How to globally enforce UTF-8 encoding for OWA

Problem:

You would like to globally enforce UTF-8 encoding for your Outlook Web App.

Solution:

Exchange Online (Office 365)

As of July 2016, it is not possible to globally enforce a specific encoding for OWA in Office 365.

Exchange Server on-premises

To globally enforce specific encoding settings for all OWA users in Exchange Server on-premises, you need to use the  Exchange Management Shell. Follow the steps below to enable UTF-8 encoding for OWA:

1. Log in using your Domain Admin account to the Exchange Server.
2. Go to the  Exchange Management Shell. Execute this PowerShell cmdlet:

   Set-OwaVirtualDirectory -identity "Owa (Default Web Site)" -OutboundCharset AlwaysUTF8

UTF-8 is recommended for everyone who uses national characters found in many European alphabets. Click here or here to read on Microsoft's websites about other possible settings.

See also:

• 3 steps to correct message encoding