Connect your Microsoft 365 work email, calendar and contacts to Outlook on a Mac. You enter your email address, sign in with Microsoft, and Outlook does the rest. No server settings needed.
Before you start
- Your Microsoft 365 email address and password. If your password is temporary, sign in once at office.com to change it and set up multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Getting Outlook: on Business Standard or Premium, install it with the other Microsoft 365 apps (see Install Microsoft 365 apps). On Business Basic, which has no desktop apps, you can download Microsoft Outlook free from the Mac App Store and use it with your work mailbox, or use Outlook on the web.
- A reasonably current version of macOS. Microsoft supports Outlook on the three most recent macOS versions.
Step-by-step
- Open Outlook. If this is the first time, you're asked for an email address straight away. Otherwise, choose Outlook → Settings (or Preferences on older versions) from the menu bar, then Accounts, then the + button and New Account.
- Enter your work email address and select Continue. Outlook recognises a Microsoft 365 address and opens the Microsoft sign-in page.
- Sign in. Enter your password and approve the MFA prompt.
- Allow keychain access if asked. macOS may ask whether Outlook can use your keychain. Choose Always Allow and enter your Mac login password. This stops repeated password prompts later.
- Done. Your mailbox appears in the sidebar and starts syncing. Your calendar and contacts appear under the calendar and people icons.
Shared mailboxes and other people's calendars
- Shared mailboxes (such as info@ or sales@): once your administrator has given you access, they usually appear in the sidebar automatically after Outlook restarts. If not, see Give someone access to your mailbox or calendar.
- Colleagues' calendars: in the calendar view, use Add Calendar (or Open Shared Calendar) and search for the person. They need to have shared it with you first. See Share your calendar.
Using Apple Mail instead
Apple Mail and Calendar work with Microsoft 365 too. Go to System Settings → Internet Accounts → Add Account → Microsoft Exchange, enter your name and email address, then choose Sign In (not Configure Manually) so you get the Microsoft sign-in page with MFA. Outlook is the better choice if you use shared mailboxes or need full calendar sharing features.
Settings at a glance
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Account type | Microsoft 365 / Exchange (detected automatically) |
| Username | Your full work email address |
| Server | None needed. If an app insists on one, use outlook.office365.com |
Troubleshooting
Outlook sets the account up as IMAP or asks for server names
Delete the account and add it again with only the email address. If Outlook offers a provider list, choose Microsoft 365 or Exchange. If it still can't detect the account, the domain's autodiscover DNS record is probably missing or pointing at your old email host. See Microsoft 365 DNS records on Host Dada nameservers.
Repeated password or keychain prompts
Open the Keychain Access app, search for entries containing your email address or "Exchange", delete the old ones, then restart Outlook and sign in again. Choose Always Allow when asked.
Some folders or old emails are missing
Outlook for Mac may only keep recent mail on the Mac to save space. Everything is still in Microsoft 365. Check in Outlook on the web; if it's there, Outlook will show it when you open the folder or search with Search Server results.
Last reviewed: October 2026
