Ever since Microsoft released its most recent round of security updates back in June, reports have been streaming in from users about various issues related to performance and stability in Outlook and Windows. 

Fortunately, several new fixes are now available. And one important fix tackles an issue that many of our own customers have been experiencing over the last several weeks.

A growing number of customers have been receiving “Opening Mail Attachment” notifications in Outlook when trying to download files that contain an ellipsis or exclamation point in the file name.

This notification blocks the user from opening the email, and shows the following message:

“You should only open attachments from a trustworthy source.

Attachment: New Text Document!.txt from inbox - Outlook. Would you like to open the file or save it to your computer?”

“Or if an email message includes an attached email message, and the attached email message's subject line ends with an unsafe file name extension as listed in the Blocked attachments in Outlook, the email attachment will be blocked for recipients,” explains Microsoft Support.

How to fix this problem

Fixes are available for Outlook 2010, 2013 and 2016.

Office 365 customers using the Current channel can resolve this problem by installing the latest Microsoft system updates.

Detailed instructions are available here:

• Outlook 2010
• Outlook 2013
• Outlook 2016

No fix is available yet for Outlook 2007. However, there is a useful workaround:

Microsoft recommends that if you know that the attachment was sent from a trusted source, then it is okay to save or open the attachment. If the file still does not transfer, this could be due to a possible unsafe file extension.

“If the file is blocked because of a potentially unsafe file extension, ask the sender to save the email message to their computer and rename its subject line so that it does not end with an unsafe file name extension,” Microsoft explains. “Then, attach it to the email message and resend.”

Now, here is a question for you:

Why spend all day trying to solve a problem like this, when you could just as easily consult with   a managed services provider (MSP) like Apex Technology Services?

Sometimes computer problems that seem downright impossible to fix can be solved in a matter of minutes by a team of dedicated IT experts who live, eat and breathe network troubleshooting.

Ultimately, an MSP like Apex Technology Services can help you solve computer problems faster and more accurately — allowing your team to spend less time on network maintenance and more time on business growth and development.

To learn more about how Apex Technology Services can fortify your business’s IT department, click here.