The following articles were included in our Exchange Messaging Outlook (EMO) newsletter published on February 15, 2024.
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Today's Highlights »
- Strange folders in Outlook.com mailbox
- Date Formats in Classic Outlook
- Use Public Folders In new Outlook
Strange folders in Outlook.com mailbox
Users starting reporting two strange folders suddenly popped up in Outlook.com accounts. The folder names are OwaFV15.1AllFocusedAQMkA... OwaFV15.1AllOtherAQMka...
These folders are related to the Focused Inbox and Other tab. My experience is these folders are only visible in Windows Mail app, not in Outlook on the web, classic Outlook, or new Outlook.
My recommendation is to ignore the folders – do not open them - and wait for Microsoft to fix it. Or, don't use Windows Mail.
Users report that clicking on the folders moves mail from the Inbox to the folder. One user said they moved the messages back to the inbox and deleted the folders only to have their mail deleted the next day.
Turning off Focused Inbox will leave the mail in the Inbox and no mail will display in the folders but won’t delete the folders. While you can delete the folders, my recommendation is to ignore them and wait for Microsoft to fix it as users report they just come back.
Do not delete the folders if Focused inbox is turned on.
Date Formats in Classic Outlook
A user wanted to know how to show the day of the week in his calendar printouts.
The date fields in Outlook use either the long or short format set in Windows. The exception is the message list and other list views: you'll change the date / time format for the Received field and other time fields in View Settings > Format Columns.
For the calendar printout, you need to change the long date format to include the day of the week.
To change the date format:
1. Type Set regional formats on the start menu - open it. This should open to the regional formats page.
2. Expand Regional formats to see what they are.
3. If long date format is not on a date format that has the day of the week, click Change formats to change the format.
Screenshots are at Display Weekday Names in a Weekly Calendar View
In new Outlook (and Outlook on the web), the date formats are set in View Settings > General > Language and Time.
Use Public Folders In new Outlook
While Microsoft would like organizations to stop using public folders, many organizations still use them. Even though new Outlook does not show the public folder tree (and never will), you can still access public folders in new Outlook – but you need to add them as Favorites in Outlook on the web.
1. Log into Outlook on the web.
2. Right click on Folders heading.
3. Choose Add public folder to Favorites. A pane opens on the right with the Public folder tree.
4. Select the folder you want to show in new Outlook.
5. Click Add Public folder at the top of the page.
6. Repeat as needed.
This is obviously not workable if you use a lot of public folders, but if good if you only need to access a handful.
The public folders you favorited will be at the bottom of the favorites section.
If the folders are not showing in new Outlook’s Favorites, open View tab > View settings > Accounts, click the Manage button then click Make Primary. Once they are in the Favorites list, you can make another account the primary.
New & Updated Microsoft 365 & Exchange Server Support Articles
Exchange Server support for Windows Extended Protection | Microsoft Learn
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February 2024 updates for Microsoft Office - Microsoft Support
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Released: 2024 H1 Cumulative Update for Exchange Server - Microsoft Community Hub
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