FAQs: E-Mail Programs

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Applies to: Office 365 for professionals and small businesses, Office 365 for enterprises, Microsoft Exchange, Live@edu

Here's what users are asking about e-mail programs.

Questions

  • Why can’t I connect to my account from my mobile device or desktop e-mail program?
  • Can I use Outlook 2003 to connect to my e-mail account?
  • How can I set up Outlook 2007 so it won't prompt me to enter my password repeatedly?
  • Can I set my account in Outlook Web App to show rich content (pictures, and so on) in e-mail messages by default?
  • Why can't I set up Outlook 2007 to get my e-mail from my account in Outlook Web App? (I'm running Windows XP.)
  • Why am I getting the error "An encrypted connection to your e-mail server is not available" when I try to set up Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010 for my e-mail?
  • Why can't I connect using the auto account setup in Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010?
  • I can't sign in to my e-mail because of a certificate error in Outlook 2007.
  • Why don't I see the option to use the light version of Outlook Web App on my account's sign-in page?
  • How do I use the light version of Outlook Web App?
  • Why do I see a different screen when I click Options in my account in Outlook Web App?
  • How can I move data from my current Outlook account to my account in Outlook Web App?
  • How can I share my calendar with others?
  • Is my Blocked Senders list working?
  • Why are messages that arrive in my Inbox automatically moved to my Deleted Items folder?
  • Why do meeting requests arrive in my Inbox as a mail items with links to the Outlook Web App instance of the meeting request? I would rather receive meeting requests as iCal attachments. Can this be changed?
  • Why is there a problem with e-mail attachments on my Mac?

Answers

Why can’t I connect to my account from my mobile device or desktop e-mail program?

This may be related to a password issue. This can happen if your password has expired. It can also happen if the password setting that’s entered in the settings on your mobile device or desktop e-mail program (for example, Apple Mail for Mac, Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, or Windows Live Mail), doesn’t match the most current password for your account.

To resolve this, you may need to update your expired password or change your password. Or, if your password recently changed, you may be able to resolve this by updating the password settings value on your mobile device or desktop e-mail program to match the most current password that you use to sign in to Outlook Web App. For more information, see Change Your Account Password.

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Can I use Outlook 2003 to connect to my e-mail account?

If your mailbox is in a cloud-based environment (for example, in Microsoft Office 365 for enterprises or Office 365 for professionals and small businesses), and you want to connect to your account with Outlook 2003, you must choose the POP3 or IMAP4 option when you set up your account. For information about how to use Outlook 2003 with your account, see Set Up Outlook 2003 for IMAP or POP Access to Your E-Mail Account.

In cloud-based environments, connecting to your e-mail using the Exchange account (also known as Messaging API or MAPI) isn’t supported.

Because POP3 or IMAP4 connections to your account don’t support contact and calendar synchronization, if you're an Outlook user in a cloud-based environment, we recommend that you use Office Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010. To download a free trial of Outlook 2010, visit the Microsoft Office Web site. If you're not sure whether your mailbox is in a cloud-based environment, contact the person who manages your e-mail account.

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How can I set up Outlook 2007 so it won't prompt me to enter my password repeatedly?

Office Outlook 2007 requires that you type your password every time you open the program to connect to your e-mail. Password prompts should appear very infrequently or shouldn't appear at all after you enter the password once to connect to your e-mail.

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Can I set my account in Outlook Web App to show rich content (pictures, and so on) in e-mail messages by default?

You can set up your e-mail to show external content on a per-message basis, but you can't change this setting for all messages. Your account doesn't show external content in e-mail messages because such content can contain Web beacons in the form of images that can be used by unsolicited commercial e-mail senders to track your browsing information or can bypass e-mail filters to deliver code harmful to your computer.

Rich content embedded within the message is shown by default. And images are included.

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Why can't I set up Outlook 2007 to get my e-mail from my account in Outlook Web App? (I'm running Windows XP.)

If you're running Windows XP on your computer and are using Outlook 2007 to set up your e-mail, you may receive multiple logon prompts when you're filling in your account information. These prompts may prevent you from continuing to set up your account. To fix the issue, request and install the hotfix described in Knowledge Base article 951701, Description of the Outlook 2007 hotfix package: April 22, 2008. After you install the hotfix, continue setting up your e-mail profile as explained in Set Up E-Mail in Outlook 2007.

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Why am I getting the error "An encrypted connection to your e-mail server is not available" when I try to set up Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010 for my e-mail?

When you try to set up your e-mail using Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010, Outlook doesn't connect, and you get the following error:

"An encrypted connection to your mail server is not available. Click Next to attempt using an unencrypted connection."

To resolve this error, try the following options:

  • You may need to register your e-mail account before you can connect to your e-mail using Outlook. You can register your account by signing in to your e-mail account using Outlook Web App. If you haven't yet signed in to your account using Outlook Web App, go to the e-mail URL provided to you by the person who manages your e-mail account. After you sign in to your account, sign out. Then try to connect using Outlook. For more information, see FAQs: Sign-in and Password Issues or contact the person who manages your e-mail account.
  • If you are a Microsoft Office 365 user, you need to set up your desktop before you can set up Outlook. For more information, see Set up your desktop for Office 365.
  • There may be a firewall set up, either on your computer or between your computer and the mailbox server. If your computer isn't configured correctly, it won't be able to reach the server through the firewall. For more information, contact your helpdesk.

