How to fix Outlook missing Friday January 13 2023

1/13/2023

I am hearing that Microsoft Defender ate everyone’s Outlook shortcut this morning if they had enhanced security enabled (Attack Surface Reduction rules in Microsoft 365 / Intune).

To quickly resolve, re-create the shortcut from the original Outlook.exe file

To do this:

1. Open Windows Explorer

2. In the search bar, search for “Outlook.exe”

3. Right-click OUTLOOK.EXE and “Send to” >> “Desktop (create shortcut)”

Now you should be able to open Outlook using the file on your desktop.

4. You can right-click the file on your desktop and “Pin to Taskbar” or “Pin to Start” to make it more convenient.