Email body message removed when forwarding email

Question

Hello,

We are experiencing an odd issue with forwarded emails. I'm not sure if it's affecting everyone or only certain people yet (We have about 800 users, so far only 3 have noticed this). It seems to occur whenever an external email address sends something to us, and then the original "to" recipient forwards the email to someone else, it removes the content of the message, but the signature still remains. This is a fairly new "issue" so there we don't have that much information on it yet, but I will say sometimes we're able to see the full content of the message on mobile and web outlook, but on the desktop outlook it will only show the signature of original sender.

For testing, I tried to forward the email from my web outlook to my external email (external email is not a microsoft email) but even forwarding the email from the web (where I can see the entire forwarded message) removes the body of the message. It seems to happen when an internal email address sends a forwarded external email. So far we have not found any consistency, it does not happen every time and there's different email domains that we have seen this happen with. Has anyone else seen this? For the record, we are in a hybrid cloud/local environment.

Answer 1

It sounds like you're encountering a complex issue with forwarded emails in your hybrid cloud/local environment. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

Check Email Rules and Filters: Ensure that there are no email rules or filters set up in Outlook or on your email server that might be causing the content of forwarded emails to be removed. Sometimes, automated rules can inadvertently strip email content.

Review Exchange Server Settings: Since you're in a hybrid environment, review the settings on your Exchange server to see if there are any configurations or policies that could be affecting forwarded emails.

Inspect Email Headers: Examine the email headers of the forwarded emails to see if there are any clues about what might be causing the issue. Look for any unusual modifications or inconsistencies in the headers.

Check Antivirus/Anti-spam Settings: Verify that your antivirus or anti-spam software is not interfering with forwarded emails. Sometimes, security software can mistakenly flag forwarded emails as suspicious and remove their content.

Test Different Email Clients: Since you mentioned that the issue seems to occur inconsistently across different email clients (desktop Outlook, web Outlook, mobile), test forwarding emails using different clients to see if the behavior is consistent or if it varies depending on the client used.

Monitor Email Traffic: Keep an eye on email traffic and monitor the issue closely to see if you can identify any patterns or commonalities among the affected emails. This might help pinpoint the root cause of the problem.

Consult with Microsoft Support: If you're unable to resolve the issue internally, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for assistance. They can provide specialized guidance and assistance for troubleshooting issues in hybrid environments.

Update Exchange Server and Outlook: Ensure that your Exchange server and Outlook clients are running the latest updates and patches. Sometimes, software bugs or compatibility issues can cause unexpected behavior that is resolved in newer versions.