How to enable Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook

The Developer Mode in Outlook lets you perform advanced tasks, like automating the tasks by recording or creating Macros. This article will show you how to enable Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook.

How to enable Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook

You can enable the Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook by using any of the following methods:

Outlook Options
Registry Editor

Let’s see both of these methods in detail.

1] Enable Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook via Outlook Options

By default, the Developer tab remains disabled in Microsoft Outlook and all other Office applications. You can show it on the ribbon in Outlook via Outlook Options. The following steps will help you with that.

Open Microsoft Outlook.
Go to “File > Options.”
Now, select the Customize Ribbon category from the left side.
Make sure that Main Tabs is selected in the Customize the ribbon drop-down menu on the right side. Scroll down and select the Developer checkbox (see the above screenshot).
Click OK to save the changes.

After performing the above steps, you will see the Developer tab on the ribbon in Microsoft Outlook.

2] Enable Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook via Registry Editor

Now, let’s see how to enable Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook using the Registry Editor. Windows Registry is a hierarchical database of the Windows operating system. You can disable some features on your Windows device by tweaking Registry. You should follow the proper steps while doing this as any mistake while modifying Windows Registry can lead to serious errors on your system. That’s why it is always recommended to create a System Restore Point and backup your Registry before modifying the Registry.

System Restore is a tool developed by Microsoft Corporation that helps users protect and repair their systems. When you turn on System Restore, it takes the snapshot of the system files and Windows Registry and saves it on your hard disk. If any problem occurs, you can run the System Restore tool to take your system to the previous working state.

Do note that, after enabling the Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook via Registry Editor, you will not be able to disable it via Outlook Options. If you want to disable it, you have to tweak the Registry again. The following steps will guide you on how to do that.

Press the Win + R keys to launch the Run command box. Type regedit and click OK. Click Yes in the UAC prompt. This command will open the Registry Editor.

Now, navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor. To make it easy, copy the following path, paste it into the address bar of the Registry Editor, and hit Enter.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft

Now, right-click on the Microsoft key and go to “New > Key.” Name this newly created key as Office. After that, right-click on the newly created Office key and create a new subkey by following the same procedure. Name this subkey as 16.0.

Here, 16.0 represents the three versions of Microsoft Office, namely, Microsoft Office 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you have another version of Microsoft Office, you have to create a different subkey in place of 16.0. The following information will help you with that.

Office 2003 – 11.0
Office 2007 – 12.0
Office 2010 – 14.0
Office 2013 – 15.0
Office 2016 – 16.0
Office 2019 – 16.0
Office 2021 – 16.0

Right-click on the 16.0 subkey (or whatever the subkey you have created as per your Office version) and create one more subkey. Name it as Outlook. Now, right-click on the Outlook subkey and create a new subkey with the name Options. Select the Options subkey.

When you select the options subkey, the address bar of your Registry Editor should show the following path:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options

Make sure that you have selected the Options subkey on the left side. Take your mouse cursor on the right pane and right-click in the empty space. Go to “New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.” Right-click on the newly created Value and select Rename. Name it as developertools.

By default, the Value Data of developertools Value should show 0. Here, 0 means disabled. To enable Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook, you have to change its Value Data from 0 to 1. To do so, right-click on the developertools Value and select Modify. Enter 1 in its Value Data and click OK.

The following two points summarize this:

0 in the developertools Value Data – Disable the Development Mode in Outlook.
1 in the developertools Value Data – Enable the Development Mode in Outlook.

Now, open Microsoft Outlook. You will see the Development tab on its ribbon. If not, restart your computer. The above registry tweak permanently enables the Development Mode in Microsoft Outlook. This means that you cannot disable it from Outlook Options. I have already tested it on my laptop.

If you want to disable the Development Mode in Outlook, you have to change the Value Data of developertools Value from 1 to 0. This action will permanently disable the Developer Mode.

This means that tweaking the Registry Editor is a permanent action. If you want to enable and disable the Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook via the Outlook Options, you have to delete the Office subkey from the Registry Editor that you have created by following the steps explained above.

I hope this helps.

Read: How to open MSG files without Outlook.

Who is the developer of Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlook is a part of the Microsoft Office suite, which is developed by Microsoft Corporation. If you purchase Microsoft Office, you will be able to use different Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc. If you are in Developer Mode in Outlook, you will see the Developer tab on its ribbon. If the Developer tab is not there, you are not in the Developer Mode. In this case, you have to enable the Developer Mode.

How do I get out of Developer mode in Outlook?

If you want to get out of the Developer Mode in Outlook, you have to disable the Developer tab in Outlook. You can do this by customizing Outlook Ribbon via Outlook Options. If you want to permanently disable the Developer Mode in Microsoft Outlook, you have to modify Windows Registry. After doing that, enabling the Development Mode in Outlook via Outlook Options will not work.

Where is macro in Outlook?

You will find Macros under the Developer tab in Outlook. By default, the Developer tab remains disabled. If you do not see it on your Outlook ribbon, you have to enable it in Outlook Options. To do so, open Outlook and go to “File > Options > Customize Ribbon” and enable the Developer checkbox. Click OK when done.