How to Ensure your Exchange Server Does Not Use RTF Exclusively

For each domain that is listed in Internet Message Formats, you can configure how you send Internet mail messages. As a general rule, do not send mail exclusively in rich text format (RTF) because many non-Microsoft mail servers cannot read rich-text messages. Instead, users receive an empty e-mail message with a winmail.dat file attachment. To avoid this problem, ensure that your global message setting does not use the Exchange RTF exclusively.

Before You Begin

Before you perform the procedure in this topic, read Connecting Exchange to the Internet.

The following permissions are required to perform this procedure:

• Member of the local administrators group and a member of a group that has had the Exchange Administrators role applied at the administrative group level

Procedure

To ensure that your Exchange server does not use RTF exclusively

1. In Exchange System Manager, expand Global Settings, and then click Internet Message Formats.

2. In the details pane, right-click the name you want, and then click Properties.

3. Click the Advanced tab.

4. Under Exchange rich-text format, ensure that either Never use or Determined by individual user settings is selected.

   The Advanced tab for Internet Message Formats

   

   Note

   Selecting Always Use can prevent users on non-Microsoft servers from reading your e-mail messages. They may receive an e-mail message with a winmail.dat file attachment.