The following articles were included in our Exchange Messaging Outlook (EMO) newsletter published on February 29, 2024.
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Today's Highlights »
- Sync issues with iCloud 15
- Google Workspace removing “Allow less secure apps”
- New Outlook: Delete Email on Exit?
- Insert as Text in New Outlook?
Sync issues with iCloud 15
Users are reporting problems with the new iCloud 15 app. I don't like the new
interface but haven’t noticed any
issues, either with my own computers or when helping clients set it up.
Most users with issues have the dreaded “no default email client” error. This
error usually indicates the default data file belongs to an IMAP account. This
solution: add a .pst to the profile and set it as default then try setting up
iCloud again.
If your email stops syncing and asks for a password, you have two options: sign
out of iCloud app and sign back in or get an app password from your iCloud
account at https://appleid.apple.com/account/manage and use that in the email
account.
The iCloud app sets up the account and that qualifies it as an Apple
client, so no app password is needed. But Outlook sometimes needs to re-authenticate. Since its not an Apple app, it needs the app password if you
don't want to sign out of the iCloud app. (I find it's easier to get an app
password than to sign out and resync the iCloud.)
Other users are receiving an error message that they need to "Install Media
Feature Pack to use iCloud". The Windows N and Windows KN versions do not have
the media features installed by default but the affected users aren’t using those
versions. (They are for European and Korean markets.)
If you receive that error, you can verify if the media features are installed by
opening the Run command using Windows key + R - and type or paste
optionalfeatures.exe into the box and hit Enter. If the media features are not
checked, select them and click Ok to install.
Users with computers running ARM CPUs (including in Parallels on MacBook) cannot
use iCloud app to sync calendar and contacts with Outlook. The iCloud app
installs, and installs the Outlook iCloud add-in but the selection for calendar
and contacts is not available. (Apple needs to fix this.)
Google Workspace removing “Allow less secure apps”
Two years ago, Gmail consumer users lost the ability to use “Allow less secure
apps” with third party mail apps. (These “unsafe” apps use basic authentication,
not oAuth2.)
At that time, Google kept the option for business accounts. By September 2024,
business subscribers will need to either use third party mail apps that support
oAuth2 or they will need to enable 2-step verification and use an app password.
New Outlook, Outlook 2021, Outlook 2019, and Outlook 365 subscriptions support oAuth2; older
versions of Outlook do not support oAuth2.
In addition to removing the option to allow unsafe apps, Google is sunsetting
the Google sync app that pulls business calendar and contacts into classic
Outlook.
New Outlook uses the Microsoft cloud to sync Google email, calendar and contacts
but is somewhat limited. Classic Outlook users will need to use Gsyncit or
CompanionLink to sync calendar and contacts. Or the business needs to consider
moving the Microsoft 365. (I migrated several small businesses to Microsoft 365
– they have no regrets.)
For more information, see
Beginning September 30, 2024: third-party apps that use only a password to access Google Accounts and Google Sync will no longer be supported
New Outlook: Delete Email on Exit?
A user has classic Outlook set to empty deleted items on close and wondered how
to do this in new Outlook.
New Outlook has a setting to empty the deleted items when you sign out of the
account, but you really don’t sign out of accounts in new Outlook, so it’s not
working.
This setting is in View tab > View settings > Mail > Message Handling, at the
top under When signing out heading: Empty my deleted items folder. Because the
account list is not at the top of the page, the setting would apply to all
accounts you have in new Outlook. That is, if it actually worked.
Please leave Feedback in the Outlook Feedback Portal for this and other missing
features, either from Help tab > Feedback or at
https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/forum/89a8afa3-2e1c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8472
Insert as Text in New Outlook?
Another new Outlook user looking for a feature that is in classic Outlook but is
missing in new Outlook.
Classic Outlook has an option to insert a file as text. It’s handy for inserting
boilerplate text or HTML files. To use it in modern versions, you need to
customize the ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar, adding the Attach File command.
The default using Attach File is to Insert (as an attachment) but you can expand
the button and Insert as Text.
This is not supported in new Outlook (or Outlook on the web). You’ll need to
copy and paste or, if it’s something you insert often and you use an outlook.com
or Microsoft 365 business or school account, use the My Templates function. (My
Templates is not anything like classic Outlook’s templates, it’s more like Word’s
AutoText.)
Remember: New Outlook is Outlook on the web in an app framework. If it's not
supported in Outlook on the web, it's not in new Outlook.
At this point, new Outlook is only a replacement for Windows Mail. Classic
Outlook users should stick with classic Outlook.
Tip: if you pin new Outlook to the taskbar before switching back to classic
Outlook, you can use both Outlook apps.
New
& Updated Outlook Support Articles
Characters converted to Kanji become invisible in Word and Outlook
Inserting a link as an attachment has changed in Outlook Desktop
Outlook and other apps are unable to connect to Outlook.com when using Basic
authentication
Outlook Desktop Exchange ActiveSync connections stopped working in Version 2401
Outlook unexpectedly has an App Search bar above the message list
Recall Message in Outlook Desktop stops working after February 2024 security
updates
SharePoint nested folder links in Outlook Desktop open to the root folder
Documents
Unable to send emails from QuickBooks using Outlook Desktop after update to
Version 2402
Other Resources
Improved hybrid meeting experience in Outlook - Microsoft Community Hub
Log into multiple Outlook on the web accounts
If you have more than one Microsoft account, you’ve faced the problem of either signing in and out to switch accounts or using Sign in with a different account to switch accounts and discovering you were switched back to the original account.