Outlook 365 Desktop Client - Save As button not available

Question

Outlook 365 Desktop Client - Save As button not available

77154638 30

Hello,

I tried the new Outlook for Windows a couple of years ago, but I had to stop using it because it lacked a Save As option which is essential in our working environment and the search functionality wasn’t delivering accurate results.

I recently decided to try it again to see whether these issues had been addressed. The good news is that the search now delivers accurate results. However, the Save As feature is still missing (and appears to be replaced by Save to OneDrive for some reason), meaning emails cannot be saved to a local folder. In addition, the Collapse/Expand All option is still unavailable when grouping by Sender, Conversation, or similar views.

Is there a setting I might be overlooking that would enable these features, or have they simply not been implemented yet?

Thanks

Answer accepted by question author

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Answer 1

Chris Duong 4,830 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @77154638,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience and detailed feedback about the new Outlook for Windows. I truly appreciate the time you took to explore the new Outlook and provide specific information.

Regarding the issues you mentioned:

1/ “Save As” option to save emails to a local folder

Currently, the new Outlook for Windows does not support the Save As feature like the classic version. The “Save to OneDrive” option was designed to integrate with cloud storage, but we understand that saving emails directly to a local drive is an important need in many work environments. This feature has not yet been implemented in the new Outlook, and there is no setting to enable it at this time.

2/ “Collapse/Expand All” option when grouping emails

Similarly, the new Outlook does not yet support the Collapse All / Expand All feature for grouping modes such as Sender or Conversation. This is one of the features requested by many users, and we have noted your feedback to forward to the development team.

If these two features are essential for your workflow, we recommend continuing to use Outlook Classic (which still fully supports these options). This will ensure you have access to the functionality you need without interruptions.

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Outlook · Community portal. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.

User's image

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.

We sincerely appreciate you trying the new Outlook again and sharing your evaluation. The new Outlook is still evolving and improving every day to ensure users have the best possible experience. That’s why feedback like yours is extremely valuable and provides practical insights that help us prioritize the features that matter most to our users.

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the “Accepted Answer.” Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it.

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have any extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Follow the steps in our documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive email notifications related to this topic.

Hornblower409 2,650 Reputation points

2025-12-03T06:12:42.54+00:00

@Chris Duong @77154638

-- Currently, the new Outlook for Windows does not support the Save As feature

I can not reproduce. Where are we different?

New Outlook for Windows Version: 1.2025.1017.100
77154638 30 Reputation points

2025-12-03T07:22:49.54+00:00

Hi @Chris Duong , thank you for your answer.

As advised, here is the link to the feedback I submitted on the Outlook · Community portal

Regards.
77154638 30 Reputation points

2025-12-03T07:36:57.96+00:00

Hi @Hornblower409 ,

If you try to save an email that contains an attachment, the Save As option will be disabled.

Regards.
Hornblower409 2,650 Reputation points

2025-12-03T11:12:19.2766667+00:00

-- If you try to save an email that contains an attachment,
-- the Save As option will be disabled.

Not for me.
Chris Duong 4,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T00:32:22.5933333+00:00
Hi @77154638,

Thank you for sharing your feedback and for submitting it on the Outlook Community portal. I truly appreciate your input.

Additionally, could you let us know the file type of the attached message you were attempting to save? Commonly supported formats include Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), PDF (.pdf), and image files (.jpg, .png).

For example, in my case below, I’m saving an Excel file (.xlsx).

Please note that one possible reason the Save As option appears disabled is when the email or attachment is in a protected environment, such as Information Rights Management (IRM) or Microsoft Information Protection (MIP). These security measures can restrict downloading to prevent data leakage.

Also, for security reasons, certain file types are blocked and cannot be downloaded, such as:

Executable files or those that may contain malicious code: *.exe, *.bat, *.vbs, *.js

Some script or macro-based formats that pose security risks.

As an alternative, you can try dragging the attachment and dropping it into a folder on your computer to save the file locally.

Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Chris Duong 4,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T00:33:02.2566667+00:00

Hi @Hornblower409,

Thank you for your feedback and contributions to the forum.

To clarify, the issue raised by the original poster concerns saving attachments rather than saving the entire email.

I appreciate you bringing this to our attention and thank you for your concern.

Wishing you a great day.
77154638 30 Reputation points

2025-12-04T07:17:55.8066667+00:00

Hi @Chris Duong ,
I appreciate the time you took to write these helpful tips. However, regardless of the file type, I’m unable to save either the email itself or the attachment. Below are the screenshots I captured to demonstrate the different scenarios. I also tried using drag-and-drop and copy/paste, but that doesn’t work either. 😊

no Save As for all kind of files
Hornblower409 2,650 Reputation points

2025-12-04T16:16:20.6533333+00:00

@77154638

-- unable to save either the email itself or the attachment.

Quick test. Can you access your email account via Outlook Web?

Personal (Free) : https://outlook.live.com/
School/Work (Paid): https://outlook.office.com/

If so, can you Download an email?
Chris Duong 4,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T21:34:46.5+00:00

Hi @77154638,

Thank you very much for your detailed response and for sharing the screenshots. I truly appreciate the effort you put into clarifying the situation.

Based on the images you provided, I can see that the Save As options are indeed unavailable, and alternative methods like drag-and-drop or copy/paste are not working either, even though the file is in a supported format. This suggests the issue may be deeper within the backend configuration and requires further investigation.

In this case, I recommend contacting your organization's IT administrator, who can submit a support request to Microsoft through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. They’ll be able to access system-level information to investigate the issue thoroughly and provide assistance. At the very least, they can offer the most effective workaround to ensure your experience remains smooth and secure.

We kindly ask for your understanding that, as moderators, we do not have access to the administrative tools or permissions required to investigate or modify these configurations. We also do not have the capability to initiate remote sessions for direct assistance. Our role is to guide users to the appropriate resources and support channels.

I hope your issue will be resolved soon. Should you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us.

Wishing you a wonderful day.
77154638 30 Reputation points

2025-12-05T06:36:01.4733333+00:00

Hi @ Hornblower409

I tested both Outlook web apps using my personal and organizational accounts. The personal account works fine, but the organizational account does not. This makes me believe the issue is caused by a setting or configuration within my organization, at least that’s my current assumption. Thank you for the time you spent on this to support both you and @Chris Duong

Regards.

Answer 2

The new Outlook for Windows currently does not support the Save As feature as it was available in the classic Outlook. Instead, it has replaced this functionality with the Save to OneDrive option, which allows users to save files directly to their OneDrive storage. Unfortunately, saving emails directly to a local folder is not an option in the new Outlook at this time.

Regarding the Collapse/Expand All option when grouping by Sender or Conversation, this feature is also not available in the new Outlook. As of now, there are no settings or updates that have been implemented to enable these features in the new Outlook for Windows.

If these functionalities are critical for your workflow, you may consider using the classic Outlook until these features are potentially added in future updates.

77154638 30 Reputation points

2025-12-05T06:35:07.9266667+00:00

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Outlook 365 Desktop Client - Save As button not available

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