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How to Fix Question Marks in Boxes in Outlook for Mac
Question details
Users are seeing boxed question marks instead of normal text in the Outlook for Mac Out of Office dialog.
- Product
- Outlook for Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Setting up or viewing the Out of Office (Automatic Replies) dialog in Outlook for Mac.
- Observed behavior
- Text fails to render correctly, displaying as question marks enclosed in square boxes due to a font-rendering or font-cache problem.
Save any draft emails and completely quit Microsoft Outlook and all other Office applications before attempting to clear your macOS system font cache.
Reset the macOS Font Cache
Clearing a corrupted system font cache forces macOS to rebuild it, which is the most effective way to resolve boxed question mark rendering errors.
macOS relies on a font cache to quickly load text across applications. When this cache becomes corrupted, applications like Outlook may fail to render text, defaulting to boxed question marks instead. You can clear this safely using Safe Mode or Terminal.
Shut down your Mac completely. Turn it on and immediately press and hold the 'Shift' key until the Apple logo and progress bar appear. Logging into Safe Mode automatically clears the system font caches.
Once logged into Safe Mode, restart your Mac normally without holding any keys. Open Outlook for Mac and check the Out of Office dialog to see if the text renders properly.
If Safe Mode doesn't work, open the 'Terminal' app from Applications > Utilities. Type 'sudo atsutil databases -remove', press Enter, type your Mac admin password, and restart the computer.
Change Outlook's Default Fonts
Switching your default application fonts to universally supported options like Arial or Calibri can bypass localized font corruption.
Rebuild Third-Party Font Libraries or Reinstall Office
If you use font management software or if the Microsoft 365 installation is damaged, you may need to manually rebuild your libraries or reinstall the suite.
Experience Fast and Stable Document Editing with WPS Office
If you frequently encounter frustrating rendering bugs and caching issues in Microsoft Office on your Mac, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly stable environment for all your document, spreadsheet, and presentation needs without the hefty subscription fees.
- 1. Download for Mac: Visit the WPS Office website and download the official macOS installer.
- 2. Install the Suite: Open the downloaded package and drag the WPS Office icon to your Applications folder.
- 3. Open Your Files instantly: Launch WPS Office and seamlessly open your existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files without format loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do question marks appear in boxes instead of text on my Mac?
This happens when macOS cannot find the correct font character in its active font cache, usually due to font cache corruption, a missing system font, or a conflicting third-party font manager overriding default text.
Will clearing the Mac font cache delete my installed fonts?
No. Clearing the font cache only removes the temporary index files macOS uses to load fonts quickly. Your actual font files remain perfectly safe, and the system will automatically rebuild a fresh cache the next time you boot up.
Does reinstalling Outlook for Mac delete my emails and contacts?
No, uninstalling the Outlook application file does not remove your Outlook profile data. Your emails, contacts, and calendar events are stored safely in a separate local database folder on your Mac or directly on your mail server.
