Configure MailTips

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Applies to: Office 365 for professionals and small businesses, Office 365 for enterprises, Live@edu

MailTips are informative messages displayed to users in the infobar in Outlook Web App and Outlook 2010 when a user does any of the following while composing an e-mail message:

  • Add a recipient
  • Add an attachment
  • Reply or Reply all
  • Open a message from the Drafts folder that's already addressed to recipients

Why MailTips?

MailTips can help users avoid embarrassing or harmful e-mail blunders, for example:

  • Sending messages that result in non-delivery reports (NDRs) because the message violates restrictions configured in an organization, such as the maximum message size or the maximum number of recipients per message.
  • Sending messages that result in NDRs because the recipient doesn't exist, communication between the sender and the recipient is restricted, or the recipient's mailbox is full.
  • Sending messages to users with Automatic Replies enabled.
  • Sending messages to large distribution groups.
  • Sending messages to inappropriate distribution groups.
  • Inadvertently sending messages to recipients outside the organization.
  • Selecting Reply All to a message that was received as a Bcc recipient.

Configure MailTips

  • Configure custom MailTips   You configure custom MailTip text on individual recipients so whenever a specific recipient is added to a new message, the MailTip text is displayed to the sender. You can also specify alternative translations for the custom MailTip in many different languages. See Configure custom MailTips in different languages.
  • Configure built-in MailTips   Built-in MailTips appear automatically. You can't customize the text for them.

Configure custom MailTips

To configure MailTips for mailboxes, external contacts, and distribution groups, in the Exchange Control Panel, select the mailbox, external contact, or distribution group, click Details, and then in the MailTip section, create the MailTip.

To configure MailTips for mail users and dynamic distribution groups, in Windows PowerShell, use the MailTip parameter on the Set-MailUser and Set-DynamicDistributionGroup cmdlets.

Regardless of whether you use the Exchange Control Panel or Windows PowerShell, two things always happen when you add a MailTip to a recipient:

  • HTML tags are automatically added to the text. For example, if you enter the following text: This mailbox is not monitored.
    The MailTip automatically becomes the following: <html><body>This mailbox is not monitored.</body></html>
  • The text is automatically added to the MailTipTranslations property as the default value. If you modify the MailTip text, the default value is automatically updated in the MailTipTranslations property.

Note   Custom MailTips can include HTML tags, but scripts aren't allowed. The length of a custom MailTip can't exceed 175 displayed characters. HTML tags aren't counted in the limit.

Configure a custom MailTip using the Exchange Control Panel

Suppose you have a distribution group called "Human Resources" that is supposed to be used for departmental communications only. However, users outside the human resources department mistakenly submit questions to this distribution group.

To configure a custom MailTip that prevents such mistaken messages, do the following.

  1. In the Exchange Control Panel, Select Manage My Organization > Users & Groups > Distribution Groups.
  2. Select the "Human Resources" group, and click Details.
  3. In the MailTip section, enter the following text: This distribution group is used for Human Resources departmental communications only. If you want to contact a Human Resources representative, please send e-mail to hrquestions@contoso.com.
  4. When you are finished, click Save.

Configure a custom MailTip using Windows PowerShell

To learn how to install and configure Windows PowerShell and connect to the service, see Use Windows PowerShell in Exchange Online.

Run the following command:

Set-<recipient type> <recipient identity> -MailTip "<mail tip text>"

<recipient type> can be Mailbox, MailUser, MailContact, DistributionGroup, or DynamicDistributionGroup.

For example, suppose you have a mailbox named "Help Desk" for users to submit support requests, and the promised response time is two hours.

To configure a custom MailTip that explains this, run the following command:

Set-Mailbox "Help Desk" -MailTip "A Help Desk representative will contact you within 2 hours."

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Configure custom MailTips in different languages

In Windows PowerShell, use the MailTipTranslations parameter to specify the custom MailTip text in different languages. The MailTipTranslations parameter uses the following syntax:

"<culture 1>:<localized text 1>","<culture 2>:<localized text 2>",...

