Unlock iPhone Mail’s Secret Formatting Trick for Perfectly Indented Text & Quote Levels!

If you’re a frequent iPhone user, odds are pretty high that you’re also an avid user of the built-in Mail app. It’s a quick, easy way to check your email on-the-go, and it comes pre-installed on all iOS devices. However, like many email clients, there are some hidden formatting options that can improve your emailing experience. In this article, we’ll teach you how to unlock Mail’s secret formatting trick for perfectly indented text and quote levels.

Step 1: Open the Mail app

First things first, make sure you’ve opened the Mail app on your iPhone. Once you’ve launched the app, create a new email by tapping on the compose icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

Step 2: Type your text and quotes

To use Mail’s secret formatting trick, you’ll need to type out a few lines of text (or copy-paste some) that you want to indent or format as a quote. For example, you might start your email with a brief introduction, followed by a block of text that you want to format as a quote. Here’s a quick example:

Hi there,

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to follow up on our previous conversation regarding the new project. As we discussed, the timeline is tight, but I’m confident we can get things done on time.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston S. Churchill

Step 3: Select your text

Once you have your text and quotes typed out, you’ll need to select the appropriate sections. To do this, simply tap and hold your finger on the first word of the text or quote, and then drag your finger to the end of the selection. You can also tap the screen once to select the nearest word, and then drag the blue selection handles until you’ve highlighted the desired text.

Step 4: Use the indent and quote buttons

Now that you’ve selected your text or quote, you can use the hidden formatting trick to indent or format it accordingly. To do this, simply tap the right-facing arrow button in the pop-up menu that appears above your selected text. This will bring up a new set of formatting options, including the ability to indent your text or format it as a quote.

If you want to indent your text, simply tap on the “Increase Indent Level” button. This will move your selected text to the right, creating more space between the left margin and the start of the text. If you want to format your text as a quote, tap on the “Quote Level” button instead. This will add a vertical line to the left margin of your selected text, indicating that it’s a quote.

Step 5: Repeat as necessary

Continue selecting and formatting your text or quotes as desired, using the indent and quote buttons as needed. You can also mix and match the two formats, using quotes for some sections and indents for others. And if you ever want to return to the default formatting, simply select the text again and tap the “Clear All Formatting” button in the pop-up menu.

Final Words

With Mail’s secret formatting trick, you can easily add more hierarchy and organization to your emails. Whether you’re using indents to create a bullet-point list or quotes to emphasize important points, this feature is a great way to make your emails look more professional and polished. So give it a try and see how it can improve your emailing experience!

This article explains how to increase or decrease the quote levels in an email you are forwarding in the iPhone Mail app. Instructions apply to iPhones with iOS 14, iOS 13, iOS 12, or iOS 11.

What to Know

  • At bottom of email, tap arrow > Forward. Fill in recipient’s name and add message, if needed.Next, double-click a word in a line or section > drag the handles to expand the selection.In pop-up menu, tap arrow > choose Quote Level. Tap Increase to indent text; tap Decrease to remove text.

Indent or Decrease Indent Text in Forwarded iPhone Email

The most recent remark in an email thread is colored black. After that, the text entries from the email participants appear in different colors. The degree to which the text is offset is referred to as the quote level. In replies to emails, delete unneeded portions of the email for clarity. When you forward an email message, you can change the quote (and indent) level of the text with a few taps.

To increase or decrease the level of quotation for selected text in a forwarded email:

  • Open the email you plan to forward and tap the arrow at the bottom of the screen.
  • Select Forward in the menu that appears.
  • Add the recipient’s email address and type a message to explain the forward, if desired.
  • Double-click a word in the line or section for which you want to change the quotations level. Drag the handles to expand the selection box over the lines you want to alter.
  • Tap the arrow in the pop-up menu bar above the selected text to expand the options and then tap Quote Level.
  • Tap either Decrease or Increase to change the quotation level of the section you highlighted. Tap Decrease to remove a level of indentation. Tap Increase to add a level of indentation.
  • Tap Decrease repeatedly to remove the quotation levels. The chosen text aligns along the left margin and is colored black.
  • Tap Send to forward the email.

Add Quotation Levels Manually in New Mail

The Mail app adds the quotation levels automatically as emails are exchanged in a thread.

Open the email you plan to forward and tap the arrow at the bottom of the screen.

Select Forward in the menu that appears.

Add the recipient’s email address and type a message to explain the forward, if desired.

Double-click a word in the line or section for which you want to change the quotations level. Drag the handles to expand the selection box over the lines you want to alter.

Tap the arrow in the pop-up menu bar above the selected text to expand the options and then tap Quote Level.

Tap either Decrease or Increase to change the quotation level of the section you highlighted. Tap Decrease to remove a level of indentation. Tap Increase to add a level of indentation.

Tap Decrease repeatedly to remove the quotation levels. The chosen text aligns along the left margin and is colored black.

Tap Send to forward the email.

To apply quotation levels manually in a new outgoing email you are composing, select the text you want to apply a quotation level to and choose Quote Level > Increase (or Decrease) from the pop-up menu, the same as you do when changing levels in a forwarded email.

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