University Systems help centre
All active UVic employees are eligible for an @uvic.ca Exchange email account. Microsoft Exchange accounts are used for university communications, including email, calendaring, and scheduling.
This section covers support information for UVic Microsoft Exchange accounts used by faculty and staff. You can find additional information about role-based email and resource accounts on their support pages.
Account questions
Am I eligible for an Exchange account?
All new UVic employees automatically receive an Exchange account when you register for a NetLink ID.
When you leave UVic, your email account will be disabled.
Former employees retain their NetLink IDs indefinitely and will have access to Online tools.
How do I request an Exchange account?
I'm a student. Can I get an Exchange account?
Student email is offered through the Microsoft 365 Email service. New UVic students are issued a Microsoft 365 email account automatically. You will receive an email when it has been created.
Only current students can create a UVic email address. Student applicants are not eligible.
Technical questions
How do I access my Exchange account?
You can access your Exchange account through a desktop mail client or using Outlook on the web through mail.uvic.ca
Our recommended desktop email clients are Outlook 365 or 2016 for Windows and Outlook 365 for Mac.
Outlook 365 and 2016 support email access, out of office reply set up, connecting to other mailboxes, creating message rules, configuring delegates, access to the global address list, restoring deleted items, and managing junk mail settings.
Outlook on the web can be used to share your calendar or folders but not to configure delegates.
Can I use Thunderbird with my Exchange account?
Microsoft does not support Thunderbird as a mail client for Exchange. University Systems can only provide best effort support for clients who wish to use an unsupported mail client. If you are interested in configuring your Exchange with Thunderbird, here is the necessary server information:
Incoming (IMAP) server: mail.uvic.ca
- "Port" = 993
- "SSL" = SSL/TLS
- "Authentication" = Normal password
Outgoing (SMTP) server: mail.uvic.ca
- "Port" = 587
- "SSL" = SSL/TLS
- "Authentication" = Normal password
What happens to items that I delete?
Do I have to accept a meeting for it to appear in my calendar?
If I give someone "owner" permission over my calendar, will they be able to see items that are marked as "private"?
How do I change my preferred name and title?
Your preferred first name is the name by which you are normally addressed, and can be different than your legal first name registered with UVic. It is used together with your last name in a number of university systems. For faculty and staff this includes but is not limited to:
- Exchange Email and Calendar - This is the name on all of your outgoing emails and in the Global Address List
- UVic Online Directory - This is the name used for your directory entry
You can update your preferred name and title in Online tools.
For instructions see the Online tools help page.
How do I add the Religious Observances calendar to my Exchange calendar?
Download the up-to-date calendar file from the EQHR Religious Observances page. The file is not exhaustive of all faith groups. Please consult with Equity and Human Rights for further information. To view important dates at the University of Victoria please see the UVic Online Calendar Academic Year Important Dates Page.
For instructions on managing calendar files, see Microsoft Support article: Import and export Outlook email, contacts, and calendar