Outlook comes with lots of command line switches and parameters which can be very handy for troubleshooting and (limited) automation.

This guide contains an overview of all available command line switches per Outlook version and how they can be used.

Using command line switches

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You can directly execute command line switches in the following way:

1. Open the Run command by pressing the Windows Logo + R on your keyboard.
   Alternative ways are:
   • Windows 7
     Open the Start Menu and use the Search field to type in for the next step.
   • Windows 8
     Open the Start Screen and directly start typing. This will automatically open the Search Pane which also allows for commands.
   • Windows 10
     Type in the Search field (Cortana) or open the Start Menu and directly start typing. This will automatically open the Search Pane which also allows for commands.
2. In the box you opened in step 1, type; outlook.exe
3. Press the SPACEBAR once, and then type a forward slash mark (/) followed by the switch you want to use (see the list below). For example, if you want to use the CleanReminders switch, the command you type in the Open box should look like this:
   outlook.exe /cleanreminders
4. To run the command, click OK or press ENTER.

Starting Outlook with the cleanreminders switch in Windows 7.
(note the space in the command above).

Starting Outlook with the cleanreminders switch in Windows 10.

Tool Tip 1
To have easy access to all the “direct start” command line switches (the switches that do not require further variables), you can use HowTo-Outlook’s very own OutlookTools (free).

Tool Tip 2
Need more Outlook management options via the command line? ReliefJet Essentials Pro provides batch script and PowerShell support for over 150 of its utilities related to configuring, reporting, converting and exporting Outlook data.

Creating custom shortcuts with command line switches

You can also create a shortcut which includes one or more switches so you can automate tasks or start Outlook in a certain folder like the Calendar;

1. Search for the location of outlook.exe:
   • Windows 7
     Open the Start Menu and in the Search field type: outlook.exe
   • Windows 8 and Windows 10
     Open the Start Screen and directly type: outlook.exe
   • All Windows versions
     You can also browse to the path of outlook.exe.
     Examples:
     • Outlook 2010 on a 32-bit version of Windows
       C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice14Outlook.exe
     • Outlook 2013 32-bit on a 64-bit version of Windows
       C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice15Outlook.exe
     • Outlook of Office 365 on any version of WindowsC:Program FilesMicrosoft Officerootoffice16Outlook.exe
2. Right-click on Outlook.exe, and then on the shortcut menu point to Send To, and then click Desktop (create shortcut).
   • Windows 8 and Windows 10
     Right click on the outlook.exe search result and choose “Open File Location”. This will open a new Explorer window with outlook.exe highlighted. Right click on this file and choose: Send To-> Desktop (create shortcut).
3. Go to the Desktop (keyboard shortcut Windows+D).
4. Right-click the shortcut you just created, and from the shortcut menu click Properties.
5. On the Shortcut tab, locate the Target box. It contains the path for outlook.exe.
6. Press the SPACEBAR once to type a space after the path, and then type;
   /select outlook:calendar
   The full command should now look like this;
   'C:Program FilesMicrosoft Officerootoffice16Outlook.exe' /select outlook:calendar
7. Click OK.
8. On the desktop, double-click the Outlook shortcut you created.

Creating a custom shortcut with the command line to start
Outlook in the Calendar folder (click on the image to enlarge).

Tip 1!
To create a shortcut that creates a new message, follow the above instructions but instead of typing /select outlook:calendar use /c ipm.note.

Tip 2!
You can also create a Send To shortcut for Outlook which has the /a switch. This allows you to select files in Explorer and use the Send To-> Mail Recipient feature to create a new message with the selected files as attachments while also adding your signature and not blocking Outlook. For details see: Send To Mail Recipient in HTML and with Signature.

Command line switches overview

The overview of commands below are taken from various local and on-line help files of all Outlook versions and from KB articles discussing them. In the right column you’ll find to which Outlook version the command applies.

Important

Effective October 1 2020, the legacy Dynamics 365 for Outlook (also referred to as Outlook COM add-in) is retired. Customers must transition to the modern Dynamics 365 App for Outlook at the earliest. Microsoft will not provide support or any further updates (including security and critical updates) to the Outlook COM Add-in.

