After a recent Outlook update, my entire mailbox layout changed unexpectedly. The folder pane became smaller, the preview pane shifted to the side, and fonts looked different. I searched for ways to reset Outlook View to Default because working with emails became frustrating. Thankfully, the fix was easier than expected.

One useful trick is to open Outlook and select the affected folder, usually the Inbox. Then go to the View menu and click Reset View. This restores the original layout settings instantly. If multiple folders are affected, running outlook.exe /cleanviews from the Run dialog can reset all customized views at once.

I also learned that Outlook add-ins can interfere with display settings. Disabling unnecessary COM add-ins solved several issues for me, especially random pane movement and missing columns. Another thing worth trying is Safe Mode using outlook.exe /safe. It launches Outlook with default settings and helps identify the root cause.

In my case, the real issue turned out to be PST corruption. I repaired the damaged file using the DRS Softech PST Recovery Tool, and Outlook started working smoothly again. It recovered emails, contacts, attachments, and even restored missing folders without changing the mailbox structure.