There are four causes of pictures not displaying in Microsoft Outlook email messages:
- Internet Explorer setting for saving encrypted pages to disk (below)
- Blocking external content
- Red X's in Email / SecureTemp folder is "full"
- Word's Picture placeholder setting enabled (below)
Internet Options Encrypted Page Setting
Note: Outlook uses Internet Options settings, not Edge settings.
Open Internet Options, either by typing Internet Options on the start menu or from the Control panel. You can also open it through Internet Explorer's (Tools), Internet Options, Advanced menu.
Look under the Security section for Do not save encrypted files to disk. Untick this setting and Apply. Restart Outlook and you should be fixed. (If you don't use Internet Explorer, you can go to Control panel, Internet Options or just type Internet Options in the Start menu Search.)
Thanks to William for sharing this with us.
Check the Picture Placeholder setting
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.)
Note that this dialog is accessible from a COMPOSE MESSAGE window, not the main Outlook window!
Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016
These steps work for Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016 (including Outlook which is included in Office 365 subscriptions).
- Click the New Email button or press Ctrl+N while viewing the Inbox.
- Go to the new message's File, Options dialog.
- Click Mail, then Editor Options
- Select Advanced and look near the bottom of the dialog for the option to Show Picture Placeholders.
- Uncheck the box to Show picture placeholders
- Close the dialog then close the message.
After changing the settings, close the message. Do not sent it! This, like many other message settings (zoom, etc), will apply only to the current message if you send it. You need to close the message to change the global setting.
In Outlook 2007
- While in a New message window
- Click the Office icon
- Click the Editor options button on the lower right of the dialog
- Select Advanced from the left menu of the Editor options dialog
- Scroll down to Display email contents section (near the bottom)
- Uncheck the box to Show picture placeholders
- Then click OK to apply and close the dialog.
- Close the message.
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.
Hi Diane, I hope this reaches you. I tried to respond directly through the email link with your suggestion, but couldn't get anywhere.
I followed the steps you suggested and unclicked Picture Placeholder and that has corrected the issue for me. I am most grateful.
I hope you are well and safe.
The encrypted picture setting helped me after a frustrating search online asking me to check the trusted locations folders. Thanks heaps.
not relevant. nothing on computer vaguely resembles anything in this page.
What version of Office and Windows are you using? (It does not apply to Mac.)
You're a legend in my opinion. That was so helpful, thank you very much. My IT department were about to reset my windows to try and fix this and I stopped them just in time.
Thank you so much for the info, this has finally worked!!!
OMG thanks so much for the info, this has finally worked!!! Have a good one, Tammy
You are the best!! Thank you so much! This solved my issue! I have been asking our IT for a year to solve this issue and they couldn't. Thank you!
Finally a solution to my problem. I was getting so sick of reading about going to theTrust Centre Settings and unchecking the "Don't download pictures automatically ..." box. I did that an it made no difference. Your "Internet Options Encrypted Page Setting" finally gave a solution that actually works! Thank you!!!!