How to Set Utf-8 for Email

Set your outgoing messages to use UTF-8 to use Unicode in your messages.

UTF-8 is a character encoding format for text. Most email clients have the ability to send mail with UTF-8 encoding, which can be beneficial, particularly if you are sending a message to an international recipient whose email client might not be the same as yours. Configure your email client for UTF-8 encoding if you are using Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird.

Instructions

Microsoft Outlook

1. Click the "Tools" menu at the top of the screen, then click "Options."

2. Click the "Mail Format" tab, then click the "International Options" button.

3. Place a check in the box labeled "Enable UTF-8 support for mailto: protocol."

4. Click "OK" in each open window.

Microsoft Outlook Express and Windows Mail

1. Click the "Tools" menu at the top of the screen, then click "Options."

2. Click the "Send" tab, then click the "International Options" button in Windows Mail or the "International Settings" button in Outlook Express.

3. Click the drop-down menu next to "Default Encoding" and select "Unicode (UTF-8)."

4. Click "OK" in each open window.

Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Click the "Tools" menu at the top of the screen, then click "Options."

2. Click the "Display" tab, then click the "Advanced" button.

3. Click the "Outgoing Mail" drop-down menu and select "Unicode (UTF-8)."

4. Click "OK" in each open window.

References

• MozillaZine: Font Settings in Thunderbird
• Microsoft TechNet: Configure Automatic Message Encoding Options in Outlook 2007