Unable to paste a not-shortened plain text URL for SharePoint or OneDrive sites.

Question

Unable to paste a not-shortened plain text URL for SharePoint or OneDrive sites.

Anthony 25

Outlook for Mac version 16.110.3

I have disabled as many settings as I can imagine relating to Outlook doing something on my behalf. Still, when I paste a URL to a Sharepoint or OneDrive site, it automatically generates a hyperlink with a shortened name.

I do not ever want to shorten the URL for a SharePoint or OneDrive link.

It's important that our staff understand the path of the link they are clicking on. Preferably, for security reasons, the URL would not be clickable at all and would require users to copy and paste the text. This ensures there is no hidden URL hidding in the title of a hyperlink.

I have tried to CMD-Z 'undo' after pasting which used to work. I have tried to use Paste as Plain Text but this does not alter the hyperlink. I have tried to edit the hyperlink and paste the URL into the title but this does not work.

It should be a tenant-wide setting for the default action to be a plain text insertion with an option in Outlook to alter the hyperlink.

Generally, I am fed up with software doing things on my behalf without ever asking or opting in to do so. It angers me and takes up too much time trying to find a way to get things to stop doing what I never asked it to do.

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Answer 1

Dear @Anthony,

I hope you’re having a good day.

I tested this in New Outlook for Mac and was able to reproduce similar behavior. When a SharePoint or OneDrive sharing link is pasted directly into the message body, Outlook automatically converts it into a Microsoft 365 shareable link and may replace the visible URL with a shortened or friendly display name. This is documented behavior in Outlook's Shareable Links functionality.

As a workaround, you could try using Attach file >** Insert **Hyperlink instead of pasting the URL directly. In my testing, I was able to place the full SharePoint URL in the Display as field, which preserved the complete visible URL for recipients. The link remains clickable, but users can see the full address before accessing it.

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According to Microsoft's documentation, this behavior is intended to improve sharing of OneDrive and SharePoint content by creating shareable links, validating access permissions, and helping ensure recipients can access the linked resource.

Based on my research, I have not found a documented setting in New Outlook for Mac that forces SharePoint or OneDrive links to remain as plain text by default. Given your security-focused use case, submitting feedback through Help > Feedback in Outlook may be worthwhile as this appears to be a product design request rather than a configuration issue.

I hope this information helps point you in the right direction. If you run into any issues while trying the steps, or if something still doesn’t feel quite right, please don’t hesitate to reach out again. I’ll do my best to support you however I can.

Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details.

Warm regards,

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