• Outlook User
  • New Outlook app
  • Outlook.com
  • Outlook Mac
  • Outlook & iCloud
  • Developer
  • Microsoft 365 Admin
    • Common Problems
    • Microsoft 365
    • Outlook BCM
    • Utilities & Addins

Direct Connect to Office 365

Slipstick Systems

› Microsoft 365 › Direct Connect to Office 365

Last reviewed on September 7, 2019     3 Comments

An administrator came to me with a problem:

We are going to move to Office 365 and when we added our domain to the Office 365 portal and created the accounts, Outlook 2016 started prompting for the Office 365 login to reconfigure Outlook. We haven't yet changed our DNS records, we just created the accounts in Office 365 in preparation for the migration. If we hit cancel Outlook continues to work and we get prompted several times a day. If we provide working credentials for our Office 365 account it tries to reconfigure Outlook and breaks the profile, forcing us to delete the profile and start over.
It seems like there is some kind of "feature" in Outlook 2016 that checks Office 365 for an account matching the email address, and if it finds it, tries to configure the profile. Does anyone have any information on how Outlook 2016 it talking directly to Office 365 and how do we make it stop?

This behavior is caused by Direct Connect to Office 365. This new feature was added to Outlook 2016 in version 16.0.6741.2017 and makes it easier for end-users to configure Outlook profiles.

If Autodiscover is working and pointing to the correct server, Outlook should use it to find the mail server, so verify that it is working. Use the Remote Connectivity Analyzer to check your records. If Outlook is unable to reach autodiscover, Outlook will attempt to find your mail server using other methods, such as predefined URLs, SRV lookup or Direct Connect.

You can stop Outlook from checking Office 365 for settings by setting these two registry keys.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\autodiscover
DWORD: ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint
Value = 1

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\autodiscover
DWORD: ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint
Value = 1

Then restart Outlook 2016 and it should stop trying to connect to Office 365. When you are ready to flip the switch on your migration, remove this registry key.

If you don't want to edit the registry yourself, I have this ready-to-use reg file to download and run.
ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint

More Information

Unexpected Autodiscover behavior when you have registry settings under the \Autodiscover key

Direct Connect to Office 365 was last modified: September 7th, 2019 by Diane Poremsky

Related Posts:

  • Exchange Account Set-up Missing in Outlook 2016
  • How to Migrate email from Hotmail Connector Accounts to Office 365
  • Coming Soon to Windows 10: Office 365 Search
  • Contact Bug in the new Outlook.com

About Diane Poremsky

A Microsoft Outlook Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 1999, Diane is the author of several books, including Outlook 2013 Absolute Beginners Book. She also created video training CDs and online training classes for Microsoft Outlook. You can find her helping people online in Outlook Forums as well as in the Microsoft Answers and TechNet forums.

Subscribe
Notify of
3 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Agilio Pereira (@guest_217858)
April 7, 2021 12:34 am
#217858

Thank you worked beautifully. Need a fix for Catalina OS on Mac running outlook. Please help

0
0
Reply
Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Agilio Pereira
April 7, 2021 8:01 am
#217862

I will ask support - but am not holding my breath. :(

0
0
Reply
Jason (@guest_215520)
June 29, 2020 4:39 pm
#215520

Legend, thanks !!!

0
0
Reply

Visit Slipstick Forums.
What's New at Slipstick.com

Latest EMO: Vol. 28 Issue 27

Support Services

Do you need help setting up Outlook, moving your email to a new computer, migrating or configuring Office 365, or just need some one-on-one assistance?

Subscribe to Exchange Messaging Outlook






Our Sponsors

CompanionLink
ReliefJet
  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Week Month All
  • Outlook: Web Bugs & Blocked HTML Images
  • How to Remove the Primary Account from Outlook
  • Adjusting Outlook's Zoom Setting in Email
  • Move an Outlook Personal Folders .pst File
  • Save Sent Items in Shared Mailbox Sent Items folder
  • This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions
  • Remove a password from an Outlook *.pst File
  • Outlook Auto Account Setup: Encrypted Connection not available
  • Use PowerShell to get a list of Distribution Group members
  • Create rules that apply to an entire domain
  • How to Block Foreign Spam
  • Automatically Open New Outlook when Windows boots
  • Block External Content in New Outlook
  • Save Messages in New Outlook
  • Send Individual Messages when Sending Bulk Email
  • Centrally managed signatures in Office 365?
  • Create a rule to delete spam with no sender address
  • Open Outlook Folders using PowerShell or VBScript
  • Cannot add Recipients in To, CC, BCC fields on MacOS
  • Change Appointment Reminder Sounds
Ajax spinner

