Adjust Mail’s list view on your iPhone and iPad

Here’s how you adjust Mail’s list view on your iPhone and iPad. Show more messages, or more content– it’s up to you, and it’s easy too!

You can adjust the way Mail’s list views look on your iPhone and iPad! Just change the number of lines of “preview” shown in message lists such as the Inbox or Sent. It’s all personal preference, but as long as we’re given the option, let’s make it look the way we want it. Here’s how you adjust Mail’s list view.

The screenshots in this tutorial are from an iPhone 8 Plus but the instructions are exactly the same for any iPhone or iPad.

By default, Mail’s message lists show the sender’s name in bold on top, then the subject line under that, then two lines of the message content under that. It looks like this:

Default Mail list view on iOS, showing two lines of "preview" below the sender and subject.
Default look for Mail lists in iOS: Sender in bold, then the subject, then two lines of message preview.

You can fit more messages onto the screen by reducing the number of preview lines. Or, increase the number of preview lines to show fewer messages but more of their content. It’s all up to you!

Seeing more content might allow you to delete more messages without opening them since you’ll know more completely what they’re about. On the other hand, seeing less content but more messages per screen cuts down on scrolling, letting you quickly find messages visually. One can make arguments for adjusting Mail to show more preview lines, and for adjusting Mail to show fewer preview lines. It’s something you have to try for yourself.

You adjust Mail’s list view in the Settings:

Adjusting the Mail list view on iOS.
Settings–> Mail–> Preview

Here’s how it looks for “None,” “1 Line,” and “2 lines.”

Mail list view, showing zero, one, and two lines of preview text
Zero, one, and two lines of message preview

And here’s how it looks for “3 Lines,” “4 Lines,” and “5 Lines.”

Mail list view showing three, four, and five lines of preview.
Three, four, and five lines of message preview

It’s all up to you, and of course the text size is a consideration as well. Experiment with this setting and find what’s best for you.

Looking for more iOS Mail tips? Check out My Ten Best iOS Mail Tips: Shortcuts, Swipes, and Taps.

Copyright 2008-2024 Christian Boyce. All rights reserved.

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