Why aren't email links highlighted?

[Guest]

I've been using Outlook Express for years. Finally migrated to Outlook 2003.
But the email links within emails aren't highlighted. They're just listed
as text. I can't click on it, which has been driving me insane. I've looked
through ALL the menus and just can't find a way to switch it so they're
highlighted. Can someone PLEASE help?! Thanks!!

 

[BillR [MVP]]

Are you perhaps converting your message format upon arrival?
Try inserting a link into a html message and sending it to yourself.

 

[Guest]

There's a setting in Outlook you need to change. Tools>Options> Security tab
Change Auto download settings > remove the checkmark from "Don't download
pictures or other content in HTML mail."

 

[Guest]

I just tried inserting a link into an HTML message and emailing to myself.
If the link is NOT automatically a link, the link doesn't appear. (In other
words, write the email using the Word email editor, and if you DON'T hit
"enter" after typing in the email address, the link won't appear.)

But the same goes for HTML or plaintext emails. The links don't appear
unless the HTML on the page specifically points to a mailto link. Surely
there should be an option within Outlook that reads ALL email addresses and
enables direct clicking on them. It's standard procedure in Outlook Express.
Just can't figure out how to do it. And Mary's suggestion below doesn't
work, either.

Any other ideas?

 

[Guest]

Thanks Mary, but I unticked that one early on (when I couldn't see images on
the page). The problem is that whether it's HTML *or* plaintext, the email
addresses aren't highlighted.

So if someone sends an email to me that says "here's Bill's email address:
(e-mail address removed)", I can't click on it, which means copying and pasting
into a new email. Fine for one, but after a few dozen, it gets tiresome.

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[BillR [MVP]]

What do you mean by "if the link is not automatically a link"?
normally, you just type the address (such as (e-mail address removed) ) and
press space or enter and then it is formatted as an email address and the
link is activated.

 

[Guest]

What do you mean by "if the link is not automatically a link"?
normally, you just type the address (such as (e-mail address removed) ) and
press space or enter and then it is formatted as an email address and the
link is activated.

Sorry, I'm confusing the issue.

All I'm trying to do is figure out how to make it so that EVERY email
address in EVERY email I get (whether HTML or plaintext) is highlighted, and
clicking on it opens a new email addressed to that person.

When you asked me to test the message to myself, it didn't work, because
links to email addresses will only show up when they're HTML links in
HTML-formatted emails. But even addresses in HTML-formatted emails aren't
highlighted if they're not sent as links (i.e.,
"mailto:[email protected]"). That link is created automatically (as
you've indicated) in outgoing HTML-formatted email messages. But that
doesn't solve the problem, since I need it to be with plaintext as well.

Is there an option on a menu somewhere that I haven't been able to find?
I'm going insane with this tiny insignificant problem, which has been my
experience with Outlook overall.

As an email client, I find Outlook Express incredibly intuitive, and I find
Outlook cumbersome, confusing, and extremely difficult to customize. I'm
hoping it's just me, and that once I get my head around it, I'll be able to
use it as efficiently as I used OE.

Your help is greatly appreciated! Please advise.

 

[Guest]

Sounds like the messages you refer to are in "plain text" format. "Links"
(underlined, highlighted and 'active') do not (and will not) appear in a
plain text formatted message. That's generally controlled by the sender. Are
ALL of your inbox messages in plain text? If so, could something in OL be
converting HTML-formatted messages to plain text upon receipt?

Not a solution but a suggestion for further investigation........

 

[BillR [MVP]]

You're totally correct on this.
That's what I was thinking to begin with when I suggested something might be
changing the message format.

 

[Guest]

I disagree, and think Jake has missed the point, as have you (no offense
intended to either of you). I don't want to create links. I just want email
addresses to be highlighted. I really can't see why this is so hard.
Outlook Express does it by default. Open it. Try it. The program
recognizes email addresses ([email protected]) and highlights them automatically.
Surely Outlook can, too. Surely.

Forget links. Forget HTML vs Plaintext. None of that matters. Please hear
me on this. It's a PROGRAM function and has NOTHING to do with the email
itself, or where it came from, or what's getting converted by which.

Try this:

Open Outlook.
Next to it, open Outlook Express.
Send a plaintext email to yourself with an email address mentioned in the
body.
Retrieve it in Outlook.
Now retrieve it (resend if you have to) in Outlook Express.
Notice that in Outlook, the email address is not highlighted.
Notice that in Outlook Express, it is.
That's it.
That's all I want to do -- change Outlook, so that it highlights every email
address, which Outlook Express does by default. It's the kind of thing that
would go under the "View" menu... except that I can't find anything.

Please for the love of god, please help me. I am now officially insane.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Try this:

Open Outlook.
Next to it, open Outlook Express.
Send a plaintext email to yourself with an email address mentioned in
the body.
Retrieve it in Outlook.
Now retrieve it (resend if you have to) in Outlook Express.
Notice that in Outlook, the email address is not highlighted.
Notice that in Outlook Express, it is.
That's it.
That's all I want to do -- change Outlook, so that it highlights
every email address, which Outlook Express does by default. It's the
kind of thing that would go under the "View" menu... except that I
can't find anything.

What you say "highlighted" do you really mean "underlined"? Outlook does
this with no problem at all. There's no way to stop it from doing that.

 

[Guest]

Okay, sure. Underlined. But Outlook DOESN'T do this. And that's the problem.

I really can't believe no one could come up with the answer.

Hmm.