Today's Highlights:

• Outlook displays all messages in plain text
• New Privacy Feature: Select an Item to read
• Coming soon: Set Quick Actions
• Outlook doesn't open or is stuck at Loading Profile
• Last chance: Office 365 Giveaway

Outlook displays all messages in plain text

Another week, another update bug. This bug has a very narrow audience: users with ANSI pst files (Outlook 97- 2002 format) in their profile. Affected users have all mail displayed in plain text format.

An update to fix this is in the works and should be out soon, in the meantime, users have two options: rollback Office to the previous install or switch to a Unicode pst.

To switch to a Unicode pst file, open File, Account Settings, open the account settings dialog. On the Data Files tab, click New then create a new Outlook Data File. If you have mail delivered to a pst file, switch to the Email tab and select the POP account. Click Change Folder at the bottom and select the Inbox folder (you may need to create the folder, Outlook wont create it if the data file is not set as default).

Copy a couple of messages to the new data file. If they are displayed in HTML format, you can close the data file and import the old pst into the new one. If they are not show in their full HTML glory, wait until the update is released to import the pst.

To rollback to the May 29 2019 build, type cmd on the start menu, right click on the Command Prompt, choose Run as Administrator then copy and paste the line in the command prompt.

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun\officec2rclient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.11629.20196

Tip: install a different build, get the version number from Release notes for Monthly Channel releases in 2019 and update the command line.

Don't forget to turn off automatic updates or the current build will be installed again.

Microsoft support article: All emails are in plain text format for POP3 accounts

New Privacy Feature: Select an Item to read

The new builds of Outlook include an option to show a blank reading pane when you first open Outlook.

When I first open Outlook, instead of immediately seeing the latest message, I get a blank screen that simply says, ‘Select an item to read.’ and ‘Click here to always preview messages’.

This is a new privacy feature. Outlook on the web has had this option for quite a while and it’s nice to see it in Outlook desktop now too.

To turn it off, click on ‘Click here to always preview messages’ and then tick the option to ‘Always preview messages’. If you turn this off and want to try it later, go to File, Options, Advanced, Reading pane to turn it back on.

To enable or disable this option in Outlook on the web, open Settings (gear icon) > View all Outlook settings > Layout. Look for ‘What do you want us to do when you sign in?’ about halfway down the list. Choose ‘Let me select which message to read first’ to open to a blank screen.

Coming soon: Set Quick Actions

A new feature for Outlook on Windows has started showing up in the Insider build: Set Quick Actions. This option is available when you right click on a message in an Outlook.com or Office 365 mailbox. It does not work with IMAP accounts.

This feature works in Outlook desktop like it does in Outlook on the web and allows you to change which options you see in on the right side of the message, where the flag and Delete buttons are now. Quick Actions will replace the flag but if you were hoping it would replace the Delete button, sorry.

While you can choose Delete as one of the quick Options or remove all Quick Actions, you cannot remove the default Delete action.

To set or change the default actions, right click on a message and choose Set Quick Click from the context menu. You can set two quick Actions, choosing between None, Archive, Delete, Move, Flag/Clear Flag, and Mark as Read/Unread. Because Delete cannot be removed, it seems silly to have an option for Delete but not one for Categories.

If you use Outlook on the web, you can change the Quick Actions in Settings (gear icon) > View all Outlook settings > Customize Actions. If you are using 'classic' Outlook on the web, Quick Actions is under Options > Layout. Unlike in Outlook desktop, you can remove the Delete command in Outlook on the web.

My choice: Flag and Archive. Mark as read is quickly accessible on the left edge, delete is on the right and I move most of my messages to the Archive folder.

Outlook doesn't open or is stuck at Loading Profile

There was a bug in the Outlook build in Office 365 Version 1905 (Build 11629.20196) that was released to the monthly channel last week:  Outlook may hang at loading profile or won't start. Users who look in the Task Manager may see other Office processes are  listed even though they are not open. Ending these processes will allow Outlook to open normally.

This bug was fixed earlier this week. If you are affected by it, check for updates then restart Outlook a couple of times.

Outlook won’t open or is stuck at loading profile

Last chance: Office 365 Giveaway

If you haven't yet entered for your chance to win a 1 year subscription to Office 365, your time is running out. The winner of the last copy will be drawn on July 1. If you sent in an entry for the May or June drawing, you won't need to send another one. Your address is included in the July drawing.

Entering is simple: Send an email to office2019@slipstick.com

If you have a current Office 365 Home Premium subscription, this will extend your subscription for 1 year. If you have a personal subscription, it extends the license for one year and upgrades it to the Home version.

New & Updated Exchange KB Articles

'The primary SMTP address must be specified when referencing a mailbox' error when you use impersonation in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
"The primary SMTP address must be specified when referencing a mailbox" error when you use impersonation in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016

'TLS negotiation failed with error UnknownCredentials' error after you update TLSCertificateName on Office 365 send connector in Exchange Server hybrid environment
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502131

Appointment that’s created by responding to an email message doesn’t show in any Outlook calendar views in Exchange Server 2019 and Exchange Server 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502141

Audit logs arent updated when '-WhatIf' is used as $false in the command in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502156

Cannot migrate on-premises archive mailboxes to Office 365 in a hybrid migration
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4508006

Can't get all the emails when searching mailbox by using an end date that's different from today in Exchange Server 2019
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502134

Can't preview an eDiscovery search when there are multiple domains in Exchange Server 2019 and Exchange Server 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502140

Can't reply to old emails after migration even though old legacyExchangeDN is set to migrated mailbox in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502132

Can't search any results in manually added shared mailbox in Outlook in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4488396

Can't use Outlook on the web to reply a partner email through mutual TLS in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502133

Correct the error message that you receive when installing Exchange Server 2019 in an organization that has Exchange Server 2010 installed
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502135

Cumulative Update 13 for Exchange Server 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4488406

Cumulative Update 2 for Exchange Server 2019
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4488401

Cumulative Update 23 for Exchange Server 2013
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4489622

Heavy traffic because of restriction created when organization forms library has more than 500 items in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4499503

Providing information for administrators when auto forward limit is reached in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502154

Public folder contact lists don't show contact's profile picture in Outlook on the web in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4488078

SyncFolderItems contains duplicated ReadFlagChange items in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502158

The Find command not returning the HasAttachments element in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502157

The response of FETCH (BODYSTRUCTURE) command of IMAP violates RFC 3501 in Exchange Server 2019 and 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4502136

New & Updated Office 365 KB Articles

'Each identifier for a relying party trust must be unique' error when you run the Update-MsolFederatedDomain command
https://support.microsoft.com/help/2998157

'We could not verify your account' error when you try to reset your admin password in Office 365, Intune, or Azure
https://support.microsoft.com/help/2914234

Unable to sign in to Office 365, Azure, or Intune
https://support.microsoft.com/help/2412085

New & Updated Outlook KB Articles

'Your mailbox has been temporarily moved to Microsoft Exchange server message when an Office 365 user opens Outlook
https://support.microsoft.com/help/3197025

Archive folder is automatically added to your Office 365 mailbox
https://support.microsoft.com/help/4010182

Outlook 2016 and Outlook 2013 hang when a user tries to create a profile
https://support.microsoft.com/help/3098011

Performance and synchronization problems when you work with folders in a secondary mailbox in Outlook
https://support.microsoft.com/help/3115602

You cannot start Outlook in cached mode or create a new cached mode profile
https://support.microsoft.com/help/3046189

Other Resources

Use PowerShell to Export and Import Categories
How to use PowerShell to export, import or merge categories in different Outlook mailboxes.