Do I *have* to use MS Outlook for Mac 2016/Outlook 365?

[TheShortTimer]

Here's my situation: for many years I happily used Mail for my academic e-mail account but it's no longer compatible because they've switched to Office 365 and MFA - Multi-Factor Authentication. The tech support department informed me that I'll either need to use Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2016 or Microsoft Outlook 365.

Never one to take their information as gospel because they've been proven in the past to have a poor awareness of Macs, a Google search led me to Mailspring, whose developers claim it can access 365 accounts but when I attempt to set it up and sign in, the program refers me to obtain admin approval from the university before it can proceed: which is always rejected.

Is there any method or program that will allow me to access the 365 account? If possible, I'd rather not have to use Outlook.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Hmm, I am unaware of one - IT at my work has the same policy. Anyhoo I've always accessed office 365 via firefox or safari on my 08 macbook running elcap and has been quite consistent and usable for me - I can't recall the last time its failed for me anyhow aside from provider connectivity issues. Out of curiosity, why do you prefer a third party solution for access vs through 365?

Maybe a direct conversation with your IT help desk could provide some traction with the above solution? It would be another option for other mac users that they would be aware of and could employ. Best of luck to you!

 

[Ruonis]

I work at the university, for learning during a pandemic we must use Microsoft Teams and Outlook. At home I have
Snow Leopard and Lion, and our tech support couldn't help me. I had to look for a decision myself. Access to Outlook is easy to get via some browsers. There are Arcticfox and Interweb for Snow Leopard, Chromium Legacy for Lion. I understand that someone will seem that this solution is not very comfortable, but it works even on Mac 10.6.8

 

[Amethyst1]

I know it's a lame workaround, but you can always virtualise Windows or Linux and use Office 365 in the more modern browsers accessible then.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

I have some familiarity with what Microsoft 365 looks like on the backend. Would your IT department be willing to allow app-specific passwords? That's what you need for Apple Mail and iCal, and it's not incompatible with MFA.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Out of curiosity, why do you prefer a third party solution for access vs through 365?

I'm not particularly keen on Outlook (along with most of Microsoft's products) and I'd prefer to have used an alternative if it were available. I was accessing my e-mails via Firefox but every 14 days I'm logged out and have to re-verify my identity via an SMS code on my smartphone - which has steadily become tiresome.

Maybe a direct conversation with your IT help desk could provide some traction with the above solution? It would be another option for other mac users that they would be aware of and could employ. Best of luck to you!

Thanks but their knowledge of IT - especially involving Macs is pretty poor. The members of this community are more informed than they are. Yes, they're that bad. In the past I ran into problems with Mail and my academic account and I ended up devising a solution myself and then e-mailing them with the details so that they could at least copy and paste it to other Mac users who found themselves in the same situation.

I have some familiarity with what Microsoft 365 looks like on the backend. Would your IT department be willing to create app-specific passwords? That's what you need for Apple Mail and iCal, and it's not incompatible with MFA.

The fact that they don't even know that it's not incompatible with MFA illustrates that creating an app-specific password would be beyond their understanding.

Right now I'm reluctantly using Outlook but I suppose it might be worth a try to see if they'd at least grant Mailspring admin approval so it can access my account. Thanks for all the feedback: you've been more helpful than the people who are paid to assist me.

 

[B S Magnet]

I'm not particularly keen on Outlook (along with most of Microsoft's products) and I'd prefer to have used an alternative if it were available. I was accessing my e-mails via Firefox but every 14 days I'm logged out and have to re-verify my identity via an SMS code on my smartphone - which has steadily become tiresome.



Thanks but their knowledge of IT - especially involving Macs is pretty poor. The members of this community are more informed than they are. Yes, they're that bad. In the past I ran into problems with Mail and my academic account and I ended up devising a solution myself and then e-mailing them with the details so that they could at least copy and paste it to other Mac users who found themselves in the same situation.



The fact that they don't even know that it's not incompatible with MFA illustrates that creating an app-specific password would be beyond their understanding.

Right now I'm reluctantly using Outlook but I suppose it might be worth a try to see if they'd at least grant Mailspring admin approval so it can access my account. Thanks for all the feedback: you've been more helpful than the people who are paid to assist me.

I’m reading this thread with apprehension and dread, wondering when my university will finally usher in 2FA as a requirement and thus breaking the ability to continue using POP3 retrieval via Exchange/Office 365.

 

[bobesch]

Did you try a web-based Outlook-account through Firefox?

 

[TheShortTimer]

Did you try a web-based Outlook-account through Firefox?

Is this not what I was already doing? 👇

I was accessing my e-mails via Firefox but every 14 days I'm logged out and have to re-verify my identity via an SMS code on my smartphone - which has steadily become tiresome.

 

[maxmillian]

When you have MFA enforced on your account, you can use something called "app password" - you can generate those in your security settings, but it depends if admin left that option enabled it not.

Search "o365 mfa app password"

 

[chabig]

Here's my situation: for many years I happily used Mail for my academic e-mail account but it's no longer compatible because they've switched to Office 365 and MFA - Multi-Factor Authentication.

My company uses Office 365 with MFA and I still use Mail. The account is set up as normal, and periodically I have to authenticate using an app called Duo. Are you sure you can't use Mail with your setup?

 

[TheShortTimer]

When you have MFA enforced on your account, you can use something called "app password" - you can generate those in your security settings, but it depends if admin left that option enabled it not.

Search "o365 mfa app password"

Thanks. Here's the options available to me:

App password is not one of them, so it seems that the admin disabled the option.

My company uses Office 365 with MFA and I still use Mail. The account is set up as normal, and periodically I have to authenticate using an app called Duo. Are you sure you can't use Mail with your setup?

Here's the message that I received from the tech support department when I alerted them that I could no longer access my account with Mail:

I'm sorry to say that only the Microsoft Office 365 desktop app is supported by the university as we know it works with Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

You need to be running at least Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2016 or Microsoft Outlook 365.

 

[chabig]

One of the options presented to you for MFA is an authentication app. Have you tried one of those? (I use 1Password but there are many).

Their statement that only the desktop app is supported means just that--it’s the only one they support (because it would be too hard for them to actually support their customers, despite their name ). That doesn’t mean other apps don’t work.

 

[DouglasCarroll]

Just use the Microsoft authenticator app on your cell phone as the sign in, I do this all the time..it literally takes a second to press the button to authenticate. Seems like a great option.

 

[TheShortTimer]

One of the options presented to you for MFA is an authentication app. Have you tried one of those? (I use 1Password but there are many).

Just use the Microsoft authenticator app on your cell phone as the sign in, I do this all the time..it literally takes a second to press the button to authenticate. Seems like a great option.

Okay, I've installed the authenticator app but I do I use it to return to using Mail?

Their statement that only the desktop app is supported means just that--it’s the only one they support (because it would be too hard for them to actually support their customers, despite their name ). That doesn’t mean other apps don’t work.

It speaks volumes that just a couple of sentences are sufficient for you to gauge the level of their competency. To reiterate, I'd previously approached them for assistance with an issue and ultimately solved it myself and informed them as to the solution so that they could at least help others who find themselves in the same situation.

Doesn't inspire confidence, does it?

 

[MysticCow]

If you’re on 10.6, you can use a TenFourFoxBox. I used to do this on a G3 to get to Office 365.