<culture> is a valid ISO 639 two-letter culture code associated with a language.

The MailTipTranslations parameter also defines a default MailTip text value using the syntax "default:<MailTip text>". This value is automatically populated with the text you specified with the MailTip parameter. However, if you specify a default value with the MailTipTranslations parameter, that text replaces the current MailTip text. In other words, the MailTip text is always synchronized between the MailTip parameter and the default value of the MailTipTranslations parameter. If you change the value in one place, the other value is automatically updated.

There are two ways to add a custom MailTip translation:

  • Add a new MailTip translation   This method simply adds the new MailTip translation you specify. It doesn't modify the existing MailTip text or any existing MailTip translations.
  • Replace all existing MailTip translations   This method replaces any existing MailTip translations with the values you specify. If you fail to specify a value for the default MailTip text, the command will fail. Therefore, you can either specify the existing MailTip text as the default value, or you can specify new text for the default value, which will replace the existing MailTip text.

Add a new MailTip translation

Run the following commands:

$Temp = Get-<recipient type> <identity>
$Temp.MailTipTranslations += "<culture>:<localized text>"
Set-<recipient type> <identity> -MailTipTranslations $Temp.MailTipTranslations

For example, suppose the mailbox named "Notifications" currently has the custom MailTip: "This mailbox is not monitored." To add the Spanish translation, run the following commands:

$Temp = Get-Mailbox Notifications
$Temp.MailTipTranslations += "ES:Esta caja no se supervisa."
Set-Mailbox Notifications -MailTipTranslations $Temp.MailTipTranslations

Replace all existing MailTip translations

Run the following command:

Set-<recipient type> <identity> -MailTipTranslations "default:<MailTip text>","<culture>:<localized text>"

For example, suppose the mailbox named "Notifications" currently has the custom MailTip: "This mailbox is not monitored." To replace all existing translations with the Spanish translation, run the following command:

Set-Mailbox Notifications -MailTipTranslations "default:This mailbox is not monitored.","ES:Esta caja no se supervisa."

Note   In this example, we used the existing MailTip text for the default value. If we specified different text for the default value, the MailTip text itself is changed to that value.

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Configure built-in MailTips

These are the built-in MailTips that appear automatically. You can't customize the text for them.

Description MailTip text

Invalid internal recipient   This MailTip is displayed if the sender adds a recipient that may appear to be exist in the organization but doesn't. For example, a sender may add a nonexistent recipient to a message if the recipient is in the sender's AutoComplete cache or in the sender's Contacts folder.

Note   This MailTip is supported by Outlook 2010 only.
  • The e-mail message cannot be delivered to <recipient> because the e-mail address is no longer valid.

Mailbox is full   This MailTip is displayed if the sender adds a recipient whose mailbox has exceeded the Prohibit send receive quota restriction for the mailbox.
  • This message can't be delivered to <recipient> because their mailbox is full.
  • This message can't be delivered to <recipient 1> and <recipient 2> because their mailboxes are full.
  • This message can't be delivered to <number> recipients because their mailboxes are full.

Automatic Replies   This MailTip is displayed if the sender adds a recipient who has enabled Automatic Replies.

The MailTip indicates the recipient has Automatic Replies turned on and also displays the first 250 characters of the automatic reply configured by the recipient.
  • <recipient> Automatic reply: <automatic reply configured by the recipient>
  • <number> recipients are sending automatic replies.

Restricted recipient   This MailTip is displayed if the sender adds a recipient who the sender is prohibited from sending messages to.

The MailTip indicates the restricted recipient, and gives the sender the option to remove the recipient from the message. It also clearly informs the sender that the message won't be delivered if it's sent.
  • You don't have permission to send to <recipient>.
  • You don't have permission to send to <recipient 1> and <recipient 2>.
  • You don't have permission to send to <number> of the recipients.

