Details
This policy setting controls the default message format in Outlook. If you do not configure
this policy setting, new e-mail messages in Outlook are formatted as HTML. If you enable
this policy setting, you can set the default e-mail format in Outlook to HTML, Rich Text, or
plain text. Users can choose a format other than the default when composing messages. If
you disable this policy setting, Outlook uses HTML as the default e-mail format and users
will not be able to change it. If you do not configure this policy setting, Outlook uses HTML
as the default e-mail format, but users can choose a format other than the default when
composing messages. The recommended state for this setting is- Enabled-Plain Text.
*Rationale*
By default, new e-mail messages in Outlook 2010 are formatted as HTML. If users send
messages to recipients who run e-mail programs that cannot display HTML messages
properly, sending messages in this format can cause information to be lost.
Solution
To implement the recommended configuration state, set the following Group Policy setting
to Enabled.
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesMicrosoft Outlook 2010Outlook
OptionsMail FormatInternet FormattingMessage FormatSet message formatSet message
format
Then set the Use the following format for e-mail messages- option to Plain Text.
Impact-Enabling this setting does not prevent Outlook 2010 users from choosing a different format
than the default, and is therefore unlikely to cause significant usability issues for most
users.
Supportive Information
The following resource is also helpful.
This security hardening control applies to the following category of controls within NIST 800-53: Configuration Management.This control applies to the following type of system Windows.