Note:Please ensure that Draftable Legal is running and open in the background; otherwise, Redline in Email will not correctly operate in Outlook.
Remote desktop, Citrix, and RDP environments are supported from Redline in Email version 1.1.31.1 onwards.
The screens below reflect the Redline in Email 2.1.0 interface, which introduced a single unified menu for both reading and composing. If your task pane looks different, update the add-in to the latest version.
Using Draftable Redline in Email
Redline in Email lets you mark up email replies and review changes without leaving Outlook. From version 2.1.0, everything is driven from one “I want to…” menu that adapts to what you are doing: Compose actions when you are writing a reply, and Read actions when you are reviewing a received email.Opening Redline in Email
1
Open or reply to an email
To review a received email, open it. To redline your own reply, open the email and select Reply (or Reply All) so you have a draft to work in.
2
Launch the add-in
On the Outlook ribbon, open Apps (the apps launcher) and select Redline in Email. The Draftable task pane opens on the right-hand side.
There are also Compare attachments and 1-Click Compare options available through the separate Draftable ribbon. This article covers the Redline in Email task pane.
The Redline in Email menu
The task pane opens on the “I want to…” menu. The actions available depend on whether you are reading or composing, so options that do not apply are greyed out (hover a greyed action to see why).- When composing a reply
- When reading an email
The Compose actions are active — Redline my changes (“Show the changes that you have made to the current email.”) and Redline my selection (“Redline only the selected text in your email.”). Accept or reject changes is also available.
Accept or reject changes is the one action available in both modes. The other three are mode-specific. The menu also has Settings and How to use Redline in Email (quick help).
Compose: redline your reply
Redline my changes
1
Edit your reply, then select Redline my changes
Make your edits in the reply, then choose Redline my changes. Draftable compares your draft (including the conversation history below your reply) against the baseline email and shows a redline of your changes — deletions struck through, insertions underlined. The totals for changes, insertions, and deletions appear beneath the preview, and the Synced with email badge means the preview updates automatically as you keep editing.
2
Apply or copy the redline
Select Apply to Email to write the redline into your reply. Once applied, the change appears as markup in the email body and the badge changes to Not synced — the email now contains the redline, so the preview no longer tracks further edits. (To copy the redline instead of applying it, use Copy; see Copy, Apply, and Create New Email.)
Redline my selection
If you only want to redline part of the email rather than the whole reply, use Redline my selection.1
Select the text, then choose Redline my selection
Highlight the text you want to redline in the email body first, then choose Redline my selection. The preview shows a redline of just that selection. (If you run it without selecting anything, the pane prompts you: “No content selected. Please select text before running Redline.”)
2
Show surrounding context (optional)
Select Show surrounding context (the eye button beneath the preview) to see the selection within the wider email, with the surrounding text greyed out. Select Hide surrounding context to return to just the selection.
Read: review a received email
Compare against an earlier email
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Choose Compare against an earlier email
Open the received email and select Compare against an earlier email. Draftable compares it against the previous version in the conversation (including the conversation history) and marks every difference, with the totals shown beneath the preview.
2
Change the baseline (optional)
Select Change Baseline (“Change the older email being compared against.”) to compare against a different earlier email. Choose the email you want, then select Select This Email.
3
Move on to Accept or reject changes
When you are ready to work through the changes, select Accept/Reject Changes.
Accept or reject changes
Use Accept or reject changes to work through the changes in a redlined email. Select a change in the preview, then use the toolbar to accept or reject it. A counter tracks your progress — the current change, how many you have accepted and rejected, and how many remain.
What each toolbar button does
The toolbar runs left to right. Hovering any button in Outlook shows the same tooltip listed here.Undo is greyed out until you accept or reject at least one change, then it becomes available. As you accept or reject, the counter updates and the selection advances to the next change automatically.
If you accidentally accept or reject a change, press Ctrl+Z (or the Undo button) to reverse it.
Copy, Apply, and Create New Email
Depending on the screen and whether you are composing or reading, the preview offers these actions:- Copy — copies the preview to your clipboard so you can paste it into an email. If you have selected text within the preview, Copy copies only that selection (the button reads Copy selection). After copying, Draftable reminds you to paste using Keep Source Formatting so the markup is preserved.
- Apply to Email (compose) — writes the finished redline into your reply.
- Create New Email (read) — opens a new email containing your accepted and rejected changes.
Settings: include images in comparisons
Open Settings from the menu to control whether images are compared. Compare images is off by default; turning it on includes image changes in the redline, but “This can slow compares, especially in large emails.”
Quick help
For a reminder of what each action does, select How to use Redline in Email from the menu. It explains each workflow and includes a Good to know section:- Change Baseline — the baseline is the earlier email (including its conversation history) used to compare with your current email. Use Change Baseline to choose another earlier email in the conversation.
- Synced with email — edits to your email body automatically update the redline preview. Reverting a change in the preview stops syncing, so your preview edits are not overwritten.
- Revert a change — select a marked change in the preview and choose Revert to leave it out of the redline applied to your email. This changes the preview, not your draft.
Redline in Email not working for a text change? If the panel will not load, you hit a message size limit, or the redline will not apply to your reply, you can build the redline manually in Draftable Legal and paste it into your email. See Redline in Email workaround: create a text redline in Draftable Legal.