Want to open blocked attachments in Outlook but can’t access it? Are you getting a message that the attachment is not safe?
If this happens to you, there could be several reasons for this problem. Outlook has a security feature that can block access to certain attachments if it thinks a potential virus is attached to them.
If you don’t have access to an attachment, you can’t open or modify it. Fortunately, there are ways to fix this problem and regain access to attachments. Let’s learn how to do it.
What Causes Access Blocked Outlook Attachments?
After checking many user reports about blocked Outlook connections. We have come to the conclusion that there are many reasons for this problem. Some of them are listed below.
- Outlook prevents you from saving or opening email attachments if the attachment has an unsupported extension or file.
- Security updates such as KB3192932 for Outlook 2016 and KB3191898 for Outlook block Outlook connections.
- Outlook also blocks Outlook attachments if the file name ends with a period.
- The temporary network folder has reached its storage limit. Additionally, users may not have sufficient permissions to access temporary Internet files on the server. The errors related to the temporary folder are as follows: “Cannot open Outlook attachment”.
- Another situation related to temporary folders is when Outlook stops saving temporary files with the same name after a certain period of time.
- In Outlook, the default security rules also intervene by preventing users from accessing potentially dangerous attachments. Certain extensions like .exe, .url are considered suspicious and are therefore blocked by Outlook 2019/2016/2013.
Manual Method to Open Blocked Attachments in Outlook
The above reason is the cause of the problem. If you are experiencing a particular error, here are some great troubleshooting tips.
#1. Method: Ask Your Server Admin to Change Your Settings
If you are using Exchange Server, log in to your Outlook account. You can then ask your administrator to change your mailbox’s security settings to accept blocked attachments.
#2. Method: Change your security settings
If you are not using Exchange Server, you can update Outlook security by updating the registry. ‘Follow the steps given below to update the name.
- First, Close Outlook
- Press and hold Windows + R to run command prompt and type Regedit
- Now check your Outlook key
- Outlook 2016
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Office\16.0\Outlook\Security
- Outlook 2013
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Office\15.0\Outlook\Security
- Outlook 2010
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Office\14.0\Outlook\Security
- Now, if the registry key does not exist, create it
- To create the directory, first find the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft folder
- Now, in Edit, click New and then Lock
- Type Office and press ENTER
- Once again in Edit, click New and then Lock
- Now type 16.0 for Outlook 2016 and press ENTER
- Type 15.0 for Outlook 2013 and press Enter
- For Outlook 2010 type 14.0 and press Enter
- Now select Edit, click New, and then click
- Type Outlook and press ENTER
- Select Edit again, click New, then Close
- Type Security and press ENTER. the key
- Now enter the following name for the new value: Level1Remove and press Enter
- Select and right-click the name of the new value, then click Change
- Now enter the file extension you want to open in Outlook, for example .exe
Note: To open multiple files, enter multiple extensions at once, for example using semicolons. . EXE; .md1
- Click OK and leave the name
- After making all changes, restart your computer to apply all settings
Automatics Solution to Open Blocked Attachments in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013
The manual process is good, but it has many steps and is very difficult for a non-technical person. However, if you have tried the above methods and still cannot open the attachment with Outlook, then you need a special solution to open the attachment. So you,
Try using SysTools Outlook Attachment Extractor Tool to access closed attachments in MS Outlook in one go. This tool has a quick option to save multiple attachments in Outlook email. This software is 100% reliable and ideal for all professionals and beginners.
Working Steps to Access Blocked Outlook PST Attachments
- First download and install the software
- After installation, run the software and select the PST/OST radio button, then click Add File or Add Folder to add the Outlook file
- Select the destination to save the unzipped email attachments
- Press the “Extract” Option to complete the process
Conclusion
Outlook attachments can contain important information provided by different users of the Outlook application. However, if you encounter an error while accessing the attachments, you should take the necessary steps to solve the problem. So, in this article, we will cover both manuals and solutions to help users open blocked attachments in Outlook. So, visit the above blog and choose the solution to open Outlook attachments as you want.