook message body disappears”.
  2. Restart Outlook: You can launch your Outlook again in safe mode, which temporarily turns off all the add-ins.

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  3. Check in OWA: If your Outlook not displaying the body of message on your PC, then you may try in Outlook Web Access to verify that the body appears online.
  4. Switch Folders: Shift the conversation into a different folder, like draft, or another folder, to see if the content is visible.

Know the exact reason given below, like why they’re not appearing:

Why Does Body of Email Appear Blank in Outlook?

Before jumping into the solution, it’s necessary to understand why it’s happening. Here are some common reasons given below:

  • Outdated System: If you are working on an older version of Outlook or Windows, it may not support the modern or new email formats.
  • Damaged View Settings: An incorrect Reading Pane or a custom view may also prevent the conversation from being visible.
  • Firewall/Antivirus Restriction: If these are configured with a high-end security level, then they’ll block the HTML text in Outlook.
  • Add-in Conflicts: Some third-party add-ins or rules may also block & even render Outlook’s performance.
  • Formatting Errors: The content of emails is written in rich text, embedded with attachments, which takes time to open.

There may also be platform-specific issues, such as the body of emails not showing in Outlook for Mac, and facing some issues with the system as compared to Windows. Never mind, here are some step-by-step fixes given below:

Troubleshooting Steps for “Outlook Message Body Disappears”

  1. Reset Reading Pane or View
  2. Turn Off Add-Ins
  3. Update System
  4. Repair the Data File
  5. Verify the Firewall & Antivirus Rules
  6. Create New Outlook Account
  7. Use Automated Method to View Content

Let’s know how they work with an explanation:

1) Reset Reading Pane & View

Sometimes the error is in Outlook itself, as its reading view is modified or customised, and if it’s misconfigured, it can hide the body.

  1. Go to View > Reset View to default settings.
  2. Then, navigate to View > Reading Pane and choose OFF.
  3. Close Outlook & Launch it again, shift it back to Right.

This makes Outlook restore the missing email content.

2) Turn off Add-ins

Outdated or wrong add-ins may interfere with the Outlook workflow.

  1. Open File > Options > Add-Ins.
  2. Choose COM Add-ins and press Go.

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  3. Disable the third-party add-ins or unwanted ones.
  4. Start your Outlook again.

Enable the add-ins again if your body has now appeared.

3) Update Windows or Outlook

Sometimes, Outlook not displaying body of message due to an older, outdated version. Ensure your client is updated to its latest version as well as your system.

  1. Open Outlook, nav to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.
  2. Install all updates which are available and start Outlook again.
  3. To update the system, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

This solves the “body of email not showing in Outlook” error to prevent the challenges.

4) Verify Firewall & Antivirus Rules

If some antivirus software restricts the HTML scripts, then you should fix it by:

  • Temporarily turn off your antivirus for real-time detection.
  • Check if your body of emails is visible.
  • If yes, then open antivirus settings and enable it again for protection.

This avoids the security system from accidentally disappearing the content.

5) Create New Outlook Account

If none of the above fixes work, it shows that your Outlook account is corrupted. So, the only solution left is making a new one to solve the Outlook message body disappears permanently.

  1. Close Outlook.
  2. Open Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.
  3. Press on Add, make a New Profile and configure it.
  4. Set as Default to your new Outlook account.

It helps your Outlook to be in a free & clean environment.

6) Repair the Data File

If your Outlook files got corrupted, then there is a chance that where email body may disappear. It can be fixed by using the built-in inbox repair tool (ScanPST.exe).

  1. Quit your Outlook.
  2. Locate ScanPST.exe, which is usually in the installation folder.
  3. Launch the tool by selecting your data file.
  4. Tap on Start to recover it.

After completing, then launch Outlook again, maybe then your missing messages will appear. Do note that oftentimes the Microsoft Inbox Repair Tool stops responding and thus, experts highly recommend you opt for the automated alternative to avoid all the hassle.

7) Solve “Body of Email Not Showing in Outlook” Using an Automated Software

If you’ve tried all of the methods above and your Outlook message body is still disappeared, then the problem may be with your files or internal structure, which may be severely damaged. If you have a bigger corrupt file, then it might not be handled properly with ScanPST alone. So, we’ll recommend using the SysTools PST Repair Tool, which can easily manage without using the built-in tool. It is a great alternative to the hassle that manual procedures bring with them. Moreover, the tool is fully compatible with both Windows & Mac OS. Therefore, you can easily recover your Outlook PST files to great health without any hassle.

Alternative Solution to Read the Email Content When It Is Blank

SysTools PST Viewer will surely help you as it can open and view your emails, even if the file is corrupted. This professional tool ensures that users can read the email body, metadata and view the attachments without using Outlook. There is no file size limitation, so large files can be opened easily and smoothly.

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Some Special Cases

Outlook Image in Body of Email Not Showing

  1. Turn on downloading pictures automatically in File > Options> Trust Centre.
  2. Check the proxy or any security settings which might be blocking the content.

Body of Email Not Showing in Outlook Mac

  1. Ensure your macOS system, along with Outlook for Mac, are up to date.
  2. Clear Outlook cache by navigating to Outlook > Preferences > Accounts > Advanced > Empty Cache.
  3. Run in OWA, if your body is visible, then create your Outlook account again.

Safeguards for Future Challenges

  • Always keep both your system, whether it’s Windows or macOS, as well as your email client, updated to its latest version.
  • Disable the unnecessary or third-party add-ins if they’re interfering with your Outlook performance.
  • If you haven’t added the antivirus, then configure it for better performance.

Conclusion

Sometimes, while trying to open an Outlook email, you will realize that the body of email is not showing in Outlook. In this article, we’ve elaborated on some manual techniques which can be simply followed by implementing the steps. Moreover, if the manual method fails to fix the body of email missing in Outlook, then it is suggested to use the automated tools as mentioned above.