Exchange Online upgrade for employees
We're upgrading all employee email accounts from Exchange 2016 to Exchange Online. This second phase of our Exchange Online upgrade project will only upgrade primary NetLink ID email accounts. Role-based email accounts will be migrated in Phase 3 starting in 2025.
New email and calendar features in Outlook
Exchange Online brings new features and a modern Outlook experience to all UVic employees. New features include:
- Outlook on the Web has a new clean look, optimized for easy touch-access on tablets and mobile phones
- Schedule sending email so your messages arrive when you need them
- Need someone's attention in a group email? Now you can @mention email recipients
- Focused inbox mode splits your inbox into Focused and Other tabs, so you can prioritize important emails first
- Working with confidential information? Now it's easier to send protected messages
- Simplify meeting organization by using scheduling polls
Improved security and Microsoft 365 integration
- Multi-factor authentication protection (Duo) for all email clients connecting to your email account
- Improved email security and phishing protection tools
- More Office 365 add-in availability, including:
- New Microsoft Teams features like viewing your Teams Phone Voicemail and using Team calendars
- SharePoint sites can now use the group calendar and Conversations features
- Manage your personal tasks through Microsoft To-Do
- Support for the Power Automate Office 365 Outlook connector
What you need to know about the migration
On July 2 2024, University Systems will start migrating primary NetLink ID email accounts to the new Exchange Online service. Shared mailboxes will be moved later during Phase 3. All eligible mailboxes will be moved before September 2024.
- To prepare for migration, please delete unwanted messages from your Junk Email and Deleted Items folders. This will speed up the migration process.
- You will receive a notification email before your email account is migrated and after it is successfully upgraded.
- Migrations are scheduled between 12am - 6am Pacific Standard Time to minimize interruption. Access to your email will be briefly interrupted during that time. We recommend restarting your computer the morning after your email migration occurs.
- Your calendar in Microsoft Teams can take up to 72 hours to sync after the upgrade.
If you have any questions or concerns about changes to your email account, contact your IT support for help.
What to expect after your upgrade to Exchange Online
Your email account will have some notable differences after upgrading to Exchange Online.
Turn on Cached Exchange Mode for better performance
Exchange Online is cloud-hosted so any internet connection issues can slow down your inbox. Cached Exchange Mode saves a copy of your mailbox on your computer so you always have quick access to your email. This feature is available in Outlook 365 for Windows only.
How to turn on Cached Exchange Mode
When you turn on Cached Exchange Mode, you can choose how much mail you want to download. We recommend setting it under 1 year to save space on your computer. You can still see older emails if you need them, the inbox search will just take a little longer.
Check your hard drive space first. If you have a busy inbox or regularly receive large attachments, you could run low on file storage. Low file storage can cause issues with applications and security updates on your computer.
Turn on Cached Exchange Mode. If you have limited hard drive space, we recommend picking 3 months or less.
Contact your department's IT support if you're unsure.
If you need help turning on Cached Exchange Mode, we made a video to guide you through the process.
What's changed?
If you access your email through a web browser, you can sign in at uvic.ca/email after migration. This will take you to the new version of Outlook on the web.
Your inbox will be divided into Focused Inbox and Other tabs. You can turn off this feature if it's not for you.
Now you have an archive mailbox. You can use this to store older emails you don't need to see regularly.
Tasks are different in Exchange Online. Now they're part of Microsoft To-Do. All your tasks will be imported into Microsoft To-Do as part of your upgrade.
Calendar specific changes
All of your calendar information will migrate, but the upgrade process will set a few default calendar settings. See below for instructions on how to reset them.
If you previously used the working hours feature, it'll be set back to 12am.
You might notice some new holiday and birthday calendars that Exchange Online adds automatically. The holiday calendar defaults to your mailbox language selection, so it might show US national holidays instead of Canadian ones. You can delete the national holiday and birthday calendars if you don't want them.
Change working hours in your calendar
Exchange Online lets you set your working hours in your calendar. They streamline your calendar view and help others to schedule you only when you're available. Your working hours to 12am by default. To update them:
- Sign in to Outlook on the web at uvic.ca/email
- Select the gear icon in the top left corner.
- Navigate to Calendar > View > Time Zones and check your time zone. Make sure it's set correctly.
- Then navigate to Calendar > View > Work hours and location and set your work schedule.
