How to “fix” OWA in Internet Explorer 10

If you are using an ancient old version of Exchange and OWA, e.g the versions that shipped with SBS 2003, in combination with Microsofts’ latest and “greatest” browser, Internet Explorer 10, you might get the impression that OWA is broken, like a client of mine reported today.

As you can see in the image below, OWA indeed seems to be broken. (Click for full image)

Mysterious texts appear on top, but the real problem is your mails won’t show up. Nor can you click any of the links. But, this isn’t a problem with OWA (an sich).

(Neither is the problem the certificate, as someone suggested. While it’s cheap not to buy one, OWA can still function without one 😉 )

The culprit is Internet Explorer 10, but the fix is simple. Click the “Compability” button in your address bar, and voila: your e-mails will now show up like they “used to”.

EDIT: It’s possible that you see an error page instead. In that case, visit OWA again and it’ll work just fine.

Of course, you can also switch browsers. This’ll mean you won’t get the “full” experience, which could be considered a downside. On the upside, you’ll no longer be using Internet Explorer. Kidding, kidding.

For your convenience,