Email forwarding practice can be beneficial when you want someone else to receive and respond to your email in your absence. In other cases, it may not be desirable. So, let’s check how to prevent email forwarding in Outlook on Windows computers.
Stop Email Forwarding in Outlook
Forwarding mail can be defined as the exercise of re-sending mail from one mailbox to another. Although good for the sender, it can be confusing for recipients as the email you forward will show two addresses. This can cause issues. So, it’s a better idea to prevent email forwarding. Like other popular email services, Microsoft Outlook offers a way for its users to prevent email forwarding. Here’s how!
- Open a Microsoft Outlook account
- Expand Permissions menu
- Check the ‘Do not forward’ option
Let’s cover the process in a bit more detail now.
1] Open Microsoft Outlook Account
Launch the Microsoft Outlook application and log in to your account.
Next, click on the ‘New Email’ button, located just below the ‘File’ tab.
2] Expand Permissions Menu
When the Message window opens, type something in the main body of the window and switch to the ‘Options’ tab.
Go to the ‘Permission’ section, and hit the drop-down arrow located below it to expand the menu.
3] Check ‘Do not forward’ option
From the list of options displayed under the ‘Permission’ menu, choose ‘Do not forward’ option.
Once done, an information message will appear on your computer screen bearing the following message –
‘Do not forward – Recipient can read this message, but cannot forward, print, or copy content. The conversation owner has full permission to their message and replies. Permission granted by …’
Once checked, send the email by hitting the ‘Send’ button.
Now, When someone receives an email that has been marked as ‘Do Not Forward’, the email in his/her inbox will display a symbol (red circle with a minus sign), indicating that the email is restricted.
Also, if the recipient attempts to forward this restricted message, he’ll be prompted by an error message stating ‘You cannot perform this action, permission to this message is restricted’.
Please note that if you cannot locate the ‘Do not forward’ option under ‘Permissions’ or the section itself is missing from the Outlook ribbon then, you’ll need to enable it by editing the policy settings in the Azure portal.
How to prevent email forwarding in the new Outlook 365 app
To prevent email forwarding in the new Outlook 365 app, follow these steps:
- Open the new Outlook app.
- Start composing a new email.
- Go to the Options tab.
- Click on the Encrypt menu.
- Select the Do Not Forward option.
To learn more about these steps, continue reading.
If you use the new Outlook app, you might need to go through a different set of options to stop automatic email forwarding from your account. Although some options remain the same, they come with a new interface.
For that, Open the new Outlook app and start composing a new email. Then, switch to the Options tab and find the lock or Encrypt option.
Click on it and select the Do Not Forward option.
It will add encryption so that your recipient cannot forward your email to anybody.
That’s all! I hope this guide helped you.
Read: Your organization does not allow external forwarding in Microsoft 365
Can you prevent an email from being forwarded in Outlook?
Yes, you can prevent an email from being forwarded in the Outlook app. For that, you need to open the new Outlook app and click on New mail to start composing an email. Then, go to the Options tab and find the Encryption option. Click on this option and select the Do Not Forward option. You can find a message called This message will be encrypted and can’t be forwarded.
How do I block forwarding in Outlook 365?
You can block forwarding emails in Outlook 365 by adding encryption. Although the traditional version has removed the option, you can find the same thing in the new Outlook app. For that, you need to open the Options tab while composing a new email. Here you can see an option called Encryption. Click on it and select the Do Not Forward option. The encryption will be added immediately so that other people cannot forward your email to anybody.
Related read: How to forward email or disable unauthorized forwarding in Outlook.com.
