If you Can’t see images in your Outlook email messagesread this article to learn how to fix the problem. Many Outlook users have encountered issues where images embedded in their email messages are not displayed.

In place of the image, a red cross appears with the following message:

Right click here to download images. To protect your privacy, Outlook has prevented this image from automatically downloading from the Internet.

The inability to see images frustrates users, especially when they need to understand the context or message of the email. You are at the right place if you are facing the same problem. In this article, we will examine the root cause of the problem and explore possible solutions to resolve it.

Why are images not showing in Outlook emails?

Images may not display in Outlook emails for several common reasons. Outlook blocks automatic image uploads by default to prevent tracking, requiring manual permission to view images. If an image link is broken or the file (on the server) has been moved or deleted, Outlook cannot recover it, resulting in a missing image. Firewalls or proxy servers can also block external content, preventing images from loading, especially in secure or corporate networks.

Fix Unable to see images in Outlook email

If you I can’t see the images in your Outlook email messages, use these fixes:

1. Enable automatic image uploads
2. Change the BlockHTTPimages registry setting
3. Change the location of temporary files in IE

Let’s see this in detail.

1) Enable automatic image uploads

Outlook has a default setting that blocks automatic image downloads in email messages to protect user privacy. This prevents tracking pixels, which can monitor when and where an email is opened.

Although this setting is intended to prevent email senders from tracking your activity through embedded images, you can choose to upload images. if you trust the sender.

To enable image downloads in specific emails, open the email, right-click the blocked image and select Upload photos.

To permanently allow image downloads from approved senders, follow these steps:

Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings. Select Automatic download.

Uncheck ‘Do not automatically download images in standard HTML email messages or RSS items‘ And ‘Do not upload images in encrypted or signed HTML email messages‘.

Also, if the email is in plain text format, it will not display images. To change the email format, select the Format text in the Outlook toolbar and choose HTML Or Rich text format. These two formats allow images and other visual elements to display correctly in the email.

2) Change BlockHTTPimages registry setting

Sometimes, even when users try to manually download the images by right-clicking on the post placeholder and selecting the download option, they receive an additional error message saying: “The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.»

This error appears if the link to the image is broken or incorrect or if the image file has been deleted, moved or renamed on the mail server. However, it may also appear if your system (or network) settings block access to the image source.

To fix the error, you need to modify a registry value called BlockHTTPimages. This setting controls whether images from the Internet (HTTP sources) are automatically downloaded and displayed in email messages.

Editing the Windows registry can cause serious system problems if not done correctly. Always save registry before making any changes to avoid potential problems.

Press Win + Rtype regedit and press Enter. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.

Next, navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor window:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\\Common

Or corresponds to your version of Outlook (16.0 for recent versions of Outlook including Outlook 2021 and so on).

Double-click the BlockHTTPimages DWORD and change its Value data has ‘0‘. Or right-click on it and select DELETE. Select Yes when asked to confirm. Exit Registry Editor and restart Outlook for the changes to take effect.

When you delete the BlockHTTPimages registry key (or set it to “0”), Outlook will revert to its default behavior and allow automatic image downloads from HTTP sources.

3) Change the location of temporary files in IE

A few users managed to resolve the issue by changing the location of temporary files in Internet Explorer (IE).

Outlook uses the Temporary Internet Files folder structure, a legacy system related to Internet Explorer (IE), for storing temporary copies of email attachments, even though IE is deprecated and Microsoft Edge is the preferred browser (IE mode still exists in Windows 11 /10 mainly for backward compatibility reasons).

When you open an attachment directly from an Outlook email, Outlook places a copy in the SecureTemp folder (so that your antivirus can scan it before opening it), under the Temporary Internet Files directory at the following path:

C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Outlook

If there are problems with the default location of this directory (such as file corruption, permissions issues, or a disk full), Outlook may have trouble accessing the SecureTemp folder. This may prevent images from displaying correctly, causing the red cross icon to appear.

By changing the location of temporary files in IE, you effectively redirect where IE (and therefore Outlook) stores them, potentially solving any path-related issues.

Hope this helps!

Can’t see contact photos in Outlook

In Outlook there is a specific setting under File > Options > People called ‘Show user photographs when available‘. If this setting is disabled, Outlook will not display contact photos, even if they are available on the server or in contact information. Enabling this option allows photos to appear next to contacts in emails and the address book.

If Outlook is in Cached Exchange Mode, outdated profile information may result in missing images. Take Outlook out of cached mode temporarilyReboot, then re-enable cached mode to refresh profile photos.

Additionally, Outlook sometimes fails to sync with profile photos from Microsoft 365 or Exchange server, resulting in missing contact pictures. Force a synchronization with the server by going to Send/Receive > Update folder.

Read: Can’t attach files to an email in Outlook.com or the desktop app.

How to view images in Outlook?

Make sure your network settings don’t block external images. Adjust firewall or proxy settings if necessary. If Outlook blocks automatic image downloads, the images will remain hidden until you choose to download them. You can view these images as needed by right-clicking on the placeholder and selecting ‘Upload photos‘ or by changing your settings for trusted senders.

Read next: Outlook signature not working on response.