Fix This file cannot be previewed because of an error in Outlook

Have you ever experienced a problem in which you received a message “This file cannot be previewed because of an error in Outlook?” This error prevents users from previewing the attached files in Outlook. The attached files can be of any format, like Word, Excel, PDF, PowerPoint, etc.

In some cases, users receive a message that indicates that there is a problem with a particular file viewer, like:

This file cannot be previewed because of an error in the Microsoft Word previewer.

Or

This file can’t be previewed because of an error in the Microsoft Excel previewer

Whereas, in other cases, users receive a common error message for different types of files attached in Outlook, like:

This file cannot be previewed because there is no previewer installed for it.

All these error messages in Outlook indicate the same thing that there is a problem with the file previewer. In this article, we will list some general solutions to fix this error for some common types of file formats.

Before you begin, we recommend you check the Trust Center settings in Outlook. Outlook does not display the preview of a particular file if its preview is not enabled in the Trust Center. You can check this by following the instructions written below:

1. Launch Outlook desktop app.
2. Go to “File > Trust Center.”
3. Click on the Trust Center Settings button on the right side.
4. Select Attachment Handling on the left pane and then click on the Attachment and Document Previewers button on the right pane.
5. A popup window will open showing all the types of previewers that Outlook uses to preview the files with different formats. Enable all of them.
6. Now, click OK and restart Outlook.

If this does not fix the issue, move on to the troubleshooting tips below.

This file cannot be previewed because of an error in Outlook

Here, we will describe solutions for the preview error with some common types of files attached in Outlook, including:

1. Excel
2. PDF
3. Images files

Let’s see what you should do when you receive the “This file cannot be previewed because of an error in Outlook” message with these file formats:

1] Can’t preview Excel files in Outlook

Try the following solutions to fix the preview error for Excel files in Outlook:

• Delete the files in Content.Outlook folder (if the folder is available)
• Check whether or not the Protected Mode in Excel is turned on
• Check and correct the Windows Registry Key
• Start Windows Defender Firewall Service
• Change Outlook Settings
• Repair Microsoft Office

Delete the files in Content.Outlook folder (if the folder is available)

Many users have found this method helpful. You should also try this. Maybe it will work for you too. First, close Outlook. Now, open the Run command box, type the following command, and click OK.

%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

Now, look if the Content.Outlook folder is available. If yes, open it and delete all the files inside it. Please note that you only have to delete the files inside the folder and not the folder.

Now, launch Outlook and see if the error is fixed or not.

Check whether or not the Protected Mode in Excel is turned on

You may receive the error if the Protected Mode in Excel is turned off on your system.

You can check this by following the below steps:

1. Press Win + R hotkeys to launch the Run command box. Type dcomcnfg click OK. This will open the Component Services.
2. Expand the Component Services node and select Computers.
3. Now, right-click on My Computers and select Properties.
4. Select the Default Properties tab.
5. Check whether or not the Connect option is selected in the Default Connection Level. If not, click on the drop-down menu and select it.
6. Also, check if the Default Impersonation Level is set to Identify. If not, select it from the drop-down menu.
7. Now, click Apply and then OK.

Check and correct the Windows Registry Key

You may be facing this error due to the incorrect entry in the Windows Registry key. Hence, modifying the Registry Value could fix it. But before you proceed, we recommend you create a backup of Registry on your hard drive.

Follow the instructions below:

Launch the Run Command box and type regedit. Click OK. Click Yes in the UAC prompt.

Now, you have to navigate to a specific path in the Registry Editor. Do note that the path differs for different versions of Microsoft Office, like 32 bit or 64 bit.

If you have installed 32 bit Office application on 64 bit Windows OS, go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\​SOFTWARE\​Wow6432Node\​Microsoft\​Windows\​CurrentVersion\​PreviewHandlers

If you have installed 32 bit Office application on 32 bit Windows OS or 64 bit Office application on 64 bit Windows OS, go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\​SOFTWARE\​Microsoft\​Windows\​CurrentVersion\​PreviewHandlers

After reaching the address written above, you will find that there are a number of strings and data values on the right pane.

Look for the string {00020827-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}. It should have REG_SZ under the Type and Microsoft Excel previewer under the Data.

If the entries are different from what we have mentioned here, delete the key and create a new string value. For this, right-click on the empty space in the right pane and go to “New > String Value.”

