Hi Brian.

Thanks for the info.

If 'Best Fit' controls only the width and not the format, why is it in the
list with all the other formats?  How do I use the this independently of the
format?

Automated width control is useful and I don't want to disable it, but I
don't like the default format for the column - It takes up too much room and
I don't need the day and the time, so using just a numeric date format looks
neater (putting the day before the upsets the alignment of the data in the
column) and I find it clearer and easier to use.

I'd like to change this format globally in all views, but there doesn't
appear to be any way to do this.  I've already changed this in most views,
column by column.  I just noticed that new folders appear to inherit these
properties from the parent folder, so I guess I needn't worry about new
folders.  Are there other instances where Outlook will use a date column and
use the default?