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

Anonymous

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?

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Anonymous

2024-06-12T15:41:17+00:00

I am not sure if the term "step backward" is appropriate. I think, there whole development of Outlook NEW is some guerila war between oldtimers with screwed up unfriendly (but after 20 years full of crazy bugs quite usable) Classic Outlook, and newtimers but without qualified and experienced developers resources. New Outlook looks like beginners students work, without detailed UI and features planning. Probably MS management relocated developers to other projects and now some unhappy solitude maintainer have no resources to improve it. If I am not correct - where are information about development? Where are the release notes? Why some absolute basic features - (for example download location selection) are still missing? Crazy stupid work! And as we hear rumors about zero AI features support for Old Outlook we absolutely don't understand MS strategy in this product plans.
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Anonymous

2024-07-10T07:04:15+00:00

Where is the setting in new Outlook?
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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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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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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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