Gmail, the free webmail service from the internet giant Google, is the most powerful and preferred email service. The team behind Gmail at Google has been doing a fantastic job by regularly updating Gmail to add new features and improve the interface.
Though many technology blogs are reporting that Gmail will soon switch a new interface that is radically different from what it is right now, there will always be workarounds to get your desired look. As you likely know by now, Gmail lets you change the default background (theme) and has tons of options to personalize default look.
A couple of weeks ago, I was just wondering if it was possible to change the default look of Gmail to our liking and came across a nice theme that makes your Gmail look like Outlook.com, well almost. If you love the clean interface of Outlook.com and want to get the same in your Gmail, you can try out this Outlook.com theme for Gmail.
Since we can’t apply third-party themes directly in Gmail, we need to install a free extension called Stylish. Stylish is a free extension available for both Firefox and Chrome to customize the interface of your favourite websites by installing new themes.
Outlook.com theme for Gmail
Those who are not sure how to install Stylish and get the look of Outlook.com in Gmail can follow the given below instructions.
Step 1: Open your Firefox or Chrome browser. Search for Stylish extension and then install the same.
Step 2: After installing Stylish and restarting your browser, you’ll see Stylish icon next to the Search box or omnibar (Chrome).
Step 3: Now visit this page of userstyles.org and click the install button to install the theme.
Step 4: Open Gmail in your browser and change Gmail’s theme to Light or Soft Gray. To change the theme, click on the Gear icon and then click Themes.
Step 5: In order to get Outlook.com look, you need to turn off tabs in your inbox. To do so, please follow the instructions in our how to disable tabs in Gmail guide.
You should now get the Outlook.com look in your Gmail, as shown in the above picture.
Step 6: If the Outlook.com theme is not appearing, click on the Stylish button, deselect Outlook.com style for Gmail and then select the same to apply it again.
The good thing is that you can personalize the theme to your liking, if you know how to edit the theme. To edit the downloaded theme, click on Stylish button, click Manage styles and then click Edit button.
Sheree Kenner says
Seems good except for the disclaimer that it “can read and change all the data on websites I visit”. I don’t think that’s necessary to apply a theme. No thanks.
Mary says
I tried Stylish, but when I applied it, it conflicted with my ‘Gmail Label Column Resizer” extension and would not allow me to expand my column. Since I use the label quiet frequently, I had to uninstall Stylish. :(
Angela says
Great instructions – thanks!