Volume 31 Issue 15

Issue Date: August 15, 2026 « Previous Issue | Next Issue »

The following articles were included in our Exchange Messaging Outlook (EMO) newsletter published on August 15, 2026.

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Today's Highlights »

Is This Message Real or Phishing?
Default appointment lengths
How to Insert Quote Blocks in New Outlook

Is This Message Real or Phishing?

I’m often asked whether a message claiming to be from Microsoft is legitimate or a scam. Genuine Microsoft account security emails come from noreply@accountprotection.microsoft.com. Microsoft does not send notifications or alerts from outlook.com, Hotmail.com, live.com, msn.com, or onmicrosoft.com addresses.

In fact, legitimate senders should not use onmicrosoft.com addresses. Consider creating a rule to delete messages from senders whose addresses include onmicrosoft.com.

If an email tells you to click a link to accept new terms of service, it is a phishing scam. Microsoft may email users about service agreement changes, but it will not threaten to close your account if you do not click a link. Continuing to use the product means you accept the changes. If you do not agree, you can stop using the account. Microsoft will close it after two years of inactivity or you can close it yourself.

The current service agreement is available here: Microsoft Services Agreemen

If you stop using the account for 22 months, Microsoft will email your security addresses, or proofs, 60 days before the two-year mark. The message will tell you to sign in before a specific date to keep the account active. To keep it, sign in at Outlook.com or account.microsoft.com.

If you receive one of these warning emails and do not recognize the account address, which shows only the first two characters of the alias and the domain, someone may have added your address as a security address. You can safely ignore and delete the message.

Default appointment lengths

A user asked how to set new appointments to default to 15 minutes in Outlook on the web.

Classic Outlook lets you change the default appointment duration, but Outlook on the web and new Outlook do not include this setting.

Because of this, appointments created from New > Event in Mail, or by double-clicking a time slot in Day or Week view, default to 30 minutes.

There is a workaround: set the calendar time scale to 15 minutes, use Day or Week view, and create the appointment from the Calendar by selecting New event or right-clicking a time slot and choosing New appointment. In that workflow, the appointment defaults to the chosen time scale, which is 15 minutes.

If you are using classic Outlook, change the default duration in File > Options > Calendar. Choose the desired appointment duration, it’s near the top of the dialog at “Default duration for new appointments and meetings”

How to Insert Quote Blocks in New Outlook

A user asked how to format a block of quoted text in new Outlook—not by replying and quoting the original message at the end, but by applying quote formatting to text while composing a message.

Quote formatting is available on the Format Text tab in the Paragraph group. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+4. If you use the simplified ribbon, select Styles and choose Quote. If the window is too narrow, the Quote button in the Paragraph group may appear in the overflow menu. These steps work in both new Outlook and Outlook on the web.

In classic Outlook, the quote format is available under Styles on the Format Text tab.