Outlook 
Outlook SecureTemp Files Folder
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Outlook SecureTemp Files Folder |
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When you open attachments from the email message before saving to
the hard drive, Outlook places copies in the SecureTemp folder.
This folder is a hidden folder under Temporary Internet files. Background: When you open attachments on email directly from Outlook, a copy is written to a temporary folder on your hard drive so your the virus scanner can check it before it is opened. The folder Outlook writes this temp file to is under the Temporary Internet Files folder where IE writes pages to when you surf the internet. This offers more security as only your user account and the computer administrator account can view the files under this folder. The only way to avoid "losing" attachments in this well hidden folder is to save them to your hard drive, before opening. Few people do this (myself included). These files are supposed to be deleted when you close the opened attachment, however this only happens if the email message the attachment arrived on remains open - this is either an opened message in a new window or in the reading pane. When the message is closed (or you wait to preview another message) after the attachment is closed, the temporary file is deleted from the SecureTemp folder. If you close the open message or display another Outlook item in the reading pane but leave the attachment open, the temp file is not deleted when you close the attachment. When this folder gets "full" you may have problems opening email attachments or embedded images won't display. If you open image attachments in Windows Photo or Image viewer and click next, you may see old images you thought you deleted. Delete the files in the folder to fix. |
SecureTemp Locations |
In Windows XP the folder for Outlook 2000 to 2003 is at C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK*. The OLK directory will end in a series of numbers. Outlook 2007 uses C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\ 8A0VMD3A, where 8A0VMD3A can be any random characters. Vista moves the Temp Internet folder to C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\. Look there for the OLK or Content.Outlook folder. |
Move SecureTemp Folder |
Look in the registry for the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\xx.0\Outlook\Security OutlookSecureTempFolder value Change xx to reflect the version number of Outlook. 12.0 = Outlook 2007; 11.0 = Outlook 2003 and 1.0 = Outlook 2002. You can change the folder to point to a new location, but before changing the registry key, make sure the new folder exists. If the folder does not exist, the key will be reset to a new OLK* or Content.Outlook folder under Temporary Internet Files. |
More Information |
Red X's in Email Tip 27: SecureTemp Folder Tip 421: SecureTemp revisited |
