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In current AOL Mail, turn on the Rich Text/HTML compose setting. Open Settings → More Settings → Writing email, select the option equivalent to Use Rich Text/HTML, save if prompted, and start a new message. In older AOL layouts, the same control is documented under Options → Mail Settings → Compose.
This enables formatted email—fonts, colors, links, images and similar controls. It is not the same as opening and editing the message’s raw HTML source, as you might have done with an older Hotmail command such as “Edit in HTML.”
Turn on HTML-formatted composition in current AOL Mail
- Sign in to AOL Mail.
- Click the Settings gear.
- Choose More Settings.
- Open Writing email.
- Find the rich-text/HTML compose preference and choose the option equivalent to Use Rich Text/HTML or Use Rich Text/HTML Formatting.
- Click Save if AOL presents a save button.
- Click Compose and check that a formatting toolbar appears.
AOL’s current settings documentation uses the Settings → More Settings structure, while its compose documentation preserves older labels and terminology. Menu names can vary by account, inbox version and rollout. See AOL’s mail-settings guide and compose guide if your labels differ.
If you have the older AOL interface
Some AOL help pages and older accounts show this path:
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- Click Options below your username.
- Choose Mail Settings.
- Open the Compose tab.
- Beside Rich Text/HTML, select Use Rich Text/HTML or Use Rich Text/HTML Formatting.
- Save the change, then open a new message.
Treat this as an alternate or legacy layout, not a guarantee that every AOL account still displays those exact menus.
What the setting actually does
With rich-text/HTML composition enabled, the visual editor can normally apply formatting such as:
- Font family and size
- Bold, italic and underline
- Text and background colors
- Hyperlinks
- Images and signatures
- Basic paragraph and list formatting
The browser editor may not expose every control in every account. “HTML” here generally means AOL sends a formatted HTML version of the message; it does not establish that you can edit the underlying <table>, <style> or inline-CSS source.
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Rich text is not an HTML source editor
If your goal is to paste a complete newsletter or webpage, AOL Mail’s documented web settings do not provide a Hotmail-style raw-source editor. The historical SitePoint discussion that prompted this question also distinguishes formatted HTML mail from editing the actual markup (discussion).
For example, pasting this into a normal visual compose box:
<table><tr><td>Hello</td></tr></table>may show the tags literally, sanitize them, or otherwise fail to create the layout you intended. Enabling Rich Text/HTML does not make arbitrary source code execute in the editor. Pasting rendered content from a browser or document may preserve some formatting, but it can also bring unwanted markup, odd characters or broken links.
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Web-page HTML is also not automatically email-ready. External stylesheets, JavaScript, forms, relative image paths and modern layout features are commonly removed or blocked by mail systems. Email templates usually need conservative markup, inline styles and absolute asset URLs.
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If you use AOL Desktop Gold rather than browser-based AOL Mail, open the Write window and use its formatting toolbar. AOL documents controls for fonts, sizes, colors, hyperlinks, images and related formatting in Desktop Gold. That is still visual HTML composition, not documented full-message source editing.
Troubleshooting
The Rich Text/HTML option is missing
- Look under Settings → More Settings → Writing email, not general inbox preferences.
- Search the settings page for rich text, HTML, formatting or default font.
- Open a new, expanded compose window; a narrow window can hide the toolbar.
- Confirm whether you are in the mobile app, a mobile browser or Desktop Gold, since each has different controls.
- If no visual editor or source editor is offered, the feature may not be available to that account or interface.
HTML tags appear as text
You likely pasted literal source into a visual editor or were composing in plain-text mode. Enable Rich Text/HTML before composing, and do not expect a complete HTML file pasted into the message body to be parsed as a template.
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Formatting disappears after sending
Send a simple test to another account and compare the Sent copy with the received message. Possible causes include plain-text composition, recipient settings that prefer plain text, AOL sanitizing unsupported markup, blocked remote images, or webpage HTML that is not email-compatible. The recipient’s mail application and security settings ultimately control how the HTML part is displayed.
You need one message in plain text
AOL’s current web documentation describes a saved compose preference, not a clearly documented per-message source-format switch. If your account does not expose a one-message format control, use another mail client when that distinction matters rather than assuming a hidden “HTML source” menu exists.
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| Need | Practical choice |
|---|---|
| Bold text, colors, links or simple images | AOL Mail Rich Text/HTML |
| One-off formatted AOL message | AOL Mail or AOL Desktop Gold |
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Thunderbird gives you an account-level HTML composition setting at Account Settings → Composition & Addressing → Compose messages in HTML format; Mozilla’s support material explains the setting (HTML composition). Source insertion or editing may require version-specific commands or extensions, and Mozilla notes that markup intended for a document’s <head> may not fit a body-only insertion workflow (Insert HTML discussion).
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For a newsletter, also consider subscriber consent, unsubscribe requirements, sending limits, domain authentication and rendering previews. Do not paste untrusted HTML: it can contain tracking pixels, external requests, misleading links or other unwanted content.
Bottom line
Use Settings → More Settings → Writing email → Rich Text/HTML in current AOL Mail, or Options → Mail Settings → Compose in the older layout. That setting creates a formatted HTML email. If you need to insert or modify the complete HTML source, AOL’s documented web editor is probably the wrong tool; use an HTML-capable mail client or a purpose-built email platform instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AOL Mail render pasted HTML code?
Not reliably. Literal tags pasted into the visual compose field may appear as text or be sanitized. Rich Text/HTML enables visual formatting; it does not document a raw-source editor.
Why does my recipient see plain text?
The message may have been composed as plain text, or the recipient’s mail client or preference may display the plain-text part. Unsupported markup and blocked images can also change the appearance.
Is AOL Desktop Gold the same as AOL Mail webmail?
No. Desktop Gold has its own Write-window toolbar. Both support visual formatting, but AOL’s documentation does not describe either as a complete HTML-source editor.
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