Starting December 4, 2020 the legacy Dynamics 365 for Outlook (also referred to as Outlook COM add-in) will be removed and users will no longer be able to use Outlook COM add-in. This removal will happen by geographic location and follows the weekly release schedule.

For more information and steps to make a smooth transition, download Dynamics 365 for Outlook (COM add-in) Playbook.

• For December 2016 Update for Dynamics 365 (online and on-premises) and later releases, the preferred way to use Microsoft Dynamics 365 together with Outlook is to use Dynamics 365 App for Outlook, a Microsoft Office add-in. More information: Dynamics 365 App for Outlook User's Guide.
• Configuring Dynamics 365 App for Outlook and Dynamics 365 for Outlook for the same Dynamics 365 user is not supported.
• When using Dynamics 365 online for Outlook version 9.0 in offline mode, attachments to synchronized records will not be available in offline mode. If there is an attachment to a record, the attachment will only be available when you are back online. If you added an attachment to a record in offline mode, the attachment will be synchronized to the server when you are back online. To use attachments in offline mode, consider saving the attachment your device.
• The offline capability in Dynamics 365 for Outlook version 9.0 isn't available in Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (on-premises).

Dynamics 365 for Outlook is retired and removed

Starting December 4, 2020 the legacy Dynamics 365 for Outlook (also referred to as Outlook COM add-in) will be removed and users will no longer be able to use Outlook COM add-in. This removal will happen by geographic location and follows the weekly release schedule.

Once the service is removed, users need to manually uninstall the add-in. Users will be able to launch the Outlook COM add-in, however none of any features will work.

Existing Outlook COM add-in users will experience the following behavior:

Outlook 365 Outlook 2016

• Dynamics 365 ribbon is disabled.

• Dynamics 365 org folders show empty pages.

• You’ll not be able configure new mailboxes in Outlook COM add-in. Adding a Dynamics 365 Organization will show the below message:

Privacy notices

To use Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Outlook, you are required to sign in by using your credentials (an email address and password). You may choose to save this information locally so that you are not prompted for your credentials each time you open Outlook. If you do choose to save this information locally, Dynamics 365 for Outlook will automatically connect to Microsoft Dynamics 365 (online) every time you open Outlook.

After the first time you sign in and use Dynamics 365 for Outlook, the connection between your computer and Dynamics 365 (online) will always be open when you have access to the Internet. You may choose to turn off the connection between your computer and Dynamics 365 only by using a configuration setting, but if you do turn off the connection, Dynamics 365 for Outlook may exhibit decreased performance.

If you use Dynamics 365 for Outlook to track email, the email thread will be visible to users in your organization who have permission to view it.

For every email you receive, Dynamics 365 for Outlook will send Dynamics 365 (online) the sender’s email address, the recipient’s email address, and the subject line of the message. This allows Dynamics 365 (online) to validate whether or not a particular mail should be stored by the Dynamics 365 (online) service. When you track an item, a copy of that item will be maintained by the Dynamics 365 service and will be visible to other users in your organization who have the appropriate permissions. When you untrack an item, that copy is automatically deleted from Dynamics 365 (online) only if you own the item.

If you use Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Outlook, when you go offline, a copy of the data you are working on is created and stored on your local computer. The data is transferred from Dynamics 365 (online) to your computer by using a secure connection, and a link is maintained between the local copy and Dynamics 365 Online. The next time you sign in to Dynamics 365 (online), the local data will be synchronized with Dynamics 365 (online).

An administrator determines whether or not an organization’s users are permitted to go offline with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Outlook by using security roles.

Users and administrators can configure which entities are downloaded via Offline Sync by using the Sync Filters setting in the Options dialog box. Alternatively, users and Administrators can configure which fields are downloaded (and uploaded) by using Advanced Options in the Sync Filters dialog box.

If you use Dynamics 365 (online), when you use the Sync to Outlook feature, the Dynamics 365 data you are syncing is “exported” to Outlook. A link is maintained between the information in Outlook and the information in Dynamics 365 (online) to ensure that the information remains current between the two. Outlook Sync downloads only the relevant Dynamics 365 record IDs to use when a user attempts to track and set regarding an Outlook item. The company data is not stored on the device.

An administrator determines whether your organization’s users are permitted to sync Dynamics 365 data to Outlook by using security roles.

Outlook 365 Outlook Owa

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