Microsoft Outlook was not able to create a message with restricted permission

A lot of organizations have this feature where the user can encrypt the message that they are sending for privacy. Some users have reported seeing the following error message:

Microsoft Outlook was not able to create a message with restricted permission.

So, if Outlook was not able to create a message, you can follow this guide.

Fix Microsoft Outlook was not able to create a message with restricted permission

If Microsoft Outlook was not able to create a message with restricted permission, follow the solutions mentioned below.

1. Revert Outlook to an older version and then check
2. Check if Outlook Web works
3. Enable IRM for Outlook Web to encrypt messages
4. Delete Outlook cache
5. Use @Reply
6. Open Outlook in Safe Mode
7. Revert Outlook Desktop to the previous version.

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Revert Outlook to an older version and then check

You may have noticed that MS Office has transitioned from using MSIPC to the MIP SDK starting with Version 2402 Build 17328.20142, which might be the reason why you are experiencing this issue. In order to confirm if this is the cause, we can temporarily revert Office back to the previous MSIPC functionality by setting a registry key. If this works out for you, you can even keep Office to an older version until a new update is released. In order to do the same, follow the steps mentioned below.

1. Open the Registry Editor and take a backup by clicking on File > Import, go to the location where you want to store the file and click Ok.
2. Now, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\DRM.
3. Right-click on the empty space, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it “PreferredRmsPackage”.
4. Double-click on PreferredRmsPackageand set its Value data to 1.
5. Click Apply > Ok.

See if this works.

2] Check if Outlook Web works

We recommend you check out Outlook Web Access (OWA) or the new Outlook if the Outlook app doesn’t work for you. If this works, you can probably get away with using them for a bit but follow the solutions mentioned below as there is something wrong with your Outlook app.

3] Enable IRM for Outlook Web to encrypt messages

Information Rights Management (IRM) is a technology used to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. If you notice that there is no option to encrypt messages in Outlook Web, you can follow the steps mentioned below to enable IRM.

1. First of all, make sure that the Right Management Service (RMS) is activated in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Also, add a federation mailbox to the super user group in AD RMS.
3. Go to the SharePoint admin center, and go to Settings >  Classic settings page.
4. Look for the Information Rights Management (IRM) section and then choose Use the IRM service specified in your configuration.
5. Click on Refresh IRM Settings.
6. Once done, in the Outlook Web App, users can send IRM-protected messages by selecting a rights policy template from the permissions drop-down list.

Finally, check if the issue is resolved.

4] Delete Outlook cache

Since the Outlook app has a problem, let’s start by deleting the Outlook cache. If it is corrupted, you will encounter the issue in question. To do this, follow the steps mentioned below.

1. Hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc, look for Outlook, right-click on it, and select End Task.
2. Open Run by Win + R.
3. Type “%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook\” and click Ok.
4. Open the RoamCache folder and delete its content.

Finally, reboot your computer and open Outlook. Hopefully, this will do the job for you.

5] Use @Reply

As per the suggestions from Microsoft, you can use @reply to the encrypted emails in Outlook Web Access (OWA) or the new Outlook, both of which do not have this issue.

6] Open Outlook in the Safe Mode

In this solution, we will open Outlook in the Safe Mode and then try to disable all the plugins. Launching Outlook in the Safe Mode ensures that it opens without any plugins, making it easier for you to disable them. To do so, follow the steps mentioned below.

1. Open Run by Win + R, type “outlook.exe/safe”, and then click Ok.
2. Go to File and then click on the Options button.
3. Now, you need to go to the Add-ins tab, then go to the Manage section, and click on Go.
4. Tick all the add-ins and then click on the Remove button to turn them off.
5. Reboot your computer.

If the encryption works, enable add-ins manually to find out the culprit. Once you know which add-in is causing the issue, delete it.

7] Revert Outlook Desktop to the previous version

If you want to use Outlook Desktop but can’t because of this issue, there is a workaround that you can use, which is reverting Outlook Desktop back to an older version. To do so, open the Command Prompt as an administrator and then run the following command.

cd %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun
officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.17231.20236

Hopefully, you can resolve this issue using the solutions mentioned in this post.

Read: Configure Microsoft Outlook For Gmail – Manual Settings

What does restricted Outlook mean?

If you see Restricted in Outlook, your emails are secured with Information Rights Management (IRM), limiting how recipients can interact with the content. For instance, they may be unable to print, forward, or copy the message, helping to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.

Read: Outlook stuck on Getting Outlook ready

How do I set restricted in Outlook?

If you want to set restricted sensitivity in Outlook for a new message, go to File > Options > Mail. Then, under Send messages, select Confidential in the Default Sensitivity level list. This will send new messages in the restricted mode.

Also Read: Outlook closes automatically immediately after opening.