How to Resolve ‘Permission Denied’ Issue when Sending Emails in Outlook?

How to Resolve ‘Permission Denied’ Issue when Sending Emails in Outlook?

Summary: The Permission Denied error in Outlook may appear when sending a new email from a shared mailbox. This usually occurs due to lack of permissions and other reasons as discussed in this post. To resolve the 'Permission Denied' issue, you can follow the solutions discussed in this post. You can also find about an OST to PST converter software that can extract and restore mail items from orphaned or inaccessible OST file.

Microsoft Outlook is a popular and robust business email and calendaring application. Similar to any other application, Outlook is also susceptible to errors and issues. One common error that users often face is ‘Permission Denied’ error that appears when trying to send an email in Outlook. This error can disrupt email communication and workflow, which can lead to downtime and loss of productivity.

In this post, we will explore the causes of the ‘You do not have permission to send the message’ error and provide solutions with stepwise instructions to resolve it.

Reasons for Permission Denied Error when Sending Emails in Outlook

The ‘Permission Denied’ error may occur due to several reasons, such as:

1. Insufficient Permissions: It may happen that the user who is trying to send the email does not have the necessary permissions to the mailbox from which the user is sending the email or lacks Send As or Send on Behalf permissions. It is to be noted that having Full Access permissions on a shared mailbox allows to read and manage the mailbox but does not allow to send messages.

2. Permission Delay: Even if the user has been assigned with the Send As or Send on Behalf permissions, it may take up to 60 minutes for the changes to take effect. You can only send messages once the changes took effect.

In addition, the error may also occur due to:

Incorrect or wrong Email Settings.
Temporary issues with the mail server.
Corrupt or damaged Outlook data file (OST).
Corrupt Outlook profile.

Solutions to Resolve the ‘Permission Denied’ Error in Outlook

First, try to run Outlook as an administrator. If that doesn’t work, follow the solutions given below to troubleshoot and resolve the ‘Permission Denied’ error.

1. Assign Send As or Send on Behalf Permissions

To ensure you can send emails on behalf of a shared mailbox, you must check and verify that your user account has the necessary Send As or Send on Behalf permissions. For this, you need to reach out to your administrator. If you do not have the required permissions, ask them to assign these permissions.

The steps to add Send As permissions are as follows:

Log in to the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) and go to Recipients.
Click on the Mailboxes or Shared tab to view the mailboxes for which you need permission.
Next, select the Shared Mailbox or User Mailbox and click Edit.
Then, click Mailbox delegation and then click the Add (+) button.
Search and select the user who needs permission and then select them.
Choose Send As as the permission type and click the Save button to apply the changes.

Similarly, add the Send on Behalf permissions. Once the permissions are assigned, you must wait for up to 60 minutes for the permissions and changes to take effect.

2. Check Outlook Web App (OWA) Permissions

Sometimes, users may fail to send emails and receive permission-denied errors when sending emails from the Outlook client on Windows, even if they have the correct permissions. In such cases, you can verify if the server is available/online by logging into Outlook on the Web (OWA). If you can’t log in to OWA or online Outlook, you can wait for the server to come online. It could be offline for maintenance or due to a regular restart cycle.

Learn more: How to fix Outlook and OWA Synchronization Issues?

3. Use the Global Address List (GAL)

When sending emails from a shared mailbox, it is important to select the shared mailbox from the Global Address List (GAL), instead of typing the email address directly in the From field as it can lead to the Permission Denied error. Here’s how:

In Outlook, click New Email. In the new email message window, click From.
Select Other Email Address.
Then, in the Send From Other E-mail Address window, click From.

Change the address book to the global address list (GAL).
Select the user or mailbox to which you were granted Send As permissions.
Then, send the email.

4. Check Outlook Data File Permissions

Missing read/write data file permissions can lead to issues in Outlook and cause the permission denied error. You can check the Outlook data (OST) file permissions. The steps are as follows:

Close Outlook.
Press Windows + R, type %localappdata/Microsoft/Outlook and click OK or press the Enter key. This will open the File Explorer window, showing the OST file.
Right-click on the OST file and select Properties.
Check and ensure that the Read-only checkbox is unchecked.
Then, click the Advanced tab and untick Encrypt content to secure data.
Click Apply > OK.

Start Outlook and then try to send new emails.

5. Update Outlook Client

Outdated Outlook applications may have some bugs or issues that can lead to errors, including the Permission Denied error. Therefore, it’s important to check and apply the new updates in Outlook, if available. The steps are as follows:

Open Outlook and go to File > Office Account.
Click on Office Updates and then choose Update Now.

If any new updates are available, Outlook will display them. Download and apply those latest updates to your Outlook.

If you can’t find the Update Now option in your Outlook, it may be locked by the administrator. In such a case, you can download and install Windows Updates, which also contains bug fixes for Microsoft Office, including Outlook. The steps are as follows:

Open Settings in Windows, go to Update & Security, and click Windows Updates.

Click Check for Updates and then download and install the updates.
After the update, restart the system and then try to send the email.

6. Create a New Outlook Profile

Corrupt Outlook profile can lead to a plethora of issues in Outlook, including issues in sending or receiving new emails. In such a case, you can create a new Outlook profile. Here’s how:

Close Outlook.
Open the Control Panel and click User Accounts > Mail.
Then, click Show Profiles > Add.
Enter a name for your new profile and click OK.

Follow the login wizard to sign in and set up your email account under this new profile.
Once set up, make this profile the default one and then launch Outlook.

Now, try to send a message and check if the permission denied error is resolved.

7. Rebuild Offline Outlook Data File (.ost)

When the above solutions do not work, you can try to rebuild the OST file. Follow these steps:

Close Outlook and open the Run app.

2. In the run dialog box, paste this path: %localappdata%/Microsoft/Outlook and click OK or press the Enter key.

3. You need to rename the original OST file. For this, just add the .bak extension.

4. Alternatively, you can also cut/paste the OST file to a different folder or drive.

5. Then, start Outlook.

6. Since you have renamed or moved the OST file, Outlook will automatically create a new OST file and sync (download) all mail items from the mailbox server.

7. Once the sync is complete, you can try to send a new email and check if the issue is resolved.

If successful, make sure to check all mail items in your new OST file/Outlook profile. In case of missing mail items, you can use Stellar Converter for OST to scan and convert OST file into PST and then import the missing mail items from the converted PST file into Outlook via the Outlook Import/Export wizard.

Conclusion

The ‘Permission Denied’ error in Outlook occurs when a user tries to send message in Outlook on behalf of a shared mailbox. The error prevents the user from sending new emails. Above, we have mentioned the reasons that can trigger the Permission Denied error in Outlook and the possible solutions to effectively troubleshoot and resolve it.

Remember to rebuild the Outlook data file (OST) when nothing works and use Stellar Converter for OST to extract and restore your mail items from the inaccessible, orphaned, or inconsistent OST file to a new profile or OST file.

How to Resolve ‘Permission Denied’ Issue when Sending Emails in Outlook?

Reasons for Permission Denied Error when Sending Emails in Outlook

Solutions to Resolve the ‘Permission Denied’ Error in Outlook

1. Assign Send As or Send on Behalf Permissions