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How to prevent others from forwarding your email message in Outlook?

Author Siluvia Last modified

If you send an email to a contact, and you don’t want the email to be forwarded by the recipients, what can you do? For preventing others from forwarding your email message, please do as follows.

Prevent others from forwarding your email message in Outlook


Prevent others from forwarding your email message in Outlook

For preventing others from forwarding your email message, the best way is to disable the "Forward" function in Outlook.

Step 1: Create a new Form with preventing forward

1. Create a new email message.

2. In the "Message" window, please click "Developer" > "Design a Form". See screenshot:

the Design a Form button

If the "Developer" tab doesn't show in the Ribbon, please click How to add developer tab on Ribbon in Outlook? to show the Developer tab.

3. In the Design Form dialog box, please choose "Standard Forms Library" from the "Look In" drop down list, and then click to select the "Message" in the textbox and then click "Open" button.

the Design Form dialog box

4. Go to the "(Actions)" tab in the "Message (HTML) (Design)" dialog box, and double click the "Forward" field as shown in the below screenshot.

the (Actions) tab

5. In the "Form Action Properties" dialog box, please uncheck the "Enabled" box, and then click the "OK" button. See screenshot:

the Form Action Properties dialog box

6. Then it returns to the "Message (HTML) (Design)" dialog box, go to the "Properties" tab and check the "Send form definition with item" box.

the Send form definition with item box

7. A prompt box pops up while you checking the "Send form definition with item" box, click "OK" button to close it.

a prompt box

8. Then click "Publish" > "Publish Form" in the "Message (HTML) (Design)" dialog box.

the Publish Form button

9. When the "Publish Form As" dialog box popping up, name the Form in the "Display name" field and then click "Publish" button. Note: By default, the created Form is saved in the "Personal Forms Library" folder.

the Publish Form As dialog box

10. Then click the "Close" button to close the "Message (HTML) (Design)" dialog box. When the prompt box pops up, click "No" button.

the prompt box

11. Close the new Message window you have created at the very beginning.

Step 2: Send an email with created “Prevent forwarding” Form

1. When you want to send a “prevent forwarding” email to others, please click "Developer" > "Choose Form".

the Choose Form button

2. In the "Choose Form" dialog box, you need to:

1). Select the "Personal Forms Library" in the "Look In" drop-down list;

2). Select the Form you have created for preventing forwarding in the textbox;

3). Click "Open" button.

the Choose Form dialog box

3. Then a new "Message" window will display, compose your email and click the "Send" button to send it.

When people receive and open your email with “prevent forwarding”, the "Forward" button will turn grayed and cannot be used. See screenshot:

the Forward button

Note: This method is only applied to Outlook accounts, if the recipients are not using Outlook, this way will become invalid.


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