ARCHIVED: In Windows, how do I force my email client to display mail as text only?

By default, most mail clients will fully display HTML messages. Outlook will prompt you before downloading images, but some of the HTML formatting, as well as other code, can still execute.

If you allow HTML or other non-text-only formatting when viewing mail, those with malicious intent (e.g., spammers, Trojan writers) could write unwanted code affecting your mail client. For example, spammers can verify that their spam message is read by including a 1-pixel image in their HTML-formatted pages. If you open the message, your mail client executes the HTML code to download the image, which you're unable to see because it's so small. The spammer will now know that the spam was read, and most likely by a real human since most automatic readers (such as spam filtering programs) will not execute such code.

Also, viruses, worms, and Trojans can take advantage of the mail client's ability to execute code in order to infect your computer. The best security practice is to set your email client to read mail as text only.

Follow the appropriate instructions below to force text-only viewing of messages in your mail client:

• Outlook 2010
• Outlook 2007
• Outlook 2003
• Windows Live Mail or Outlook Express
• Mozilla Thunderbird

Outlook 2010

1. From the File tab, choose Options, then Trust Center, and then Trust Center Settings.
2. Click Email Security. Select Read all standard mail in plain text.

   You will also see a setting labeled Read all digitally signed mail in plain text. Normally, digitally signed mail is from a sender you know, or at least a responsible mail sender in your organization, so in most cases it's safe to read such mail in whatever formatting it was sent.

3. Click OK twice.

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Outlook 2007

1. From the Tools menu, select Trust Center.
2. Click E-mail Security. Check Read all standard mail in plain text.

   There is also a setting labeled Read all digitally signed mail in plain text. Normally, digitally signed mail is from a sender you know, or at least a responsible mail sender in your organization, so in most cases it's safe to read such mail in whatever formatting it was sent.

3. Click OK twice.

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Outlook 2003

1. From the Tools menu, select Options....
2. Click E-mail Options.... Check Read all standard mail in plain text.

   There is also a setting labeled Read all digitally signed mail in plain text. Normally, digitally signed mail is from a sender you know, or at least a responsible mail sender in your organization, so in most cases it's safe to read such mail in whatever formatting it was sent.

3. Click OK twice.

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Windows Live Mail or Outlook Express

1. From the Tools icon on the upper right (Windows Live Mail) or Tools menu (Outlook Express), select Options....
2. From the Read tab, check Read all messages in plain text.
3. Click OK.

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Mozilla Thunderbird

From the View menu, select Message Body As, and then select Plain Text.

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