When pictures in your email won’t download, even though you have Outlook configured to download external content (or allow it on a per-message basis), the problem is usually a “full” temporary file folder.
What exactly does “full” mean? The determination of Full is based on several factors, the most important is no more than 99 attachments of the same name in the folder (filename format of file(99).ext). The total number of attachments in the securetemp does not seem to be a factor (at least not under my personal record of nearly 9,000.) The amount of space allotted to the Temp Internet Folder is a factor but I haven’t figured out the specifics.
Note: If you do not see a red x but have a blank box shaped/sized like the graphic or photo, you have Show picture placeholders enabled.
You need to locate the SecureTemp folder and delete the contents (or the entire folder) then restart Outlook. The images should display correctly once you do this.
The SecureTemp folder for Outlook 2000 to 2003 installed on Windows XP is at
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK*. The OLK directory will end in a series of numbers.
Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 places the Secturetemp folder at
C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\8A0VMD3A, where 8A0VMD3A can be any random characters.
Vista and Windows 7 has the Temp Internet folder at
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\, so you’ll need to look there for the OLK or Content.Outlook folder.
To quickly jump to the Temporary Internet Folder (TIF) in Windows 7 or Vista, type shell:cache in the Start menu’s Search field and press Enter. This will open Windows Explorer to the TIF file. Outlook’s securetemp folder should be visible (Content.Outlook or OLK*). If not, go to Windows Explorer’s Organize, Folder and Search Options menu. On the View tab, enable the option to show Hidden Files and Folders.
See Outlook SecureTemp Files Folder to learn how it works.
The tools listed on this page make it easier to delete the orphaned attachments.
Tools
OutlookTools is a support and advanced settings tool for Outlook. It gives you access to Outlook settings and data folders and allows you to change settings that are normally only possible through the registry. |
Show Picture Placeholders is enabled
If you do not see a red x but have a blank box shaped/sized like the graphic or photo, you have Show picture placeholders enabled. (A great feature if your Internet connection is slow.)
In Outlook 2010, open a new message and go to the message’s File, Options dialog. Select Advanced and look near the bottom of the dialog for the option to Show Picture Placeholders.
In Outlook 2007, from an open message, click the Office icon then Editor options button. Select Advanced from the left menu and scroll down to Display email contents section (near the bottom). Uncheck the box to Show picture placeholders. Then click OK to apply and close.
In older versions, this is an Internet Options setting, accessible from either IE’s Tools menu or Control Panel. In the Internet Options dialog, go to the Advanced tab. The Show pictures option is in the Multimedia group, about halfway down.
Move SecureTemp Folder
The location of the Securetemp is stored in the registry and you can change the path to point to a new location (which is easier to access and clear), but be sure the new folder exists before changing it in the registry. The OutlookSecureTempFolder value (for Outlook 2007) is at
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2010
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2003
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2002
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Security
Proxy Server Authentication
This issue affect users who access the Internet using a proxy server that is configured to use basic authentication.
When Outlook 2010 opens an HTML-formatted email message that contains an HTTP reference to an image that requires proxy authentication, Outlook won’t bring up the password dialog and the image won’t be displayed.
To address this, you need to set this registry key for Outlook 2010:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Common
DWORD: AllowImageProxyAuth
Data value: 1 or 2 (We recommend 2)
If you use Outlook 2007, you need to add AllowImageProxyAuth to this key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common
When the value is set to 1, you’re prompted for authentication once per Outlook session. If you cancel the authentication request, you are not prompted again during that Outlook session.
When the value is set to 2, you’re prompted for authentication as needed. Typically, this is once per Outlook session. However, you may be prompted multiple times under certain circumstances. If you cancel the authentication request for one image, you’ll be prompted for the next image that requires proxy authentication.
If the key is missing or set to 0, you will not be prompted for authentication, and the image might not be displayed.
Ready to run registry files are available for Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2007. To use, download the correct registry file for your version of Outlook and double click on it to enter it into your registry.
More Information
Outlook SecureTemp Files Folder
More Shell shortcuts: Easy Access to System Folders in Windows 7 and Vista
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Last reviewed on Nov 22, 2011
The Show picture placeholders box is already unchecked and images are downloaded fine with subscribed email ads, and the do not download automatically option is unchetced in the Trust Center but no luck with the pictures displaying in emails.
Are the images attached or embedded? If attached, they need to be opened (or selected in Outlook 2010 – so they display in the reading pane). If embedded, they should display properly provided the securetemp folder is empty. However, it’s also possible that the images are corrupt – can you view them if you save the attachments to the hard drive. (To save embedded images save the message as HTML then look in the folder of the same name in the save location.)
Many ads use linked images stored on a web server, not attached or embedded, so they display as long as download external content is enabled. (Some, especially spammers, use embedded images so they can’t be blocked.)
Hi Mr.
I tried these options, my outlook is set properly.
I have a message with a graphic embedded.
I tested the the arrived message by putting its source into an html file then opening it in Google Chrome. I could open it and have the image displayed without a problem.
Yet it’s still not visible from within outlook 2010.
And when all these fixes don’t work, try this:
http://greenjelloland.blogspot.com/2011/11/solution-red-x-in-outlook-where.html
First…important for you to know, I am in NO way, technical, so be gentle!
I have Outlook 2007, and sometimes I have a box that does not have the option to download images…just COPY. I read your info and found the temp file, but there were more than tmp files…is it safe to delete everything in that folder? I did delete the ones w/the .tmp extension, and when I returned, the images loaded in the e-mail right away! However, the other e-mails w/red x’s that OFFER the choice to DOWNLOAD did not automatically load the image. Can you advise me what to do in this type situation? Thanks for any help
This solution worked for me – THANK YOU!!!