This article explains how to change an email’s background color in Apple Mail. Instructions apply to macOS Catalina (10.15) through Mac OS X Mountain Lion (10.8).

What to Know

  • Manually highlight: Select message, go to Format > Show Colors, select a color. To save color for later, drag it from preview window to palette.Manually remove: Select message, to go Format > Show Colors > Pencils, select Snow or Licorice depending on the desired background.Automatically apply: Go to Mail > Preferences > Rules > Add Rule, set rules, go to Set Color > of background > Other, and select a color.

How to Manually Highlight Any Email With a Background Color in Mail Message List

Apple Mail contains customization options that let you filter, sort, and mark emails automatically based on various criteria. Of course, whatever tasks its rules can do, you can also perform manually.

One setting lets you change the background colors of messages in your inbox. Doing so calls extra attention to important emails as soon as you receive them. Here’s how to set and change the email color backgrounds in Mail’s inbox.

To change a message’s background color in Mail’s message list:

  • In Mail, open the Inbox, folder or smart folder containing the message.
  • Click the message for which you want to change the background color.
  • Select Show Colors under the Format menu.
  • The keyboard shortcut for Show Color is Shift+Command+C.
  • Pick the desired color using one of the five tabs at the top of the Show Color window.
  • The Color Wheel tab shows an array of colors along with a slider that lets you adjust the contrast. This option is the fastest way to pick a color.
  • The Sliders tab let you choose a shade based on the component colors. You can use grayscale, RGB, CMYK, and HSV.
  • The Palettes screen contains preset color groups. The options are web-safe colors, crayons, developer, and Apple’s own palette.
  • The Image Palettes tab creates a color profile based on a picture you upload.
  • Finally, the Pencils tab contain a variety of colored-pencil colors you can choose from.
  • Click the color you want to use, and Mail applies it to the background of the email in Mail’s message list. It doesn’t cause a color change on the opened email.
  • To save a color for later use, drag it from the preview window to the palette at the bottom of the window.

How to Remove Color Highlighting From a Message in the Mail Message List

You may want to reset a message’s highlight color to the default when you no longer need it to stand out. Here’s how to do it.

In Mail, open the Inbox, folder or smart folder containing the message.

Click the message for which you want to change the background color.

Select Show Colors under the Format menu.

The keyboard shortcut for Show Color is Shift+Command+C.

Pick the desired color using one of the five tabs at the top of the Show Color window.

The Color Wheel tab shows an array of colors along with a slider that lets you adjust the contrast. This option is the fastest way to pick a color.

The Sliders tab let you choose a shade based on the component colors. You can use grayscale, RGB, CMYK, and HSV.

The Palettes screen contains preset color groups. The options are web-safe colors, crayons, developer, and Apple’s own palette.

The Image Palettes tab creates a color profile based on a picture you upload.

Finally, the Pencils tab contain a variety of colored-pencil colors you can choose from.

Click the color you want to use, and Mail applies it to the background of the email in Mail’s message list. It doesn’t cause a color change on the opened email.

To save a color for later use, drag it from the preview window to the palette at the bottom of the window.

  • Click the message with the background color you want to change.
  • Select Show Colors under the Format menu,or press Shift+Command+C on your keyboard.
  • Go to the Pencils tab.
  • Select Snow if you use Light Mode. If you use Dark Mode in macOS Catalina (10.15) or Mojave (10.14), select Licorice to return the background color to the default.

How to Automatically Apply Color Highlighting to New Mail Messages

If you want Mail to apply background highlights to messages in the Message list as they arrive, you can set up a rule to do this. Here’s how.

Click the message with the background color you want to change.

Select Show Colors under the Format menu,or press Shift+Command+C on your keyboard.

Go to the Pencils tab.

Select Snow if you use Light Mode. If you use Dark Mode in macOS Catalina (10.15) or Mojave (10.14), select Licorice to return the background color to the default.

  • Select Preferences under the Mail menu or using the keyboard shortcut Command+, (comma).
  • Click the Rules tab.
  • Select Add Rule.
  • Type a name for the new rule in the text box.
  • To isolate a particular sender, select From in the first pull-down menu.
  • This menu contains several other options to highlight different messages. The main ones you’ll probably use are the To, From, and Subject fields.
  • In the second pull-down box, select the option that best suits your needs.
  • Use contains to look for a particular keyword or phrase. This option is most useful if you’re filtering based on the subject line.Use does not contain to exclude a keyword or phrase. For the purposes of this rule, this condition won’t be useful.Begins with lets you enter a word or phrase such as a username.Ends with is useful if you want to highlight messages from a particular domain, such as the one your employer uses.Is equal to is best for picking out a specific email address.
  • Type the email address or domain you want to highlight in the text box on the right side of the row.
  • In the second row, select Set Color from the first pull-down menu. The next two fields change.
  • In the second menu, choose of background.
  • The third menu contains preset options. To set a different color, select Other.
  • The color menu appears. Find the color you want to use for your rule and click it to select. When you select a color, it appears in the rule menu next to Other.
  • Click OK.
  • Mail asks if you want to apply the new rule to the messages you’ve already received that meet its conditions:
  • Choose Don’t Apply to only highlight new messages.Select Apply to also highlight past emails.
  • To highlight additional emails in the same color, click the plus sign at the end of the first row and repeat Steps 5 through 7.
  • To highlight emails in a different color, you must create a new rule.

Select Preferences under the Mail menu or using the keyboard shortcut Command+, (comma).

Click the Rules tab.

Select Add Rule.

Type a name for the new rule in the text box.

To isolate a particular sender, select From in the first pull-down menu.

This menu contains several other options to highlight different messages. The main ones you’ll probably use are the To, From, and Subject fields.

In the second pull-down box, select the option that best suits your needs.

  • Use contains to look for a particular keyword or phrase. This option is most useful if you’re filtering based on the subject line.Use does not contain to exclude a keyword or phrase. For the purposes of this rule, this condition won’t be useful.Begins with lets you enter a word or phrase such as a username.Ends with is useful if you want to highlight messages from a particular domain, such as the one your employer uses.Is equal to is best for picking out a specific email address.

Type the email address or domain you want to highlight in the text box on the right side of the row.

In the second row, select Set Color from the first pull-down menu. The next two fields change.

In the second menu, choose of background.

The third menu contains preset options. To set a different color, select Other.

The color menu appears. Find the color you want to use for your rule and click it to select. When you select a color, it appears in the rule menu next to Other.

Click OK.

Mail asks if you want to apply the new rule to the messages you’ve already received that meet its conditions:

  • Choose Don’t Apply to only highlight new messages.Select Apply to also highlight past emails.

To highlight additional emails in the same color, click the plus sign at the end of the first row and repeat Steps 5 through 7.

To highlight emails in a different color, you must create a new rule.

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