The “The linked image cannot be displayed” issue, in most cases, is either caused by an incorrect registry value that causes Outlook to send a link to the physical path of an image file instead of the image itself or a problem with the user’s Temporary Internet Files folder. Thankfully, you can fix this issue, and the following are the two methods that have proven to be successful at fixing the issue for Outlook users who have suffered from it in the past:
Method 1: Fix the “Send Pictures with Document” registry key
Open the Start Menu. Type regedit into the Search bar and open the search result named regedit.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following directory in the left pane: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Options\Mail (Note: The folder named 14.0 may be different in your case depending on the version of Microsoft Office that you are using, but the rest of the directory will be the same.) Click on Mail to display its contents in the right pane. Look for a key titled Send Pictures with Document and once you find it, double-click on it to open its specifications. The Value data for the key will be set to 0. Set the Value data to 1 and click on OK. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. The issue should no longer persist once your computer boots up.
Method 2: Relocate your Temporary Internet Files folder
If Method 1 does not work for you, there is a more than significant chance that relocating your Temporary Internet Files folder using Internet Explorer (Outlook uses IE to connect to the internet) to a new location will do the trick. Close all open programs and applications and open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools > Internet options and in the General tab, click on Settings under Browsing history. Click on Move folder.
Select a new location for your Temporary Internet Files folder and click on OK. A directory such as C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\ should suffice. The moving process will create a new subfolder in the Local folder and name it Temporary Internet Files. Click on OK in the other two windows as well. Restart your computer, and Outlook should display actual images instead of the “The linked image cannot be displayed” error message once your computer boots up.
Method 3: Disable the Use Proxy option in IE’s LAN settings
Little do most people know, Outlook 2010 actually connects to the internet through Internet Explorer, which is why you may start seeing the “The linked image cannot be displayed” error where all of your email images should be if your IE is configured to use a proxy server for your LAN. If that is the case, all you need to do in order to fix the issue is stop IE from using a proxy server. To do so, you need to: Open Internet Explorer. Click on Tools in the upper right corner and then click on Internet options. Navigate to the Connections Click on LAN settings at the bottom. Disable the Use a proxy server for your LAN option by un-checking it, and then click on OK. and Make sure that the Automatically Detect Settings option is checked
Click on Apply and then on OK in the Internet options. Close Internet Explorer. Open Outlook 2010, and all your images will appear as they should.
Method 4: Disable any of your antivirus program’s features that protect cache
Outlook 2010 makes use of your computer’s cache to download the images that are attached to the emails that it sends and receives. This is why, if the antivirus program that you use has a feature that protects your computer’s cache from, say, email address and password stealers, it will also inhibit Outlook 2010 from downloading the images it receives. One example of such a feature is a feature titled Maximum Protection: Protect cached files from password and email address stealers that comes with the McAfee antivirus program. If a feature of your antivirus that protects your computer’s cache is what is causing the “The lined image cannot be displayed” issue on your computer, simply disable the specific feature of uninstall your antivirus program altogether and switch to a different one.
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