Why does Outlook no longer show the original URL on hovering over a link in an email message?

Anonymous
2024-06-01T03:42:17+00:00

Starting in 2019 sometime, Windows Outlook began showing the original URL on hovering over a link in an email message.

Before that, it had only shown the rewritten safelinks version, which is very difficult to read and not at all helpful to someone who's trying to check what's behind that link's display text.

This was a vast improvement, and these days it is essential to be able to quckly check links if people are to have a chance of avoiding phishing traps.

It's particularly important for those users (probably the majority) who wouldn't understand the safelinks URL, and might well assume it's safe because it's a microsoft.com link.

Sadly, though, some time within the last few months my Outlook 365 has reverted to showing the unreadable safelinks URL in both the hover popup and the status bar at the bottom of the Outlook window. I currently have Windows Outlook Version 2404 Build 16.0.17531.20152 Click-to-run.

The safelinks service is good, but there will always be malicious links that get past it, and people need to be able to decide whether or not to click on a link by seeing the actual URL it would go to, not simply assume that safelinks will take care of it.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-06-14T22:36:32+00:00

    I've since discovered that it shows the original address on some messages, but not on others.

    I don't see any pattern to this.

    An update:

    There's been at least one MS 365 update since I posted my original question. Now I'm consistently getting "Original URL" again when I hover over a link. Perhaps it was a mistake and has been corrected?

    I hadn't tried it in Outlook (New) before, but I did try it today.

    It's showing "Protected by Outlook: " followed by the original link, which is good for showing the original link, but I wonder if saying it's "Protected by Outlook" might make people think it's safe to go to that URL anyway ... ?

    Outlook (New) version is 1.2025.605.100 (not visible anywhere that I could find in the app itself. Had to go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, click on the app, then show its "Advanced options").

    'Classic' MS 365 Outlook is version 2405 Build 16.0.17628.20006.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-06-17T16:25:00+00:00

    I have also noticed this in the new Outlook. And there is no help available in settings to turn that feature back on. It just seems to be gone. We are always warning our users to hover over all links in emails to see where they lead. This is a huge mistake by Microsoft to remove this feature.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-06-23T14:03:28+00:00

    probably last working version:

    1.2024.512.200

    20240517003.20

    125.0.2535.79

    First broken version:

    1.2024.529.200

    20240524003.09

    125.0.2535.79

    Still broken today June 23:

    You have 1.2024.612.100 (Production)

    client version 20240614008.12

    WebView2 veersion 126.0.2592.68

    Nowhere release notes, no info - unamanged abandoned project?!

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-06-27T17:33:09+00:00

    Dear Microsoft.

    By removing the URL preview on hover -

    You have removed the ability to see if a link is genuine or not, OR, to just see where a link goes, with your stupid version of outlook.

    You are reducing, drastically, a users ability to guage many things, including security, in emails.

    SOMETIMES people want to see what the URL is, even for mundane things like TO COPY IT.

    This is one of the dumbest moves you have made to date.

    You need to reinstate this, OR at a minimum, provide us with the ability to turn this nonsense off in options.

    I pay for my softare via subscriptions, I don't want to use the full outlook desktop app for most email tasks, the ligher verion is good - but you insist on making it worse with these pointless addtiions.

    NOW > any email that makes it past YOUR security - cannot be varified by HUMAN EYES to make sure it is safe - because some NPC working there thought this was a good idea.

    Fix it.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-07-09T17:44:43+00:00

    Since there is a setting for it in New Outlook, I would assume it's a bug and not on purpose. Regardless, that's a HUGE mistake considering it's a security issue. That's pretty much the number one rule in phishing training is hovering over the link first to see where it takes you. Went back to old Outlook until they can get this fixed.

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