Unblock Potentially Unsafe Attachments in Outlook

After Outlook 2000 Service Release 1 Microsoft Outlook introduces a feature that blocks the attachments posing risk for your computer.

Basically, users not able to open the attachment from email but the attachment still intact with the message. Moreover, there are lots of Outlook users searching for the method or solution to unblock potentially unsafe attachments in Outlook.

Because when Outlook blocks the attachment the users nor able to save, open, delete or print the attachment. Now, if you are also getting this issue in Outlook and want to unblock the attachment, then here in this article we are going to discuss some methods to unblock potentially unsafe attachments in Outlook

What are the Reasons for Block Attachments in Outlook?

As we said above since Outlook (SR1) releases Outlook block all the attachments that look malicious. But there are some reasons that are responsible for this issue. Hence, in this section, we are going to discuss some of the major causes.

• Attachments that have an extra dot in the end or in the filename create this issue.
• When you receive executable files such as .exe, .dmg, .bat then Outlook blocks the attachments. Because Outlook thinks that an excitable file contains malicious files.
• Troubleshooting Methods to Unblock Potentially Unsafe Attachments in Outlook

In the upcoming section, we are going to discuss some methods that help you to unblock the attachment that is blocked by Outlook.

Solution 1: Use Another File Sharing Service

If it possible then you can ask the sender to send the file through any file sharing service. You can use services like Google Drive, Microsoft Dropbox, etc,.

The file-sharing service is capable to send any file. So if your receiving block attachments issue in Outlook then you can go with alternatives

Solution 2: Compress the File

If you don’t want to use and file sharing service or FTP service then you can ask the sender to compress the file. Yes, the compression utility such as WinZip creates a compressed archive file that has different file formats.

And the best part is that Outlook does not recognize these files as malicious files. Hence, it not block the attachments. Now when the sender sends the compressed file then, you have to decompress the file by using some third-party software.

Solution 3: Rename the File Attachments

If compression software is not available then you can ask the sender to rename the file attachment. For example, if you are receiving executable files such as .exe then ask the sender to change the file format if the file to docs file.

After renaming the file ask him to send the file again. Now, once yiu receive the file you have to rename it again to the original file format. To do the follow the below steps

• First open Outlook program on your computer
• Now, locate the attachment and click on the dropdown arrow button
• Choose the Save All Attachments option to save the file
• Go to the location where the file is saved and right-click on the attachment
• Choose the Rename option and rename it with the original file format

Instant Alternative to Unblock Potentially Unsafe Attachments in Outlook

If your Outlook not giving you the authority to open or save the block attachments then in this situation you can try the Attachment Extractor toolkit. This software is capable to extract attachments from Outlook to the folder from Outlook OST, PST, BAK, and MSG files.

For Windows OS Users:

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For Mac OS Users:

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It comes with a various advance option that helps users while extracting the attachment. Also, it supports all the versions for Outlook and Windows.

Note: This tool is also available for Mac Outlook. So if you are getting the same issue in Mac Outlook, then you can use the software to save attachments from Mac Outlook within few clicks.

Conclusion

Unblock potentially unsafe attachments in Outlook is asked by lots of Outlook users on various forums. So after considering the user’s queries we have come with the most effective solutions. Here in this article, we have discussed the top four methods to unblock the attachments blocked by Outlook.