Features
- Faculty, staff and students can access their email in a browser with Outlook on the web or a desktop or mobile email client
- Free Microsoft 365 software: All current students as well as eligible CU Boulder faculty and staff can download the latest versions of Microsoft 365 software, including Outlook, for free
- Email and shared calendaring comes with up to 100GB of storage space, and message size up to 150MB
- Global address list including name, department and phone information for all faculty, staff and students
- Accommodates multiple personal calendars, group calendars, and resource calendars for scheduling of rooms, equipment, and more
- Improved anti-SPAM, anti-malware, and phishing protection with Microsoft Defender Quarantine
Log in to email & Multi-Factor Authentication
- Log in to email in a browser: Go to https://outlook.office.com/mail/ to log in to Outlook on the web.
- Configure email client: If you prefer to use the Outlook mail app, follow configuration tutorials for Windows computers, Mac computers, iOS, or Android.
- Login credentials: When prompted to log in, use your IdentiKeyUsername@colorado.edu email address and IdentiKey password.
Please note: Only IdentiKeyUsername@colorado.edu will work for logging in to Microsoft 365 applications, not the common preferred email send address format of first.last@colorado.edu (shown below).
- Microsoft Multi-factor authentication: CU Boulder faculty, students, and staff are required to log in to Microsoft 365 using Multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA increases account security by requiring multiple forms of verification to prove your identity when signing into an application. Visit OIT's MFA page for more information, set up instructions, and frequently asked questions. You should only have to do this when first logging in on a new device for Microsoft applications.
Outlook on the Web
Microsoft offers a web browser-based email and calendaring client through the university's Microsoft 365 subscription called Outlook on the web. If you have previous experience using a browser-based email program like Gmail, Outlook on the Web is the most similar experience. For users new to Outlook, we recommend visiting Microsoft's Getting Started guide for basic instructions.
Visit the Outlook on the web page for the full list of Email and Calendaring tutorials compiled by OIT for campus users.
Best Practices
OIT has put together Best Practices for those that use the delegation feature to manage their calendar in Outlook. Visit the Calendaring Best Practices page for more.
Outlook for Windows, Mac or Mobile
OIT recommends that users who would like to use a mail client choose Outlook on their desktop and/or mobile device. Refer to the following tutorials to help set up your email client:
OIT-Provided Documentation
Vendor-Provided Documentation
Please note that vendor-provided documentation is listed to provide additional guidance, but OIT has not necessarily verified the accuracy of all listed resources.
Other Email Clients
You may also use other email clients that support Microsoft's "Modern Authentication" technology. When you log into a client that supports Modern Authentication, you should be directed to a Microsoft 365 login page to enter credentials; you should not be asked to save those in the client itself.
Older clients may not support Modern Authentication and will not be able to connect; for more information on this change, please refer to Microsoft's Improving Security statement.
Email Client Standards
Microsoft Outlook/Exchange Online is the default email and calendaring solution for all CU Boulder faculty, staff and students. OIT highly recommends the use of either the Outlook desktop or mobile application or Outlook Web Access for email and calendaring on macOS/iOS. OIT has provided documentation to configure the Apple Mail client for Exchange, but cannot support the application past this initial configuration because the vendor does not consistently adhere to Microsoft's standards. In addition, OIT does not have the means or access to receive escalated support from the vendor.
Warning: If you have delegates assigned to your inbox or calendar, or you are a delegate of someone else’s inbox or calendar you must use a Microsoft Outlook client or application. Using the Apple Mail app in this manner can result in mailbox and calendaring corruption for both you and the delegate.
Delivery Location
Faculty and Staff are encouraged to use campus email delivery in order to comply with CU's Record Retention Policy. If you are concerned that this will interfere with your academic or research pursuits, you may request an exemption to utilize a different delivery location.
