TNEF Conversion Options

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

The content conversion options that you can set in a Microsoft Exchange organization can be described in the following categories:

• TNEF conversion options   These conversion options specify whether Transport Neutral Encapsulation Format (TNEF) should be preserved or removed from messages that leave the Exchange organization.

• Message encoding options   These options specify message encoding options, such as MIME and non-MIME character sets, message encoding, and attachment formats.

This topic describes the TNEF conversion options that you can specify at the following levels:

• Remote domain settings

• Mail user and mail contact settings

• Microsoft Outlook settings

  • Message format

  • Internet message format

  • Internet recipient message format

TNEF Conversion Options for Messages That are Sent to Remote Domains

In Exchange Server 2007, you can set the TNEF conversion options for messages that are sent to a remote domain in the Exchange Management Shell or on the Remote Domains tab in the Exchange Management Console. Although the settings are functionally equivalent in the two management interfaces, they may use slightly different terms.

The following table describes the TNEF conversion options that are available for remote domains in the Exchange Management Shell.

TNEF conversion options for remote domains in the Exchange Management Shell

The TNEF conversion options that are available for remote domains in the Exchange Management Console are described in the following procedure.

To use the Exchange Management Console to configure the TNEF options for a remote domain

1. Open the Exchange Management Console.

2. In the console tree, click Organization Configuration, and then click Hub Transport.

3. In the result pane, click the Remote Domains tab.

4. In the result pane, select the remote domain entry that you want to configure. In the action pane, click Properties, and then on the Properties page for that remote domain, click the Message Format tab.

5. On the Message Format tab, under Message Format Options, select Exchange rich text format. The following options are available:

   • Always use   TNEF is used for all messages that are sent to the remote domain.

   • Never Use   TNEF is never used for any messages that are sent to the remote domain.

   • Determined by individual user settings   This is the default value. TNEF message are not specifically allowed or prevented for recipients in the remote domain. Whether TNEF messages are sent to recipients in the remote domain is controlled by the following settings:

     - The value of the UseMAPIRichTextFormat parameter that is specified for a mail user or mail contact in the Exchange organization.

     - The sender's settings in Outlook

6. Click OK.

TNEF Conversion Options for Messages That are Sent to Mail Users and Mail Contacts

You can set the TNEF conversion options for messages that are sent to mail users and mail contacts in the Exchange Management Shell or in the Recipient Configuration node in the Exchange Management Console.

The following table describes the TNEF conversion options that are available for messages that are sent to mail users and mail contacts in the Exchange Management Shell.

TNEF conversion options that are available for mail users and mail contacts in the Exchange Management Shell

The TNEF conversion options that are available for mail users and mail contacts in the Exchange Management Console are described in the following procedure.

To use the Exchange Management Console to configure the message format settings for a mail user or mail contact

1. Open the Exchange Management Console.

2. In the console tree, expand Recipient Configuration, and then select Mail Contact.

3. In the result pane, select the mail user or mail contact that you want to configure. In the action pane, under the name of the mail user or mail contact, click Properties.

4. On the General tab, select the settings in the Use MAPI rich text format: dropdown that you want to use for messages sent to this recipient. The following options are available:

   • Always   TNEF is used for all messages that are sent to the recipient.

   • Never   TNEF is never used for any messages that are sent to the recipient.

   • Use default settings   This is the default value. TNEF message are not specifically allowed or prevented for the mail user or mail contact. Whether TNEF messages are sent to the recipients is controlled by the following settings:

     - The value of the TNEFEnabled parameter that is specified for the remote domain.

     - The sender's settings in Outlook

TNEF Conversion Options for Messages That are Available in Outlook

You can set the default message format for all new messages that you compose to TNEF as described in the following procedure:

To use Outlook 2007 to set the default message format to TNEF

1. In Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, from the toolbar, click Tools, and then click Options.

2. Click the Mail Format tab.

3. In the Message format section, in the Compose messages in this format option, and then select Rich Text.

4. Click OK.

You can override the default message format for an individual message while you compose the message as described in the following procedure.

To use Outlook 2007 to set the message format to TNEF while you compose the message

1. In Outlook 2007, select the File menu, select New, and then select Mail Message.

2. In the new message window, select the Format menu, and then select Rich Text.

You can control the default TNEF message conversion options for TNEF messages that are sent to all recipients outside the Exchange organization. These options are called Internet message format options. The options only apply to remote recipients, and not to recipients in the Exchange organization. These options are described in the following procedure.

To use Outlook 2007 to set the default Internet message format options for converting TNEF messages

1. In Outlook 2007, from the toolbar, click Tools, and then click Options.

2. Click the Mail Format tab.

3. In the Message format section, click Internet Format....

4. In the Outlook Rich Text options section, select the default conversion option for TNEF messages that are sent to remote recipients. The following options are available:

   • Convert to HTML format   This is the default option. Any TNEF messages sent to remote recipients are converted to HTML. Any formatting in the message should closely resemble the original message. MIME-encoded HTML messages are supported by many, but not all, e-mail clients.

   • Convert to Plain Text format   Any TNEF messages sent to remote recipients are converted to plain text. Any formatting in the message is lost.

   • Send using Outlook Rich Text Format   Any TNEF messages sent to remote recipients remain TNEF messages.

5. Click OK.

You can control the default TNEF message conversion options for TNEF messages that are sent to specific recipients outside the Exchange organization. These options are called Internet recipient message format options. The options only apply to remote recipients, and not to recipients in the Exchange organization. These options are described in the following procedure.

To use Outlook 2007 to set the Internet recipient message format options for converting TNEF messages

1. Use one of the following methods

   • For a recipient stored in the Contacts folder, open the contact, double-click the e-mail address in the E-mail... field, and then select Internet format.

   • For a recipient on the To:, Cc: or Bcc: fields, as you compose the message, double-click the recipient, and then select Internet format.

2. Select one of the following options:

   • Let Outlook decide the best sending format   This is the default setting. This setting forces Outlook to use the TNEF conversion option that is specified by the default Internet format. The possible values are Convert to HTML format, Convert to Plain Text format, or Send using Outlook Rich Text Format. Therefore, the TNEF message may be left as TNEF, converted to HTML or converted to plain text. If you want to make sure that the TNEF message is remains TNEF for this recipient, you should change this setting from Let Outlook decide the best sending format to Send using Outlook Rich Text format.

   • Send Plain Text only   Any TNEF messages sent to the recipient are converted to plain text. Any formatting in the message is lost.

   • Send using Outlook Rich Text format   Any TNEF messages sent to remote recipients remain TNEF messages.

3. Click OK.

Order of Precedence for TNEF Conversion Options

Exchange 2007 uses the order of precedence as described in the following list to determine the TNEF conversion options for outgoing messages that are sent to recipients outside the Exchange organization:

• Outlook settings

• Mail user or mail contact settings

• Remote domain settings

The list specifies the order of precedence from lowest to highest. A setting made at a higher level may override a setting made at a lower level.

The following table describes the settings that make sure that a TNEF message leaves the Exchange 2007 organization in the TNEF format.

Settings that make sure that a TNEF message leaves the Exchange 2007 organization in the TNEF format

Microsoft Exchange never sends Summary Transport Neutral Encoding Format (STNEF) messages to external recipients. Only TNEF messages can be sent to recipients outside the Exchange organization.

For More Information

For more information, see the following topics:

• Understanding Content Conversion

• Message Encoding Options