The string value will appear with a default name. Right-click on it and select Rename.

Now, enter {00020827-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}.

Now, double-click on the newly created string and type Microsoft Excel previewer under the Value data. Click OK.

Similarly, you can correct the preview error for PowerPoint files in Outlook by correcting the Type and Data values of the string {65235197-874B-4A07-BDC5-E65EA825B718}. It should have REG_SZ under the Type and Microsoft PowerPoint previewer under the Data.

Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Start Windows Defender Firewall Service

You may also experience this issue if the Windows Defender Firewall Service is disabled or not running in the background. You can check this by following the steps below:

1. Press Win + R keys to launch the Run command box. Type services.msc and click OK.
2. In the Services app, scroll down to locate Windows Defender Firewall.
3. Right-click on the Windows Defender Firewall and select Properties.
4. Check the status of the Startup type. It should be set to Automatic. Click OK.
5. Now, right-click on the Windows Defender Firewall and select Start.

Change Outlook settings

Many users have reported that the issue was fixed after changing the User Interface Options settings in Outlook.

The steps to do this are listed below:

1. Launch Microsoft Outlook desktop app.
2. Go to “File > Options.”
3. Select General from the left side.
4. Under the When using multiple displays section, select Optimize for compatibility option.
5. Now, restart Outlook.

This should fix the issue.

Repair Microsoft Office

If none of the above solutions fixed your issue, we suggest you repair Microsoft Office.

2] Can’t preview PDF files in Outlook

The following solutions may help you fix the preview error with PDF files in Outlook.

1. Install Adobe Acrobat Reader
2. Delete all the files in Content.Outlook folder
3. Check and correct the Windows Registry key
4. Update Microsoft Office
5. Check for Windows Update

Install Adobe Acrobat Reader

If Outlook is not able to preview the PDF files, check whether or not you have installed Adobe Acrobat Reader or any other free PDF Reader. If not, we suggest you install it and make it the default program on your system.

When you are done, restart Outlook and check if the error is fixed.

Delete all the files in Content.Outlook folder

According to some users, deleting all the files in the Content.Outlook folder fixed their issue. You can also try this method. We have described the entire process above in this article.

Check and correct the Windows Registry key

Outlook does not display the preview of PDF files if there is an incorrect entry in the Windows Registry. You can check and correct the Registry entry by following the steps below:

Open Run command box and type regedit. Click OK.

In the Registry Editor address bar, copy and paste the following address. Press Enter when you are done.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Classes\CLSID\{DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193}

On the right pane, the AppID should have REG_SZ under the Type and {534A1E02-D58F-44f0-B58B-36CBED287C7C} value under the Data.

If you find any of these values different, change them.

Now, restart your system. This should fix the error.

Update Microsoft Office

If you are still receiving the error, consider updating the Microsoft Office app.

Check for Windows Update

You can also check whether your system is up to date or not. If there is any pending update, consider updating your system.

3] Can’t preview Image files in Outlook

If you are receiving the “This file cannot be previewed because of an error in Outlook” message while previewing the image files on your system, try the following fixes:

1. Enable Windows Defender Firewall Service
2. Update Microsoft Office
3. Update Windows OS

We have explained the entire procedure for all of these fixes above in this article.

Why is my PDF preview not working in Outlook?

There are many reasons for which Outlook is unable to display the preview of PDF files, like:

1. The PDF previewer is disabled in the Outlook Trust Center settings,
2. You have not installed Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system,
3. Incorrect Registry values,
4. Your system is out of date, etc.

We have provided the solutions above in this article to fix the “This file cannot be previewed because there is no previewer installed for it.” error while previewing the PDF files in Outlook.

How do you fix This file can’t be previewed because of an error in the Microsoft Excel previewer?

You need to follow these suggestions – Delete the files in Content.Outlook folder, Check whether or not the Protected Mode in Excel is turned on, Check and correct the Windows Registry Key, Start Windows Defender Firewall Service, Change Outlook Settings, Repair Microsoft Office, Delete the files in Content.Outlok.

How do you fix This file cannot be previewed because of an error with the Word previewer in Outlook?

Apart from carrying out the suggestions listed in this post, you may need to check this Registry key to be able to fix This file cannot be previewed because of an error with the Word previewer in Outlook error.

Hope this post helped you solve the error.

Related post: Cannot preview files in Windows 10 Explorer.