Remove or change holiday and birthday calendars
Exchange Online adds a national holidays and birthday calendar by default. You can remove the extra calendars if you don't want them.
For holidays:
- Sign in to Outlook on the web at uvic.ca/email
- Open your calendar window and Right-click the holiday calendar in the Navigation pane.
- Select Remove, then Remove again to confirm.
For birthdays:
- Sign in to Outlook on the web at uvic.ca/email
- Open your calendar window and select Add Calendar.
- Navigate to the Birthdays tab and unclick the Turn on the birthday calendar setting.
What didn't change?
If you have shared email accounts and calendars on your account, they will still appear in your Outlook client. You can still share your calendar with others.
Any existing delegate permissions you've given to others over your primary mailbox and calendar will still work. If you notice any unexpected changes, contact your IT support for help.
Changes to email clients
You may need to update your email client configuration after your email account is migrated. Here's what changed:
- Older versions of Outlook on Windows and macOS can't connect to Exchange Online. Upgrade to Office 365 with your UVic account.
- iPhone users: If you check shared email accounts like role-based email addresses, we recommend using Outlook for iOS. A future update to Shared Mailboxes will cause connection issues when using the iOS Mail app.
- Android users: The Android Mail app can't connect to Exchange Online. Use Outlook for Android instead.
Outlook provides the best user experience for Exchange Online accounts. We have post-migration instructions listed for all supported clients if you run into issues with Outlook.
Outlook 365 for Windows
Outlook will freeze if it's left open while your mailbox is being migrated. We recommend restarting your computer the morning your email migration occurs to avoid connection issues. If you can't open Outlook after restarting, there are a few ways to fix it.
If your computer is managed by University Systems:
- Click the Windows Start Menu and search for Software Center. Open the application.
- You should see a list of software available for your computer. Select the Exchange Online Outlook fix application.
- Click Install.
- When it's finished, re-launch Outlook.
If your computer is not managed by University Systems:
- Download this Windows registry key to your computer.
- You should have a file called UVicEmailUpgradeOutlook365-fix.reg. Double-click it to install.
- When it's finished, re-launch Outlook.
If Outlook still won't open, check for Office 365 updates. You can also delete and re-add your email account to Outlook. Re-adding your account will also fix the "Mail could not be received" error.
Your IT support can help with fixing your Outlook client if you run into issues.
Outlook 365 for macOS
Outlook will freeze if it's left open while your mailbox is being migrated. We recommend restarting your computer the morning your email migration occurs to avoid connection issues.
When you restart Outlook:
- You'll be prompted to allow a new Autodiscover URL for your email account. Select Allow.
- Restart Outlook again if prompted.
If Outlook still won't open, check for Office 365 updates. You can also delete and re-add your email account to Outlook.
Your IT support can help with fixing your Outlook client if you run into issues.
Outlook on the web
If you access your email through a web browser, you can sign in at uvic.ca/email after migration.
- Important: if your email account hasn't been moved to Exchange Online yet, you might see two login prompts.
If you have issues accessing your mailbox, make sure your web browser is up to date.
Your IT support can help with fixing your Outlook client if you run into issues.
Outlook for iOS
After your email account is upgraded, Outlook for iOS will stop receiving emails. You can fix this by removing and re-adding your account.
Your IT support can help with fixing your Outlook client if you run into issues.
Outlook for Android
After your email account is upgraded, Outlook for Android will stop receiving emails. You can fix this by removing and re-adding your account.
Your IT support can help with fixing your Outlook client if you run into issues.
Unsupported email clients
These email clients are now considered unsupported:
- Mac Mail/iCal
- iPhone and iPad Mail
- Thunderbird
- Evolution
If you use an unsupported email client, you'll have to remove and re-add your email account. You might experience issues with account syncing, permissions, or your calendar. We recommend switching to Outlook to avoid problems with your UVic email. Outlook is provided free with your UVic Microsoft account.
If you need help re-adding your email account to an unsupported client, contact your IT support.
Questions?
Later in Summer 2024 we're launching Microsoft Bookings, Microsoft Teams Channel Meeting capabilities, and Viva Insights. Join the Teams and SharePoint community of practice in Microsoft Teams to stay up to date with the launch of these services!
If you have any questions or concerns about your email migration, please contact the Computer Help Desk.