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Why can't I connect using the auto account setup in Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010?

When you try to set up your e-mail using the steps described in Set Up E-Mail in Outlook 2007 or Set Up E-Mail in Outlook 2010, Outlook doesn't connect.

For information about how to resolve auto account setup problems, see following topics:

If you need to connect to your e-mail account immediately, use a Web browser or an e-mail program that supports POP or IMAP. See one of the following topics:

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I can't sign in to my e-mail because of a certificate error in Outlook 2007.

You might find you can't use Outlook 2007 to get your e-mail because of a certificate error. To fix the issue, see Outlook Can't Connect Because of a Certificate Error.

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Why don't I see the option to use the light version of Outlook Web App on my account's sign-in page?

If your Web browser isn't Internet Explorer 6 or a later version, you're using the light version of Outlook Web App by default.

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How do I use the light version of Outlook Web App?

  1. Sign in to your account by going to the URL that was provided to you by the person who manages your e-mail account, and then click sign in.
  2. In your account, click Options, and then click General Settings.
  3. On the General Settings page, under Accessibility, select the Use the blind and low vision experience check box.

For more information see Outlook Web App Light.

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Why do I see a different screen when I click Options in my account in Outlook Web App?

If you're accessing your account from a supported browser, clicking Options in your account will take you directly to the Exchange Control Panel, where you can manage your e-mail settings. If you're using any other Web browser, clicking Options will open an older Options page. See Supported Browsers for Outlook Web App and Exchange Online for a list of supported browsers.

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How can I move data from my current Outlook account to my account in Outlook Web App?

Currently, the only way to move Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010 data is by using a Personal Folder (.pst) file. You can back up your data from your current account using a .pst file and then import the data from your .pst file into your account in Outlook Web App that you're accessing with Outlook 2007. For more information, see Use Outlook to Move Data Between Accounts.

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How can I share my calendar with others?

You can share your calendar with other users in your organization. For more information, see Sharing a Calendar.

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Is my Blocked Senders list working?

If you're using the Blocked Senders list in your account, e-mail from senders in your Blocked Senders list will be routed directly to your Junk E-Mail folder. This feature is available as part of Junk E-Mail filtering options.

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Why are messages that arrive in my Inbox automatically moved to my Deleted Items folder?

Inbox rules and Mailing List Manager rules can cause messages that arrive in your Inbox to be automatically moved to your Deleted Items folder. Do one or more of the following to resolve this issue:

  • If you’re using Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010, review your Inbox rules. Verify that you don’t have any rules that include the Delete It action that could be causing this issue. Edit or remove any Inbox rules that you think are causing the issue. You can also try deleting all your Inbox rules, restarting Outlook, and then re-creating your Inbox rules. This may remove any damaged Inbox rule and resolve this issue. For information about how to use Inbox rules, see your Outlook documentation.
  • If you’re using Entourage or Outlook for Mac, review your Mailing List Manager rules. Verify that you don’t have any rules that are causing this issue. Edit or remove any rule that you think is causing the issue. You can also try deleting all your Mailing List rules, restarting Entourage or Outlook for Mac, and then re-creating your Inbox rules. This may remove any damaged Inbox rule and resolve the issue. For information about how to use Mailing List rules, see your Entourage or Outlook for Mac documentation.

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If you have a cloud-based email account (for example, if your organization is using Microsoft Office 365 for enterprises, Office 365 for professionals and small businesses, or Live@edu), and you connect to your account using POP3 or IMAP4, Exchange meeting requests from email users in your organization arrive in your Inbox as email items with links to the Outlook Web App instances of the meeting requests.

You can’t receive meeting requests as emails with iCal attachments if you are using a cloud-based email account.

Note

You may experience this issue if you are a user that has been assigned an Exchange kiosk client license. An Exchange kiosk client license lets you connect to your account using Outlook Web App, or through a POP3 or IMAP4 connection to your account. If you want to use the calendar features and other collaboration features of Exchange, consider upgrading your client license to a one that lets you connect to your account using an Exchange account. If you don’t want to upgrade your account to one that supports Exchange account access, simply use the full featured web client, Outlook Web App, to access your email. For more information, see Supported E-Mail Programs and Features.

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Why is there a problem with large e-mail attachments on my Mac?

If you're using Outlook for Mac 2011 or Entourage as your e-mail program, e-mail messages that exceed the attachment size limit are moved to your Drafts folder. Additionally, Outlook for Mac 2011 or Entourage may stop responding for several minutes each time it tries to synchronize with your e-mail server. The person who manages your e-mail may be able to increase the attachment size limit for your mailbox. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 935848, How to allow Entourage for Mac to send large e-mail messages to an Exchange 2007 server, includes information to help e-mail administrators understand and resolve this issue. For more information, contact the person who manages your e-mail.

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What if I want to know more?

If you still have questions, check out these links.