Why can't Outlook users edit the subject line of incoming emails?

Anonymous
2024-02-22T04:15:43+00:00

* * Moderator note on 11/21/2024 * *

If running Classic Outlook/Legacy Outlook/Desktop Outlook, please see this article.

Edit an email subject line https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/edit-an-email-subject-line-08d60328-2a27-473e-8227-0b42a1ff2ce6

Hello,

Ever since the "New Outlook" was released, MSoft has been pushing for all users move to this new version. When I first tried it, I noticed that the New Outlook would not allow me to edit the subject line for any incoming emails. Therefore, I DID NOT switch over. Today I realized that even in the legacy Outlook, this feature is no longer available. MSoft makes us believe it's available, but after about a minute or so, the edits just vanish.

Our workflow requires internal project numbers be assigned to certain emails. MSoft removing this option is a huge problem for us. I'm 100% confident I'm not the only one facing this problem. Needless to say, this is frustrating. The tool that is supposed to make us more productive is actually creating serious problems in our workflow.

What is going on?

In gratitude,

Joe Silva

Outlook | MacOS | Legacy Outlook for Mac | For home

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-11-18T15:25:53+00:00

    Although I appreciate the reply, there will be so many people who will be unhappy with this choice.

    I will not switch over to the new outlook ever if I have a choice.

    My comment was *not at all* intended as a solution. I always used the possibility to edit subject lines extensively. Also manually and by scripting / development.

    I just wanted to mention that in some Microsoft products

    "the subject line is now considered a part of the message body and cannot be edited separately"

    and in other parts of the Microsoft planet people build functions to bulk edit subject lines rule based.

    By the way:

    Here does Microsoft explain how to edit an email subject line and informs that this documentation applies to

    Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024, Outlook 2021, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/edit-an-email-subject-line-08d60328-2a27-473e-8227-0b42a1ff2ce6

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-11-18T14:42:31+00:00

    I agree!

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-11-18T13:42:25+00:00

    Regarding the issue you are experiencing, Microsoft has made some changes to the way the subject line is handled in Outlook. In the latest versions of Outlook, including the New Outlook, the subject line is now considered a part of the message body and cannot be edited separately.

    But why did Microsoft implement the rule based option "Prefix the subject of the message with the following" at https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com/#/transportrules?

    That modifies the subject.

    Best Regards

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  4. Don Varnau 19,930 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-11-07T00:19:12+00:00

    Martin Stap wrote:

    Not being able to change the subject line is unacceptable. I will not be changing over.

    If using Desktop/Classic Outlook, please see the post by Tommy McCullough on page 3 of this thread.

    Don

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-10-25T14:03:54+00:00

    Sorry. Bad advice. Withdrawn.

    This has worked for me with every MS email program I've used in the last 25 years. Try it.

    Make the outlook window smaller than the Desktop.

    Drag the message from Outlook to the Desktop.

    Open that message with Notepad or another text editor.

    Edit the Subject and anything else you want to edit.

    Save as EML.

    Drag the message back into the Outlook folder you want it in.

    You should now have 2 versions of the message, the original and the edited.

    Don

    FYI - this actually works now that they finally made it so that you can drag emails outside of the new outlook window. Thank you!

    (But definitely WAY too many extra steps needed. Hopefully they fix this issue! I MUST be able to edit email subjects for work as well, and I do not want to have to do this many extra steps for every e-mail that needs to be changed.)

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