Attachment file types restricted by Office Outlook 2007
Updated: April 9, 2009
Applies To: Office Resource Kit
This Office product will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see , Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.
Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14
There is restricted access to some attachments in items (such as e-mail messages or appointments) in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. Files with specific file types can be categorized as Level 1 (the user cannot view the file) or Level 2 (the user can open the file after saving it to disk).
Note
This topic is for Outlook administrators. To learn more about why some Outlook attachments are blocked, see Blocked attachments: The Outlook feature you love to hate. Or learn how to share files with restricted file types by reading Blocked attachments in Outlook.
By default, Outlook classifies a number of file type extensions as Level 1 and blocks files with those extensions from being received by users. As an administrator, you can use Group Policy to manage how a file type is categorized for e-mail attachment blocking. For example, you can change a file type categorization from Level 1 to Level 2 or create a list of Level 2 file types.
Note
There are no Level 2 file types by default.
You can find links to more information about customizing attachment settings in Outlook in the See Also section, which is visible when you are connected to the Internet.
The following table lists Level 1 file types that are blocked under a default installation of Outlook.
| File type | File description |
|---|---|
.ade |
Access Project Extension (Microsoft) |
.adp |
Access Project (Microsoft) |
.app |
Executable Application |
.asp |
Active Server Page |
.bas |
BASIC Source Code |
.bat |
Batch Processing |
.cer |
Internet Security Certificate File |
.chm |
Compiled HTML Help |
.cmd |
DOS CP/M Command File, Command File for Windows NT |
.com |
Command |
.cpl |
Windows Control Panel Extension (Microsoft) |
.crt |
Certificate File |
.csh |
csh Script |
.der |
DER Encoded X509 Certificate File |
.exe |
Executable File |
.fxp |
FoxPro Compiled Source (Microsoft) |
.hlp |
Windows Help File |
.hta |
Hypertext Application |
.inf |
Information or Setup File |
.ins |
IIS Internet Communications Settings (Microsoft) |
.isp |
IIS Internet Service Provider Settings (Microsoft) |
.its |
Internet Document Set, International Translation |
.js |
JavaScript Source Code |
.jse |
JScript Encoded Script File |
.ksh |
UNIX Shell Script |
.lnk |
Windows Shortcut File |
.mad |
Access Module Shortcut (Microsoft) |
.maf |
Access (Microsoft) |
.mag |
Access Diagram Shortcut (Microsoft) |
.mam |
Access Macro Shortcut (Microsoft) |
.maq |
Access Query Shortcut (Microsoft) |
.mar |
Access Report Shortcut (Microsoft) |
.mas |
Access Stored Procedures (Microsoft) |
.mat |
Access Table Shortcut (Microsoft) |
.mau |
Media Attachment Unit |
.mav |
Access View Shortcut (Microsoft) |
.maw |
Access Data Access Page (Microsoft) |
.mda |
Access Add-in (Microsoft), MDA Access 2 Workgroup (Microsoft) |
.mdb |
Access Application (Microsoft), MDB Access Database (Microsoft) |
.mde |
Access MDE Database File (Microsoft) |
.mdt |
Access Add-in Data (Microsoft) |
.mdw |
Access Workgroup Information (Microsoft) |
.mdz |
Access Wizard Template (Microsoft) |
.msc |
Microsoft Management Console Snap-in Control File (Microsoft) |
.msh |
Windows PowerShell |
.msh1 |
Windows PowerShell |
.msh2 |
Windows PowerShell |
.mshxml |
Windows PowerShell |
.msh1xml |
Windows PowerShell |
.msh2xml |
Windows PowerShell |
.msi |
Windows Installer File (Microsoft) |
.msp |
Windows Installer Patch |
.mst |
Windows SDK Setup Transform Script |
.ops |
Office Profile Settings File |
.pcd |
Visual Test (Microsoft) |
.pif |
Windows Program Information File (Microsoft) |
.plg |
Developer Studio Build Log |
.prf |
Outlook Profile file |
.prg |
Program File |
.ps1 |
Windows PowerShell |
.ps1xml |
Windows PowerShell |
.ps2 |
Windows PowerShell |
.ps2xml |
Windows PowerShell |
.psc1 |
Windows PowerShell |
.psc2 |
Windows PowerShell |
.pst |
MS Exchange Address Book File, Outlook Personal Folder File (Microsoft) |
.reg |
Registration Information/Key for W95/98, Registry Data File |
.scf |
Windows Explorer Command |
.scr |
Windows Screen Saver |
.sct |
Windows Script Component, Foxpro Screen (Microsoft) |
.shb |
Windows Shortcut into a Document |
.shs |
Shell Scrap Object File |
.tmp |
Temporary File/Folder |
.url |
Internet Location |
.vb |
VBScript File or Any VisualBasic Source |
.vbe |
VBScript Encoded Script File |
.vbs |
VBScript Script File, Visual Basic for Applications Script |
.vsmacros |
Visual Studio .NET Binary-based Macro Project (Microsoft) |
.vsw |
Visio Workspace File (Microsoft) |
.ws |
Windows Script File |
.wsc |
Windows Script Component |
.wsf |
Windows Script File |
.wsh |
Windows Script Host Settings File |
.xnk |
Exchange Public Folder Shortcut |
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