a phishing email takes reporting option out in outlook (it is greyed out - inactive)

Question

a phishing email takes reporting option out in outlook (it is greyed out - inactive)

mehran sharifi 0

Phishing email I am trying to report. Disables my report bottom and greys it out. what can do?

Elliott Neiman 35 Reputation points

2026-04-17T16:51:34.2133333+00:00

Just had a similar issue. The email was apparently (not actually) from my own email address. I think that may be why the option was greyed out. However, I was able to trick Outlook into letting me report phishing as follows:

Click the three dots menu on the email message itself.
Click Customize Actions
Check the box for Report Phishing
Now you have a new little shield icon that Microsoft forgot to disable
Click It!

Hope this helps someone.

2 answers

Your answer

Elliott Neiman 35 Reputation points

2026-04-17T16:51:34.2133333+00:00

Just had a similar issue. The email was apparently (not actually) from my own email address. I think that may be why the option was greyed out. However, I was able to trick Outlook into letting me report phishing as follows:

Click the three dots menu on the email message itself.
Click Customize Actions
Check the box for Report Phishing
Now you have a new little shield icon that Microsoft forgot to disable
Click It!

Hope this helps someone.

Answer 1

Mike Hansen 5

I have 3 Microsoft 365 installations, all on Windows 11 Pro computers. On two of them, the Report button works as expected, but on the third one. I have run a couple of Online repairs, but they have not restored the Report button. Regarding your reference to a COM Add-in for the Report button, all three machines have the same COM Add-ins installed and enabled. NONE of the Add-ins are "Report Message add-in" or anything similar.

Mike Hansen 5 Reputation points

2026-02-10T07:48:30.0733333+00:00

but NOT on the third one

Answer 2

Hi Mehran,

Thanks for reaching out. The report option is greyed out because it only works on emails in your Inbox or Junk folder. If the message is in Deleted Items, Archive, or opened in plain text, the button will be inactive. It can also happen if the Report Message add-in is disabled or your account type doesn’t support reporting.

To fix this, move the email back to Inbox or Junk and try again. If it’s still greyed out, check that the add-in is enabled under Settings > Manage Add-ins or in Outlook desktop via File > Options > Add-ins. Restart Outlook after changes. If reporting still fails, forward the email as an attachment to ******@office365.microsoft.com or use the Microsoft Security & Compliance portal if you’re in an organization.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer".

Regards,
Carlo