Newest Code Samples

Delete Old Calendar Events using VBA

Use PowerShell or VBA to get Outlook folder creation date

Rename Outlook Attachments

Format Images in Outlook Email

Set Outlook Online or Offline using VBScript or PowerShell

List snoozed reminders and snooze-times

Search your Contacts using PowerShell

Filter mail when you are not the only recipient

Add Contact Information to a Task

Process Mail that was Auto Forwarded by a Rule

Recent Bugs List

Microsoft keeps a running list of issues affecting recently released updates at Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Outlook for Windows.

Outlook for Mac Recent issues: Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Outlook for Mac

Office Update History

Update history for supported Office versions is at Update history for Office

Outlook Suggestions and Feedback

Outlook Feedback covers Outlook as an email client, including Outlook Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows clients, as well as the browser extension (PWA) and Outlook on the web.

Use Outlook.com Feedback for suggestions or feedback about Outlook.com accounts.

Other Microsoft 365 applications and services




Windows 10 Issues

  • iCloud, Outlook 2016, and Windows 10
  • Outlook Links Won’t Open In Windows 10
  • Outlook can’t send mail in Windows 10: error Ox800CCC13
  • Missing Outlook data files after upgrading Windows?

Outlook Top Issues

  • The Windows Store Outlook App
  • The Signature or Stationery and Fonts button doesn’t work
  • Outlook’s New Account Setup Wizard
  • Outlook 2016: No BCM
  • Exchange Account Set-up Missing in Outlook 2016

Repair PST

Convert an OST to PST

Repair damaged PST file

Repair large PST File

Remove password from PST

Merge Two Data Files

Sync & Share Outlook Data

  • Share Calendar & Contacts
  • Synchronize two computers
  • Sync Calendar and Contacts Using Outlook.com
  • Sync Outlook & Android Devices
  • Sync Google Calendar with Outlook
  • Access Folders in Other Users Mailboxes

Contact Tools

Data Entry and Updating

Duplicate Checkers

Phone Number Updates

Contact Management Tools

Diane Poremsky [Outlook MVP]

Make a donation

Mail Tools

Sending and Retrieval Tools

Mass Mail Tools

Compose Tools

Duplicate Remover Tools

Mail Tools for Outlook

Online Services

Calendar Tools

Schedule Management

Calendar Printing Tools

Calendar Reminder Tools

Calendar Dates & Data

Time and Billing Tools

Meeting Productivity Tools

Duplicate Remover Tools

Productivity

Productivity Tools

Automatic Message Processing Tools

Special Function Automatic Processing Tools

Housekeeping and Message Management

Task Tools

Project and Business Management Tools

Choosing the Folder to Save a Sent Message In

Run Rules on messages after reading

Help & Suggestions

Submit Outlook Feature Requests

Slipstick Support Services

Buy Microsoft 365 Office Software and Services

Visit Slipstick Forums.

What's New at Slipstick.com

Home | Outlook User | Exchange Administrator | Office 365 | Outlook.com | Outlook Developer
Outlook for Mac | Common Problems | Utilities & Addins | Tutorials
Outlook & iCloud Issues | Outlook Apps
EMO Archives | About Slipstick | Slipstick Forums
Submit New or Updated Outlook and Exchange Server Utilities

Send comments using our Feedback page
Copyright © 2023 Slipstick Systems. All rights reserved.
Slipstick Systems is not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation.

wpDiscuz

Sign up for Exchange Messaging Outlook

Our weekly Outlook & Exchange newsletter (bi-weekly during the summer)






Please note: If you subscribed to Exchange Messaging Outlook before August 2019, please re-subscribe.

Never see this message again.

You are going to send email to

Move Comment