Microsoft Outlook 2007 Tip #23 - Attachment Previewing Options

Microsoft Outlook 2007 Tip #23 - Attachment Previewing Options
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Attachment Preview Options

When you receive attachments in an e-mail message, typically, you need to open the default application associated with the attachment file extensions in order to view the content. Outlook 2007 offers a means of previewing many different attachment types.

File attachment preview is controlled through the Trust Center. This is accessed through Tools | Trust Center and then selecting the Attachment Handling object in the left menu. Here there is a simple check box to disable the feature if is it not used or required as shown in Figure 1. Click on the button reading ‘Attachment and Document Previewers’ to display the list of available handlers. As one might expect, previewers are available for other Microsoft Office applications, including PowerPoint, Excel, and Visio. These previewers can be enabled or disabled individually simply by selecting or deselecting the checkbox.

When an attachment has an appropriate previewer installed, such as a pdf file, it presents the option to preview the attachment within the message as shown in Figure 3. The option is presented to bypass the warning specific to the attachment type. When the Preview File button is selected [See Figure 3] the appropriate handler (or file previewer) based on the extension is loaded and the attachment is previewed in the body of the message. Figure 4 shows a PDF file being previewed.

This feature can save some time by checking attachment content without having to load a full application. Sometimes the user may just need to verify that they have the correct attachment and can do so very quickly within Outlook. Microsoft allows and encourages other companies that have software that produces data files to create their own file previewers for use in Outlook 2007. Outlook does ship with Office 2007 previewers, pdf, windows font, and rich windows media player content. I would recommend testing any new previewers before deploying to users.

Screenshots

Figure2 - Attachment Preview Options

Figure3 - Attachment Preview Warning

Figure4 - Preview in Message

This post is part of the series: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Tips

A series of Tips and Tricks for working with Microsoft Outlook 2007 both as a user and an administrator.

  1. New E-mail Account Configuration in Microsoft Outlook: Tip #1
  2. Use AutoComplete “Nickname” Cache in Outlook: Tip #2
  3. Configure Outlook Custom Message Views: Tip #3
  4. How to Configure RSS Feeds in Outlook: Tip #4
  5. Tip #5 - Making Changes to the Custom Dictionary in Microsoft Outlook 2007
  6. Tip #6 - Configure Outlook Autosave Settings
  7. Microsoft Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts: Tip #7
  8. Microsoft Outlook 2007 Tip #8 - Outlook.exe Startup Switches
  9. Microsoft Outlook Instant Messenger Addons: #9
  10. Tip #10 - Using Outlook 2007 to Access GMail
  11. Showing Full Message Headers in Microsoft Outlook 2007: Tip #11
  12. How to Re-Send an E-mail Message in Outlook: Tip #12
  13. How to View Animated GIFs Embedded in an E-mail in Microsoft Outlook 2007: Tip #13
  14. Telling Outlook How to Handle Messages: Tip #14
  15. Microsoft Outlook 2007 Tip #15 - How to Color Code the Task List in the To Do Bar
  16. Tip #16 - Importing from Incredimail to Microsoft Outlook 2007
  17. Viewing Multiple Outlook Calendars: Tip #17
  18. Removing Cancelled Future Appointments in Microsoft Outlook 2007: Tip #18
  19. Tip #19: How to Create New Outlook E-mail from the Command Line
  20. How to Configure Outlook AutoArchiving: Tip #20
  21. Using Custom Categories in Microsoft Outlook 2007: Tip #21
  22. How to Manage Outlook Add-ins: Tip #21
  23. Microsoft Outlook 2007 Tip #23 - Attachment Previewing Options