How can I allow my email client to display images?

For reasons related to the privacy and security of their users, Email clients block the images of those remote addresses and domain names. To help you configure it, first choose your Email client from the following. Although they have similar characteristics, each one has its own peculiarities.

Outlook 2007

Within this email client, as in previous versions, we have the possibility of downloading the images of a single message (as long as it is from a trusted source) or downloading the images of all the emails you receive.

Download the images of a single message

From the information bar at the top of the message and click: Download images.

Download images from all emails

To unlock this feature of your email client you must go to Trust Centre>Auto Download; you can access it from the Toolbar.

You will find two checkboxes, which you must uncheck:

• Do not automatically download images in HTML email messages
• Or in the RSS checkboxes

You may not want to download the images of all the emails you receive. Outlook gives you the possibility to select those addresses or domain names that you do want to download.

1 On an open message containing locked items.

2Click on one of these elements; a conceptual menu will open.

3Add the sender and domain name "@domain name" in the Safe Senders list.

Hotmail/ Windows Live

We all know that receiving images from senders or domain names that we do not have in our contact list can be a problem for our privacy and security. However, not all the messages we receive are threats. In fact, some images of remote clients can be interesting and give meaning to the information we are about to receive.

To display these images, simply scroll to the security bar (yellow in colour) at the top of the message and then click Show content.

As with the previous email client, we recommend that you save the sender or domain name in your contact list, so that Hotmail and Windows Live will detect it as a trusted or secure account.

Yahoo

Always show received images

Once you are logged in, just go to Settings. You will find it on the top right hand side; you will find the tab Security.  in the drop-down menu. You will find the option Show images of Emails. A new drop-down menu will open and you can configure it in the way that best suits your needs:

• Always, except SPAM folder. From option, your email client will accept as safe everything that has not been sent to the SPAM folder (junk email).
• By default, never. This option blocks images from emails that you have not added to your contact list.

Show images from a particular email

When you open an email from an unknown sender, a yellow alert bar appears at the top of the message. If you click on SPAM a dialogue box will open; you will find the option Spam Guard> "Always show images, except".

AOL Webmail

This email client, which is perhaps not so well known in Europe, is the leading one in America. It offers the possibility to create your own domain and is considered one of the most secure against cyber-attacks.

To allow the display of images

• At the top of the message you will find "For this message". If you click on it, a dialogue box will appear where you can select whether you want to always display the images of that sender or only on that occasion.

Gmail

One of the most common techniques used by Spammers or cyber attackers is the inclusion of images and links in their emails to avoid falling into the "Spam Tramp". This is why all email clients block images of unknown emails.

To enable the display of images, enter the email in question; you will find a green box that states:

• "Show images below". This way, you allow images from that particular email to be displayed.
• On the other hand, you find the option "Always show images from sender@domain name.com". With this second option, you are telling Gmail that it is a safesender and to display its images (it would also be advisable to add that address or domain name to your contact list).

Thunderbird

Thunderbird, as a security measure, blocks all the files that it receives from remote emails (addresses that you have not added to your contact list). This way we avoid spyware, ramsonware and all kinds of viruses entering our computer through the email client.

Temporarily unlock images

When you receive a remote message, you will see a Warning bar, where "You can temporarily display remote content".

This option can be tedious. Therefore, here is a quicker way.

Unlock from Toolbar

1 Click on the Options button in the toolbar.

2 Click on the Advanced icon and then on General > Settings Editor.

3 Type or copy the following command in the search bar: message_display.disable_remote_image.

4 You will get a window to change the value true/false.

5 The status will be changed to "User defined" from "Default".

6 Click on the X to exit.

7 Optionally. Open a remote email to check that you can view the images.

MAC email and Apple's flagship devices

This Apple-owned email client offers a convenient and easy way to view remote emails:

Preferences>Display>Show remote images > Save.

More and more of us are checking our email from mobile devices. We're going to show you how to enable viewing of images in remote emails from Apple's 3 flagship devices (iPhone, iPod and iPad):

1 Press the "My Settings" icon.

2 Send>Contacts>Calendars.

3 On the right, you will find Send. Go to upload remote images and slide the switch to the ON option.

Lotus Notes

For Standard Notes:

1 File> Preferences (If you are a MAC OS X user, you must click on Lotus Notes > Preferences).

2 Select the PLUS symbol (+) next to email.

3 Click on the Internet.

4 The option "To ensure privacy, do not show remote images without permission" will be ticked by default.

This will enable remote email images to be displayed automatically.

For Basic Notes

1 File > Preferences>User Preferences (If you are a MAC OS X user, you must click on Lotus Notes > Preferences>User Preferences).

2Select the PLUS symbol (+) next to Email

3 Click on the Internet

4 The option "To ensure privacy, do not show remote images without permission" will be checked by default

In short, we could say that most email clients rely on their privacy and security features to protect the user from phishing attacks and other malware. You can configure permissions directly from the remote email itself, from the privacy settings of your email client and by keeping your address book and domain names up to date.