The following recipient is outside your organization

Question

In outlook on desktop and web I am getting "The following recipient is outside your organization", using Microsoft 365, tried to check for the

1. MailTip but that option is not present (as where it should be)
2. tried powershell but it turns out to False.

I have admin access, let me know any other steps to check the same

Answer 1

Hi @ragau,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A, and thank you very much for reaching out to us.

Based on your description, may I verify that you would like to disable the Mail Tip when sending email to external recipient?

If that is the case, aside from using Exchange Online PowerShell method, you can also check the Microsoft Defender Portal, provided you have the necessary admin permissions. Specifically, look at whether your Anti‑phishing policy has the “First contact safety tip” feature enabled. When this feature is on, Outlook may display warning banners that can look similar to MailTips.

Go to M365 Defender>Email & Collaboration> Policies & rules > Threat Policies> Anti-phishing, edit policy and switch off first contact safety tip.

For more information, you can check this Microsoft documentation here.

I hope this helps. Looking forward to your response.

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Answer 2

Unfortunately, none of the solutions you've suggested are working for me. I do not have any policies in Microsoft Defender Portal at all - when I navigate to M365

Defender > Email & Collaboration > Policies & rules > Threat Policies > Anti-phishing, there are no policies to edit. I cannot even search for the "First contact safety tip" feature you mentioned (later i found and switched it back ONN and OFF as well but no change found or i missed something), kindly suggest

Answer 3

The message "The following recipient is outside your organization" typically appears when you are trying to send an email to an external recipient, and it is related to the MailTips feature in Outlook. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Check MailTips Settings: Since you mentioned that the MailTip option is not present, ensure that MailTips for external recipients are enabled. You can do this using PowerShell with the command:

      Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled $true
   

   This command enables MailTips for external recipients, which should help in displaying relevant notifications.
2. Verify Organization Relationship Configuration: If you have established organization relationships, check the settings using the Set-OrganizationRelationship cmdlet to ensure that MailTips are enabled for external communications. You can run:

      Get-OrganizationRelationship
   

   This will show you the current configuration and whether MailTips are enabled.
3. Check User Permissions: Ensure that your account has the necessary permissions to view and manage MailTips. You may need to refer to the permissions documentation for Exchange Online to confirm your access level.
4. Review Exchange Online Settings: Sometimes, the settings in Exchange Online can affect the visibility of MailTips. Make sure that the settings align with your organization's policies regarding external communications.
5. Outlook Client Updates: Ensure that your Outlook client is up to date, as sometimes issues can arise from outdated software.

If you continue to experience issues, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

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References:

• MailTips in Exchange Online
• MailTips over organization relationships in Exchange Online