Email upgrade: What to expect with Exchange 2016
We are upgrading our Exchange email server in order to better serve UVic faculty and staff. Benefits of Exchange 2016 include:
- Outlook on the Web: Microsoft Exchange 2016 has rebranded ‘Outlook Web App’ to ‘Outlook on the Web’. Outlook on the Web has a new clean look optimized for easy touch-access on tablets and mobile phones.
- Office Web Apps: View and edit Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents with Outlook on the Web (mail.uvic.ca) in your browser.
- Smaller screen size support: Outlook on the Web has been redesigned to make better use of mobile device web browsers.
- Integration with other systems: Exchange 2016 delivers better integration with our Microsoft 365 cloud services like Microsoft Teams.
- Microsoft Teams Calendar: Exchange 2016 supports integration with Microsoft Teams. After your UVic email account is migrated, you will notice your Exchange calendar appearing in Microsoft Teams.
What you need to know about the migration
On June 1, University Systems will start migrating all Exchange 2013 mailboxes to the new Exchange 2016 server. All mailboxes will be moved by end of August 2022.
- On June 1st, your Microsoft Teams default pinned applications will be reset to default. This will prepare your Teams client for the Teams Calendar application update. You will see the Teams Calendar available in your Microsoft Teams left-hand Teams app list after your mailbox has been migrated
- To prepare for the migration, please delete unwanted messages in your Junk Email and Deleted Items folders. This will speed up the migration process.
- You will receive notification by email before your mailbox is migrated and another after it’s complete.
- Migrations are scheduled between 2 AM and 6 AM Pacific Standard time. Access to your email may be interrupted briefly during this time.
- Your email client may prompt you to close and restart it due to the change.
Changes to email clients
As part of the upgrade process to Exchange 2016, you may need to update your email client configuration. The following changes will happen to supported email clients:
| Client and version | What you need to know | What you need to do |
| Outlook 365 | Recommended client for Exchange 2016 for Windows
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| Outlook 2016 | If Outlook is open when your mailbox is upgraded it may freeze, requiring a restart of Outlook. |
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| Outlook 365 for macOS | Recommended client for Exchange 2016 for macOS
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| Outlook 2019 for macOS | If Outlook is open when your mailbox is upgraded it may freeze, requiring a restart of Outlook. |
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| Outlook on the Web | Recommended client for Exchange 2016 for supported web browsers
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| iPhone and iPad Mail | Recommended client for Exchange 2016 for iOS
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If you use a non-supported email client, you may have to remove and re-add your account. If you have to re-add your account, confirm that your server name is mail.uvic.ca. Information provided here is best effort. All UVic-purchased computers can upgrade to Outlook 2016, 2019, or 365 at no cost.
| Mac Mail/iCal macOS 10.14 and newer | Your mail client may freeze requiring a restart of Mac Mail and Calendar or your computer. |
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| Thunderbird | Able to connect for email only using the "IMAP" connection type |
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| Android mobile devices | Most Exchange ActiveSync devices should continue to work properly after the upgrade. You may need to manually re-sync your account or restart your device. |
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If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your departmental support personnel or the Computer Help Desk.