How do you remove the replied/forwarded indicator from a message in Outlook?

email microsoft-outlook microsoft-outlook-2010 forwarding reply

9,117

This is easy with VBA macro like this:

Sub ClearLastVerb()
    On Error Resume Next
    For Each Item In ActiveExplorer.Selection
        Item.PropertyAccessor.SetProperty "http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/proptag/0x10800003", -1
        Item.PropertyAccessor.SetProperty "http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/proptag/0x10810003", 0
        Item.Save
    Next
End Sub

Just add this macro to your Outlook and after that you can place the button that will clear icon and last verb executed for the selected messages.

9,117

pacoverflow

Inventor of programming and command line rebus puzzles. The goal of the Stack Exchange social media network is to build a repository of questions and answers, so you should do the following: Self-answer your own questions "It is not merely OK to ask and answer your own question, it is explicitly encouraged." -Jeff Atwood, Co-founder Make up hypothetical questions "I'd love to believe thousands of people decide every day to make up questions they hope will be interesting to others" -Shog9, Community Manager Anyone with the username "pacoverflow" on a different web site is not me. Email: [email protected]

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

pacoverflow over 1 year

In Outlook, when viewing an email that you have either replied to or forwarded in the past, it will say either "You replied to this message on DATE/TIME" (along with the icon showing a purple arrow pointing to the left) or "You forwarded this message on DATE/TIME" (along with the icon showing a blue arrow pointing to the right). How do you remove that replied/forwarded indicator?

I came across a method in the past that worked. It involved exporting the message, deleting it, and then reimporting it into your Inbox. But I just tried that and I still see the indicator, so I must be missing a step. I'm using Outlook 2010.
pacoverflow over 8 years

I created the macro, but when I try to run it I get a Microsoft Visual Basic dialog box that says "Run-time error '440': The operation failed." When I press Debug it goes to the line that sets the property to 0.
thims over 8 years

This is werid... It works flawless in my test lab on Outlook 2007/2010/2013/2016. What type of account do you use in Outlook (Exchange/POP3/IMAP/...)?
pacoverflow over 8 years

It is an Exchange account.
thims over 8 years

Ok, try to add the "On Error Resume Next" line as shown in the script above.
pacoverflow over 8 years

That works to change the icon from the purple/blue arrow back to the regular envelope icon. But it doesn't remove the "You replied to/forwarded this message on..."
thims over 8 years

Because for some reason th second "SetProperty" fails. Not sure what's going on here, it just works for me. Can you try it on other mailboxes?
pacoverflow over 8 years

I tried it on messages in the Inbox and also in Sent Items and got the same result. Is that what you mean by other mailboxes?
thims over 8 years

No, I mean mailboxes of other users.
pacoverflow over 8 years

I don't have permission to do that.
pacoverflow over 8 years

Is the SetProperty trying to work on an item in the message list? Maybe that's why the first SetProperty works, but not the second one (since the "You replied to/forwarded" text isn't in the message list but in the message pane)?
thims over 8 years

Unlikely. But you can try to select multiple messages and run the macro.