How To Fix Outlook Cannot Send This Item? 4 Effective Ways To Fix Outlook!

IRRITATING! Writing a long reply to an email on Outlook just to see the pop-up box of – “cannot send this item” is quite frustrating. If you’ve been facing the same issue for a while now and wish to solve it before you die out of anxiety, then we have a perfect solution for you. Keep reading to find out the best possible solution to how to fix Outlook cannot send this item issue and send email replies without any hitch!

Microsoft Outlook is an application that allows excellent features like efficient conversations via email, task tracker, contact sharing and saving, task reminder, etc. It is an all-rounder app with multiple functions which makes our professional life pretty smooth. However, users are increasingly complaining about the error which pops up while sending a reply to an email on Outlook. If you’re one of them, then let’s dig deeper.

The most common reason for the “cannot send this item” error on Outlook is due to long links that are embedded into the email to which you’re replying. If you’re replying or forwarding an email with hyperlinks having long URLs, then there are high chances that you’ll stumble on the pop-up of “cannot send this item”. However, there’s an easy way (ways) by which you can tackle this problem.

Let’s probe further into why Outlook cannot send this item error and look at the perfect ways to solve this problem.

Outlook Cannot Send This Item Error

The “Outlook cannot send this item” error has been adding to the headache of many Outlook users now. Many people who frequently reply and forward emails through Microsoft Outlook have been constantly finding this problem and wondering what they can do to address the same.

Moreover, this error is PC-specific only. Meaning, that you’ll come across this problem only while replying or forwarding through Outlook’s PC app. If you use a web version of the Outlook app, then you won’t find this problem. 

Additionally, before you jump to find the possible solutions for these problems, you should check the points mentioned below.

1. Make sure you have a steady internet connection.
2. You have sufficient storage as sometimes insufficient storage makes it harder to send, forward, or reply to emails.
3. Make sure you have updated your Outlook app. 

After you’ve checked the above-mentioned points, then proceed to solve the Outlook error called “Cannot send this item”.

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How To Fix Outlook Cannot Send This Item?

Microsoft introduced a quick fix to the “cannot send this item” error in Outlook as Customers were increasingly complaining about the same. However, not everyone was able to access this fix and that’s why we have these work-around methods to fix this problem. 

Follow the below-mentioned ways, to successfully solve the Cannot send this item on Outlook. 

1. Remove Long Links

Among all, the most pressing reason behind the cannot send this item error is – long links. If the email you’re replying to, or forwarding has embedded long links, then you should make sure to remove them before writing a reply for the same.

If you remove the link, then the error pop-up won’t appear. However, if you feel that the mentioned link is necessary if you’re forwarding the email, then follow other methods to solve the error.

2. Use Outlook Web App (OWA)

Outlook cannot send this item error appears on the Outlook app for PC only. This means, if you reply with the mobile app for Outlook or with an Outlook Web App, then this error won’t persist and you’ll be able to hold conversations freely.

Accordingly, you should engage in conversations with emails that have long links via OWA or Outlook mobile app only. If you don’t want to follow this method, then keep reading to find other important alternatives to try.

3. Use Rich Text Instead

The most followed method to solve the cannot send this item error on Outlook is by changing the email format HTML to Rich Text. 

Outlook has three email formats, namely, Rich Text, HTML, and Plain Text. If you want to get rid of the problem of Cannot send this item, then you have to change the format from HTML to Rich Text. Don’t worry though as the appearance of the text won’t change for you and the receiver.

Here’s what you need to do to change the email format in Outlook.

Step 1: Open the Outlook app on your PC and make sure you’re signed in.

Step 2: Open the email you want to reply to or forward.

Step 3: Navigate to the “Format Text” tab on the top of the Menu bar.

Step 4: Tap on the “More” option and then click on “Message Format”.

Step 5: Select “Rich Text” from the options. 

After you select Rich Text as your email format on Outlook, the problem of cannot send this item on Outlook will cease to exist.

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4. Change Update Channel

By changing the update channel for Microsoft 365 apps, you can successfully solve the Outlook cannot send this item error. All you have to do is follow the necessary steps and your problem will vanish into the thin air. 

Update the channel via Group Policy or the Office Deployment Tool and make the necessary changes that are required. Follow Microsoft’s original guideline to updating the channel by following these two ways by clicking on the provided link i.e. 

Change the Microsoft 365 Apps update channel for devices in your organization

This was all about solving the cannot send this item Outlook problem. If nothing works, then it is best you either reinstall the app or use OWA to reply and forward emails. 

Wrapping Up

Users have been constantly facing issues using the Outlook app. The persisting problem of “Cannot send this item” has been hindering the work of numerous Outlook users which is the main reason why it becomes vital to address this problem asap. If you’re one such user, then we hope the given solutions were to your liking and were able to solve our problem.

The best way that I would suggest here to solve the “Cannot send this item” error would be to remove the long links altogether from the email. Changing email format or using OWA are other recommended solutions to successfully get rid of this problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

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