How to Enable the Outlook “From” Field for All Users Using Microsoft Intune

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Managing Outlook settings across a modern cloud environment can get tricky, especially when dealing with user-specific options like the From field in Outlook.
By default, Outlook doesn’t show the “From” line when a user composes a new email — this becomes a problem for customers who:

✓ Send as shared mailboxes
✓ Send on behalf of others
✓ Manage multiple identities
✓ Need to switch between departments/team mailboxes

In a traditional on-premises environment, this is easily set through Group Policy or manual configuration.
In a cloud-first world with Microsoft Intune and Microsoft 365, we can achieve the same result using a simple per-user registry configuration delivered through Intune.

Why the From Field Matters

The From field allows a user to select which identity they want to send email from.
Without enabling this:

  • Users cannot switch to shared mailboxes
  • Send-As permissions appear to be “not working”
  • Helpdesk tickets increase
  • Outlook privileges appear inconsistent

By enabling the From field globally, administrators ensure a consistent Outlook experience for all users.

How Outlook Stores the “From” Setting

Outlook stores this preference in the user’s profile under the following registry location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
 └─ Software
    └─ Microsoft
       └─ Office
          └─ 16.0
             └─ Outlook
                └─ Preferences

Value details:

Value NameTypeDataPurpose
ShowFromREG_DWORD1Enables “From” field in new messages

Since the key lives under HKEY_CURRENT_USER, it must be applied in the user context — not device context — which makes Intune PowerShell deployment the perfect choice.

Deploying the Outlook From Field Using Intune

Microsoft Intune allows administrators to push PowerShell scripts directly to users as they sign in to Entra-joined or hybrid-joined devices.

✔ Recommended Script (Deploy with User Context Enabled)

$path = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences"

# Create folder path if missing
if (!(Test-Path $path)) {
    New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
}

# Enable the From field
New-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name "ShowFrom" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWord -Force

Write-Output "Outlook 'From' field has been enabled successfully."

Intune Deployment Steps

  1. Go to Intune Admin Center → Devices → Scripts → Add (Windows 10/11).
  2. Upload the .ps1 file.
  3. Configure the following options:
SettingValue
Run this script using the logged-on credentialsYes ✔ (required for HKCU)
Run script in 64-bit PowerShell hostYes ✔
Enforce signature checkNo
  1. Assign to your user group.

Once assigned, the “From” option automatically appears for the user the next time Outlook starts.

Why This Approach Works Best

✔ No admin privileges required
✔ Supports shared mailboxes and delegated senders
✔ Works for Hybrid/Cloud PCs, AVD, and Windows 365
✔ Respects user profile-based Outlook settings
✔ Fully Intune-compliant for modern cloud environments

Conclusion

Enabling the From field automatically for all users ensures a seamless Outlook experience and reduces helpdesk escalations related to Shared Mailbox and Send-As operations.

Using Microsoft Intune and a lightweight PowerShell script, organizations can standardize this setting across all devices effortlessly — ensuring consistency, compliance, and better user productivity.

!!! THANKS FOR READING !!!

Regards,
HARISH KUMAR

Knowledge is not a finite resource to hoard; it’s a boundless treasure that grows when shared

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