In the Mac Outlook client, you may find that you cannot create a new 'Contact Group'. The option will appear greyed out in the File New menu. To create a contact group, you must set your preferences to show the On My Computer folders. On the Outlook menu, click Preferences. Under Personal Settings, click General. If you create a New Meeting on the Calendar screen, it defaults to 8AM on my PC (presumably the first available time of my work day) which is in the PAST so GTM is grayed out. You can move the time/date to the future and GTM shows up in color.
- When in version 2016 of Outlook, the option in room calendar to book new appointment for same user is greyed out. We are able to book the room via new meeting request but we do not want to do things that way as common way for user is 'new appointment' If I right click on calendar, option is greyed out for new appointment as well.
- Features not yet available in the new Outlook for Mac. There are several features that are available in the current version of Outlook for Mac for Office 365 that aren't yet available in the new Outlook experience. S/MIME - Now available in Beta Channel version 16.43.
Applies to:Outlook for Mac, Outlook 2019 for Mac
As an IT admin, you may want to provide Outlook for Mac users in your organization with a standard set of preferences in either of the following ways:
- Set a default preference, which users can change.
- Force a particular preference, which users can’t change.
The following preferences can be used to simplify account setup for Office 365 mailboxes, help protect company data, and support a streamlined user experience.
These keys are CFPreferences-compatible, which means that it can be set by using enterprise management software for Mac, such as Jamf Pro.
The following list shows the preferences that are covered in this article:
Mailbox settings
Automatically configure Office 365 mailbox on first launch
The email address used for Office activation will be added on first launch.
Domain | com.microsoft.office |
Key | OfficeAutoSignIn |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.17 |
Comments | This key also suppresses first run dialogs for other Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. |
Specify Office 365 mailbox to be added on first launch
Set the domain or full email address of Office 365 mailbox to be added on first launch.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DefaultEmailAddressOrDomain |
Data Type | String |
Possible values | various (example: 'contoso.com') |
Availability | 16.18 |
Comments | The full email address or domain specified will be added in Outlook instead of the Office activation email address. |
Allow only corporate mailboxes to be added
Specify one or more domains users are allowed to add in Outlook.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | AllowedEmailDomains |
Data Type | Array of Strings |
Possible values | Various (example: 'contoso.com$') |
Availability | 16.18 |
Comments | Format strings as regular expressions. Doesn't remove or disconnect accounts already added in Outlook. |
Hide text about adding non-corporate mailboxes
Hide the “Did you know? Outlook supports…” text in the Set Up Your Email success dialog box.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | HideCanAddOtherAccountTypesTipText |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.18 |
Comments | Only hides text. Doesn't impact ability to add non-corporate mailboxes. |
Import/export settings
Disable import
Prevent users from being able to import archive files (.olm and .pst) and Outlook 2011 for Mac data.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DisableImport |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.18 |
Comments | Key must be set to true and forced. |
Disable export
Prevent users from being able to export archive files (.olm).
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DisableExport |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.18 |
Comments | Key must be set to true and forced. |
Online meetings settings
Disable Skype for Business online meetings
Prevent users from adding Skype for Business online meeting details to events.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DisableSkypeMeeting |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.19 |
Comments | Key must be set to true and forced. |
Disable Teams online meetings
Prevent users from adding Teams online meeting details to events.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DisableTeamsMeeting |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.20 |
Comments | Key must be set to true and forced. |
![New New](/uploads/1/1/7/7/117726343/188065528.png)
Weather location settings
Specify default weather location
Set default location for weather in calendar view.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DefaultWeatherLocation |
Data Type | String |
Possible values | Various (example: “Paris, France”) |
Availability | 16.18 |
Comments | Use the format returned by the weather location search within Outlook. |
Outlook Reply Greyed Out
Disable automatic updating of weather location
Prevent users from choosing Update Location Automatically for weather location.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | Weather_update_automatically |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.19 |
Other settings
Hide local folders
Prevent users from viewing local On My Computer folders in the sidebar.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | HideFoldersOnMyComputerRootInFolderList |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.17 |
Comments | Found under Outlook > Preferences > General > Sidebar. |
Specify when pictures are downloaded for email
Set when pictures are automatically downloaded from the internet for email.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | AutomaticallyDownloadExternalContent |
Data Type | Integer |
Possible values | 0 = Never (default) 1 = In messages from my contacts 2 = In all messages |
Availability | 16.17 |
Comments | Found under Outlook > Preferences > Email > Reading > Security. |
Folder Greyed Out Mac
Disable signatures
Prevent users from being able to create, edit, and add client-side signatures.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DisableSignatures |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.18 |
Comments | Key must be set to true and forced. |
Specify calendar first day of week
Theater of the mind chris rich. Set the first day of week in calendar view.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | CalendarFirstDayOfWeek |
Data Type | Integer |
Possible values | 1 = Sunday (default) 2 = Monday 3 = Tuesday 4 = Wednesday 5 = Thursday 6 = Friday 7 = Saturday |
Availability | 16.19 |
Enable new Outlook
Set the availability and default position of the New Outlook switch.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | EnableNewOutlook |
Data Type | Integer |
Possible values | 0 = Switch hidden (default) 1 = Switch displayed, default off 2 = Switch displayed, default on 3 = New Outlook enabled with switch hidden |
Availability | 16.38 |
Disable 'Encrypt-Only'
![Volume button greyed out mac Volume button greyed out mac](/uploads/1/1/7/7/117726343/510443007.png)
Prevent users from applying the Encrypt-Only option to emails when using Microsoft 365 Message Encryption.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DisableEncryptOnly |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.40 |
Comments | Only applies to the new Outlook. |
Disable 'Do Not Forward'
Partition Greyed Out Mac
Prevent users from applying the Do Not Forward option to emails when using Microsoft 365 Message Encryption.
