Recipients can't open encrypted emails - Wrong domain in URL

Josh Weigner 1

We are experiencing issues with sending encrypted emails. Recipients can't open our encrypted emails, with the error "Sorry, we can't display your message right now. Something went wrong and your encrypted message couldn't be opened. Please try again by following the instructions in the original email message in 5 minutes." When looking at the URL, it contains the domain of the last person that the sender (our user) RECEIVED an encrypted email from. If they send the same message again, the recipient can open it. It seems that the domain in the URL is behind by one, which is why resending the same email to the same recipient works. Microsoft support hasn't been useful so far.

Example:

******@contoso.com receives an encrypted email from ******@abccompany.com

******@contoso.com sends an encrypted email to ******@xyzcompany.com

**@xyzcompany.com can't open the encrypted email. When we look at the URL of the encrypted email, we see: senderorganization{longstring}%26messageid%3D%{longstring}.prod.exchangelabs.com%253e%26cfmRecipient%3abccompany.onmicrosoft.com%26consumerEncryption%3

******@contoso.com resends the same encrypted email to ******@xyzcompany.com

**@xyzcompany.com can open the encrypted email. When we look at the URL of the encrypted email, we see: senderorganization{longstring}%26messageid%3D%{longstring}.prod.exchangelabs.com%253e%26cfmRecipient%3admin.xyzcompany.com%26consumerEncryption%3

phemanth 13,905 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-02-21T17:26:13.5766667+00:00
@Josh Weigner

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A platform and thanks for posting your query here.

It seems like you're experiencing an issue with encrypted emails where the recipient is unable to open them due to a domain mismatch in the URL. This can be particularly challenging when dealing with encrypted communications, as the underlying mechanisms can be complex.

Please consider checking the following steps that help in troubleshooting the issue do confirm us after checking.

Check Email Configuration: Ensure that the email configuration for the sender's domain (contoso.com) is set up correctly for sending encrypted emails. This includes checking the settings for encryption protocols and any related policies.

Review Encryption Settings: Verify that the encryption settings for both the sender and recipient domains are compatible. Different email providers may have varying requirements for encryption.

Clear Cache and Cookies: Sometimes, browser cache or cookies can cause issues with opening encrypted emails. Ask the recipients to clear their browser cache and cookies or try accessing the email in a different browser or incognito mode.

Update Email Clients: Ensure that both the sender and recipient are using the latest version of their email clients. Outdated software can sometimes lead to compatibility issues.

Test with Different Recipients: Try sending encrypted emails to different recipients within the same domain (xyzcompany.com) and to recipients from other domains to see if the issue persists. This can help identify if the problem is specific to certain domains or recipients.

Check for Email Forwarding: If the recipient's email is being forwarded from another address, it may cause issues with the encryption. Ensure that the recipient is accessing the email directly from their inbox.

Monitor for Patterns: Keep track of any patterns in the issue, such as specific domains or types of emails that consistently cause problems. This information can be valuable for troubleshooting.

please refer ;https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/troubleshoot/security/external-recipient-can%27t-open-encrypted-email#solution

I hope the above steps will resolve the issue, please do let us know if issue persists. Thank you

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Recipients can't open encrypted emails - Wrong domain in URL

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