KB196784 - Additional file Winmail.dat is included in received messages that are sent by Outlook 2000 (IMO)

Article ID: 196784

Article Last Modified on 7/11/2005

Microsoft Outlook 2000 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q196784

NOTE: These procedures only apply if you have installed Outlook with the Internet Mail Only option. To determine your installation type, click About Microsoft Outlook on the Help menu. If you have the Internet Mail Only option installed, you see "Internet Mail Only".

For information about the differences between Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail clients, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

257824 OL2000: Differences Between Outlook and Outlook Express

For a Microsoft Outlook 98 (IMO) version of this article, see 193117.

For a Microsoft Outlook 98 (CW) version of this article, see 193118.

For a Microsoft Outlook 2000 (CW) version of this article, see 197064.

SUMMARY

When you use Microsoft Outlook (IMO) to send e-mail containing attachments through the Internet, some recipients using e-mail clients other than Outlook report that the mail message includes an additional file called Winmail.dat. The file is usually very small, but cannot be opened in the mail message. The original message attachment may be included in the Winmail.dat file attachment, and is not always separate from the Winmail.dat file attachment.

MORE INFORMATION

To avoid including Winmail.dat, use the Plain Text mail format. To select Plain Text for all messages, follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, click Options and then Mail Format.
In Send in this message format, click to select Plain Text.

If you would like to send RTF format to certain recipients and send others Plain Text, you have two options:

On the Format menu of the mail message, select Plain Text.
Select Plain Text on the General page of recipient's Contact form.

For more information on Winmail.dat attachments, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

149203 Preventing Winmail.dat from being sent over IMC

138053 How to prevent the Winmail.dat file from being sent to Internet users

Keywords: kbattachments kbemail kbprb KB196784