Domain | com.microsoft.Outlook |
Key | DisableDoNotForward |
Data Type | Boolean |
Possible values | false (default) true |
Availability | 16.40 |
Comments | Only applies to the new Outlook. |
Related articles
Alphy Thomas | Published: 2018-08-18T07:18:59+00:00 | Tips|
In the previous article we have discussed “How to Resolve Mac Outlook not Downloading Attachments?“. In this article, We will discuss the simple and quick tricks to resolve Outlook 2016 for Mac Attachments greyed Out.
Outlook 2016 for Mac is the latest version of Outlook for Mac users. With the release of customized Outlook 2011 version for Mac OS, Microsoft has extended their reach to a large section of Mac users. Outlook 2016 included some more useful features and gathered a bigger fanbase. However, the 2016 version of Outlook for Mac is not free of bugs. One of the most common issues faced by Mac Outlook users is attachment greyed out in Outlook for Mac. In this post, we will discuss how to troubleshoot Outlook 2016 for Mac attachments greyed out issue. First, we will learn more about the problem.
What is Outlook 2016 For Mac Attachments Greyed Out Problem
When this problem occurs, users are barred from downloading the received attachments. Though all attachments are visible in the emails, they are greyed out. So, the user becomes unable to click on the attachments in order to download. Waiting for some minutes might help but not in all occasions. If the same emails are accessed from OWA or tablets or smartphones, this issue has not been encountered. It seems that the attachments greyed out is exclusively Outlook 2016 for Mac problem.
Real User Queries to Understand Mac Outlook Attachments Greyed Outlook Problem
We have taken some user queries from different forums to have a better idea about Mac attachments greyed out in Outlook 2016.
User Query 1: “Hello there. I own an Admin account of office 365 and the issue I will talk about has occurred to one of our employees. The person in question cannot download the attachment he gets with Outlook 2016 emails as they are greyed out. This problem is not present when he tries to download the attachments from OWA or smartphone. It seems that the email attachment greyed out problem only occurs in Outlook 2016 for Mac. Please help us out with an easy solution.”
User Query 2: “I am a subscriber of E3 plan of Office 365 and recently I am getting some problems with Outlook 2016 for Mac. Sometimes, I receive emails with attachments in my Outlook. I cannot download those attachments because Outlook 2016 attachments are greyed out. This issue does not persist on tablet, smartphone or web app of Outlook. It also does not occur in case of all emails or any particular sender. Looking for a suggestion to fix Outlook 2016 for Mac attachments greyed out
We can see that how this issue is affecting Outlook for Mac users. That is why, we have decided to enlist some of the solutions to this problem.
Ways to Resolve Outlook for Mac 2016 Attachments are Greyed Out Issue
Users can try these workarounds to get rid of this issue.
- Since this problem does not appear in Outlook Web App, try viewing the attachments through OWA. Users can also download the attachments from smartphones and tablets.
- Forward the emails to yourself but only with the attachments. You can download the attachments from the forwarded emails.
- Users can also try moving emails to another folder and emptying cache. Follow these steps to do that:
- Create a new folder in your Outlook for Mac 2016 and give it a name.
- Now move all the emails with attachment greyed out problem to that folder.
- Right-click on the folder and select Properties option.
- Now, click on Empty Cache.
- If prompted with any warning message, click OK.
Apart from these, users can check the solution from Microsoft. This issue has been a bug of Outlook 2016 for Mac and in March 2018, Microsoft fixed this issue in their latest Outlook Mac version. Click on Help>> Check for Update in Mac Outlook to get the latest update (16.11). Then they have to follow the procedure in AutoUpdate Wizard.
The installation of this update should help you get rid of this problem permanently. If this also does not work and the attachments are still greyed out in your Outlook, click on Get entire message. This should solve your problem.
The installation of this update should help you get rid of this problem permanently. If this also does not work and the attachments are still greyed out in your Outlook, click on Get entire message. This should solve your problem.
Final Words
Attachments greyed out is undoubtedly an annoying problem or the Outlook Mac users. To help them with that problem, we described how to troubleshoot Outlook 2016 For Mac attachments greyed out. Users can try the workarounds shared in this post. Otherwise, they can choose the solution provided by Microsoft. Using the methods discussed here, this issue can be solved permanently.
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