External recipients   This MailTip is displayed if the sender adds an external recipient or adds a distribution group that contains external recipients. The sender can decide if the message wording, tone, or content is appropriate for external recipients.

By default, this MailTip is disabled. You can enable it using the MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled parameter on the Set-OrganizationConfig cmdlet. See Configure the external recipients and large audience.
  • The following recipient is outside your organization: <e-mail address>

Large audience   This MailTip is displayed if the sender adds a distribution group that has many members. The MailTip indicates the number of recipients in the distribution group. A distribution group that is a member of a distribution group counts as one recipient.

By default, this MailTip is displayed for distribution groups that have more than 25 members. You can configure the threshold using the MailTipsLargeAudienceThreshold parameter on the Set-OrganizationConfig cmdlet. See Configure the external recipients and large audience.
  • This message will be sent to <number> recipients.
  • <distribution group> contains <number> recipients.

Moderated recipient   This MailTip is displayed if the sender adds a moderated recipient who requires the approval of a moderator before the message is available to the recipient. This MailTip isn't displayed in the following circumstances:

  • The sender is the moderator of the recipient.
  • The sender is defined in the recipient's RejectMessagesFrom list or isn't defined in the recipient's AcceptMessagesOnlyFrom list.
  • Messages sent to <recipient> are moderated. They may be rejected or delayed.
  • Messages sent to <recipient 1> and <recipient 2> are moderated. They may be rejected or delayed.
  • Messages sent to <number> of the recipients will be moderated. They may be rejected or delayed.

Reply All on Bcc   This MailTip is displayed if the sender selects Reply All to a message they received as a Bcc recipient. This action reveals the fact that the sender had received the message to the rest of the original recipients in the To and Cc fields. In almost all cases, this is undesirable.

Note   This MailTip is supported by Outlook Web App only.
  • Your address was hidden when this message was sent. If you Reply All, everyone will know you received it.

Oversized message   This MailTip is displayed if the message size is larger than the message size limits in your organization.

Note   This MailTip isn't supported by Outlook Web App.
  • The attachment size exceeds the allowable limit.

Configure the external recipients and large audience MailTips

Use the Set-OrganizationConfig cmdlet to configure the external recipients and large audience MailTips. The following parameters are available.

  • MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled   This parameter enables or disables the external recipients MailTip. Valid input is $true or $false. The default value is $false.
  • MailTipsLargeAudienceThreshold   This parameter specifies the number of distribution group members that triggers the large audience MailTip. A distribution group that is a member of a distribution group counts as one recipient. The default value is 25. Valid input is an integer between 0 and 1000. The value 0 disables the large audience MailTip.

Enable the external recipients MailTip

Run the following command:

Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled $true

Set the threshold for the large audience MailTip

Run the following command:

Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipLargeAudienceThreshold <value>

For example, if you want to set the large audience MailTip to be displayed if the message contains at least 50 recipients, run the following command:

Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipLargeAudienceThreshold 50

MailTips for organizational relationships

You use the Set-OrganizationRelationship cmdlet to control how MailTips are used between two organizations that have established an organizational relationship. For more information, see Configure Organizational Settings for MailTips.

Things to think about

MailTips are subject to the following restrictions:

  • Users can't see MailTips when they're using Outlook 2010 in offline mode.
  • When a message is addressed to a distribution group, MailTips for the individual members aren't displayed. However, if the group contains external recipients, the external recipients MailTip, which shows the sender the number of external recipients in the distribution group, is displayed.
  • If the message is addressed to more than 200 individual recipients, individual MailTips aren't displayed.
  • If the sender composes a message and leaves it open for a long time before sending it, the MailTips for Automatic Replies and mailbox is full are evaluated every two hours. This is useful because a recipient's mailbox status may change over time. For example, if you compose a message to a mailbox that's almost full, the mailbox may actually be full if you don't send the message immediately.