You can add an HTML or plain text legal disclaimer, disclosure statement, signature, or other information to the top or bottom of email messages that enter or leave your organization. To do this, you create a mail flow rule (also known as a transport rule) that adds the required information to messages.

Notes:

• If you want the information to be added only to outgoing messages, you need to add a corresponding condition (for example, recipients located outside the organization). By default, mail flow rules are applied to incoming and outgoing messages.

• To avoid multiple disclaimers being added in an email conversation, add an exception that looks for unique text in your disclaimer. This ensures that the disclaimer is only added to the original message.

• Test the disclaimer. When you create the mail flow rule, you have the option to start using it immediately (Enforce), or to test it first and view the results in the messaging log. We recommend testing all mail flow rules prior to setting them to Enforce.

Use the EAC to add a disclaimer or other email header or footer

1. Open the EAC and go to Mail flow > Rules.

2. Click Add, and then click Apply disclaimers.

   
   

3. In the New rule window that appears, enter a unique name the rule.

4. In the Apply this rule if box, select the conditions for displaying the disclaimer. For example, select The recipient is locatedcondition, and then select Outside the organization. If you want this rule to apply to every message that enters or leaves your organization, select [Apply to all messages].
   

5. Select the Do the following drop-down menus and select Apply a disclaimer to the message in the left menu and append a disclaimer in the right menu.
   

6. Under the Do the following drop-down menu:
   

1. Select the Enter text link. In the specify disclaimer text pane that opens, enter the text of your disclaimer, and then select Save.
   

2. Select the Select one link. In the specify fallback option pane that opens, select Wrap, and then select Save. This option only applies if the disclaimer can't be added because of encryption or other mail setting that blocks the signature. When Wrap is selected, the signature is wrapped in a message envelope.
   

3. If desired, select the Except if drop-down menus, and then choose whether you want an exception for one of the listed items in the left menu and the condition in the right menu.
   

4. Select Next.
   

7. In the Set rule settings page in the New transport rule pane:
   
1. Under Rule mode, select Enforce to turn on the disclaimer immediately. To test the disclaimer first, select either Test with Policy Tips or Test without Policy Tips instead.
2. Select a severity level in the Severity drop-down menu.
3. Select Activate this rule on and specify a date to activate the rule.
4. If desired, select Deactivate this rule on and specify a date to deactivate the rule.
5. If desired, select Stop processing more rules. Select this check box to avoid applying additional rules after this rule processes a message.
6. If desired, select Defer the message if rule processing doesn't complete. Select this check box to resubmit the message for processing. By default, the rule is ignored, and delivery of the message continues as normal.
7. For the Match sender address in message drop-down menu, leave it at the default of Header. This option isn't relevant in this scenario since the rule applies to all messages.
       Select Next.
8. In the Review and finish page in the New transport rule pane, review the settings for the new rule, and then select Finish.
9. When the rule finishes saving, select Done.

Format your disclaimer

    Here's the formatting that you can use in your disclaimer text.

Fallback options for disclaimer rules

Exchange can't modify the content of some messages (for example, encrypted messages). For rules that add disclaimers to messages, you need to specify what to do if the disclaimer can't be added. This is known as the fallback option for the disclaimer rule. The available fallback options are:

• Wrap: The original message is wrapped in a new message envelope, and the disclaimer text is inserted into the new message. This is the default value.

  • Subsequent mail flow rules are applied to the new message envelope, not to the original message. Therefore, configure these rules with a lower priority than other rules.

  • If the original message can't be wrapped in a new message envelope, the original message isn't delivered. The message is returned to the sender in an non-delivery report (also known as an NDR or bounce message).

• Ignore: The rule is ignored and the message is delivered without the disclaimer

• Reject: The message is returned to the sender in an NDR.

In the EAC, you select the fallback option in the rule action. In the Exchange Management Shell, you use the ApplyHtmlDisclaimerFallbackAction parameter.