my control toolbox in the developer tab in outlook is grayed out

Question

Hi,

I'd like to add content controls to emails but it is grayed out (screenshot attached) to create an email template with content controls in Outlook which can save time and standardise communication. Can you please help?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi @Eleanor Shakiba

Welcome to our forum!

Does the issue occur recently on Outlook Desktop Client? Do you have any specific operation before the issue occurred? 

What is the version of your Outlook? It is recommended that you please check the Outlook client version (File>Office Account>Product Information) and try to upgrade to the latest version to see if the problem is resolved. 

Based on my research, the system does not come with these functions, you should add them yourself, please make sure that you add them correctly, more information: Add a Modified Control to the Control Toolbox | Microsoft Learn 

In addition, here are some steps you may want to take:

1. Repair Office:
   • Control Panel>Programs>Programs and Features>Select Microsoft Office>Change>Choose Quick Repair first. If that doesn't work, try Online Repair.
2. Check Add-ins:
   • File>Options>Add-ins>At the bottom, select COM Add-ins>Go>Uncheck all add-ins and restart Outlook to see if the issue is resolved.
3. Run Outlook in Safe Mode:
   • Press Windows+R>type Outlook.exe /safe>Enter.
   • Check if the content controls are still grayed out. If they are not, it might be an issue with one of your add-ins.
4. Check Group Policy Settings:
   • If you are in a corporate environment, certain features might be disabled by Group Policy. Contact your IT department to check if any policies are affecting your Outlook settings.

(Note: To protect your domain details, we have removed some personal information from your post. In order to avoid privacy leakage, please remember to hide your personal information when you post next time. )

Hope it helps! 

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