OWA Recall Problems with Windows 8.1, IE11

IMPORTANT: The problem reported here is now fixed in Exchange 2010 SP3 Update Rollup 3 and Exchange 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 12.

A problem exists with Internet Explorer 11 that may cause Exchange 2007/2010 to return the OWA Light interface, instead of OWA Premium. OWA Light does not support third party add-ons hence causing WinDeveloper OWA Recall not to show at the OWA sidebar.

Internet Explorer 11 is included with the new Windows 8.1 OS release. Soon it will also be pushed as an important update through Windows Updates. This will upgrade IE on Windows 7 SP1 and higher, and Windows 2008 R2 SP1 and higher. So unless this update is monitored carefully it may easily find its way on all desktops of an organization.

This problem is beyond our control and has to be fixed on the Exchange side. A fix is already available for Exchange 2013. So we are expecting that a fix will also be forthcoming for Exchange 2007/2010.

If Internet Explorer 11 is installed, it is possible to solve this problem by forcing OWA to be loaded in Compatibility View mode. When run in this mode, Exchange returns OWA Premium and OWA Recall will be back at the sidebar.

Read more about this problem and workarounds in Premium OWA with Windows 8.1 Internet Explorer 11. This also includes details on how to block Windows Update from installing Internet Explorer 11 and how to configure Compatibility View mode.