New Outlook not consistently prompting to save-as when downloading an email (EML/MSG)

Question

When a user right-clicks an email and selects "Download --> Download as EML" New Outlook sometimes opens the "Save As" dialogue box and allows the user to select a save location. At other times, it will just download the EML to the "Downloads" user folder without any dialogue box.

Only way to fix it is to clear the "Microsoft/Olk" user local app data directory and reboot.

The issue comes and goes, sometimes weeks can go by where the save-as dialogue appears, and then at random, it just defaults to Downloads.

Is this Microsoft A/B testing? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Dear @morbraden,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum. 

I understand that you're having an unusual issue where there is an inconsistent "Save As" prompt when downloading emails as EML or MSG files in the New Outlook client. Normally, when you try to download a file and select "Download as EML," you should be prompted with a dialog box that allows you to choose the destination folder.

If this isn't happening and files are automatically going to your Downloads folder, this behavior is often governed by the underlying browser settings that the New Outlook client inherits. Here's how you can check and adjust these settings based on the browser you're using:

For Google Chrome:

1. Open Chrome and click on the three dots in the upper right corner to open the menu.
2. Go to Settings > Advanced > Downloads.
3. Check if the option Ask where to save each file before downloading is turned on. If not, toggle it on.

For Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Firefox and click on the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner to open the menu.
2. Go to Options > General.
3. Scroll down to the Files and Applications section and find the Downloads settings. Make sure Always ask you where to save files is selected.

For Microsoft Edge:

1. Open Edge and click on the three dots in the upper right corner to open the menu.
2. Go to Settings > Downloads.
3. Ensure the switch for Ask where to save each file before downloading is turned on.

If you disable this option, you won’t see the prompt that lets you choose “Open,” “Save as,” or “Save” when downloading a file. Instead, the file will automatically be saved to the default location set on the same page.

If you want to choose the download location for each file, enable this option. It will then prompt you to select whether you want to open, save as, or save the file.

If adjusting your browser's download settings does not resolve the inconsistency, this points to an issue within the New Outlook client's application state, which you noted is fixed by clearing local data. I recommend you submit your feedback directly. This ensures that your concerns are seen by the engineering team, who can evaluate and improve the process to avoid causing further inconvenience to users. You can escalate the issue by sending feedback directly:

• Open Outlook app. 
• Navigate to Help > feedback 
• Select Report a problem  
• Detail exactly how the "Save As" prompt disappears and that the local cache clear fixes it.

I hope this information helps clarify the situation and provides you with workable solutions. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're always here to help. Have a wonderful day! 

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