Outlook on the Web (formerly Outlook Web App) is your primary access to email, calendaring, and people (contacts) in Office 365. While Outlook (the program) still works 100% with Office 365, Outlook on the Web
provides nearly identical functionality in a design accessible anywhere with a modern browser and internet access. Most students exclusively use Outlook on the Web for email and calendaring, and employees are welcome
to use as much or as little of is as fits their particular needs. Outlook on the Web is powered by Exchange Online, a cloud-based email service. This article references both depending which application
is providing a certain service or connection.
Employees: this page isn't applicable to you just yet but it’s important to know how the upcoming migration to Exchange Online will affect you. Not every employee will be moving.
We’ll work with you and your department to clarify how you’ll use email going forward. However, most employees will switch to Exchange Online and be able to take advantage of the benefits and features described
on this page. Those staying behind won’t notice any changes to their email experience, but they will still have access to all of the other Office 365 benefits and applications.
System Requirements
To use Outlook on the Web you just need a modern web browser. Any current version of Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari will work.
If you're looking for information about connecting your device to the Office 365 mail system please see the Exchange Online page.
Features
50GB Mailboxes
Students already have access to large mailboxes but employees assigned to Exchange Online get this new benefit as well. With so much space you can dump your archive folders and never again
move anything offline. You’ll have access to all of your email, indexed and searchable, from a web browser. No more problems when your PST archive file is unavailable.
Undelete a Message
Delete something by accident? Delete it from your Deleted Items, too? Through OWA and Exchange Online you can recover deleted items up to 14 days after erasing them from Deleted Items
or when using Shift+Del to permanently erase something. To learn how check out how to recover deleted items or email in Outlook on the Web.
Skype from OWA
You can use Skype while you're signed in to Outlook on the Web. You'll find it in the upper-right of the Mail, Calendar, and People apps. For the latest information about this new feature check out
this support page.
Data Safety and FERPA
Accessing email from a personal or public device exposes protected information to risk. In order to ensure compliance with FERPA and College policy please make sure you have read and understand our
Data Safety page.
Working with Mail
Outlook on the Web is pretty straightforward. After you choose the Mail tile from the Office 365 Portal you’ll be taken to your Inbox with a full suite of email options.
- Start a new email from the toolbar at the top. You can also add a calendar event or contact group with the same button.
- Take quick actions on a message by hovering over it. You can delete it, mark it as read, flag it for follow-up, or pin it to the top of your message list.
- Read a message by clicking on it. Double-clicking opens the message in a new window.
-
Take more action after the message is selected and open in the viewer. Use the top toolbar to reply (watch out for Reply All!), delete, move, categorize, and more.
Take note of the drop down icons to expand menus. Accept or reject meeting invites to add them to your calendar.
-
Choose a different folder from the left navigation pane. You can create folders within your Inbox or access things like Sent Items and Deleted Items.
Click the More link to manage your Junk Email and infrequently-used folders.
- Search email and contacts with the search box in the upper-left corner.
Make sure to regularly check both your Inbox and Junk Email. As an official communication channel for the College email may be time-sensitive and should be checked at least daily.
With Junk Email we can’t guarantee that only junk message will go there. Real ones can end up there, too, and if you’re not regularly checking and cleaning it you might miss an important message.
Working with Calendar Events and Meetings
In Office 365 your calendar is somewhat separate from your mail, which is a bit different than the Outlook employees may be used to. Just click the Calendar tile from the portal or app launcher to open it.
- Review your schedule from the main calendar window. Change your view with the options in the upper-right corner. See the day’s weather right in any view.
- Add a new event with the top toolbar. Customize things like the title, place, and time from the window that opens.
- Double-click an existing event to open and edit it.
-
Turn an event into a meeting from the edit window, on both new and existing appointments. Add names in the right People column and send the invitation.
Use Scheduling Assistant to view attendees’ calendars and find a time that works for all of you.
- Turn a meeting into a Skype meeting with one click. Add voice, video, and presentation sharing, all on the web. Learn more about this from our Skype page.
Working with People
(Okay, so we can't help you with that problem...)
Like calendaring, people are separate from your email and available from the People tile in the Portal or navigation menu. Note that Office 365 uses the term “contact list” to describe
a group of people you want to email with a pre-created list. For much more powerful groups, including email and collaboration, see the Office 365 Groups page.
- Locate any College user with "Search directory" in the upper left corner. Get their contact information and learn what they do.
- Create an external Contact with the New button in the top toolbar. Add names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses. Edit or delete a contact from My Contacts in the left navigation pane.
- Build a contact list with the New button in the top toolbar. Add users from the directory, your contacts, or by typing a full email address.
Got a question? Let us know so that we can fill out this section! Visit the Get Help menu and choose Contact Us.
Get started with even more information with the Outlook on the Web welcome page.
Find a whole host of tips and FAQs about Outlook on the Web direct from the
Office support site.