Microsoft 365 email for employees
June 2024: Employee email is upgrading this summer. See the Exchange Online upgrade project page for more information.
Microsoft 365 email is a cloud email service included with UVic’s Microsoft 365 subscription.
This modern and secure email account features:
- 50GB of storage with the ability to archive an additional 100GB
- spam and malware blocking
- better integration with your other Microsoft 365 apps like Teams and SharePoint
- get your voicemail through Teams Phone
- schedule sending email so your messages arrive when you need them
- simplify meeting organization by using scheduling polls
- manage your personal tasks through Microsoft To-Do
Your mailbox is automatically created when you start working at UVic. If you’re having trouble accessing your @uvic.ca email account, contact the Computer Help Desk.
When you leave UVic
You lose access to your UVic email account when you're no longer a current employee. Your @uvic.ca email account is disabled 30 days after your last day of employment then archived for up to 1 year in the event you return to UVic. All archived account data is deleted after 1 year.
This account lifecycle is determined by University Policy IM7200 - Acceptable Use of Electronic Information Resources.
We recommend moving your important non-work-related email to a different email account before the end of your last day. You will keep your NetLink IDs indefinitely so you can access personal records in Online Tools.
Can I forward my UVic email?
Employees can’t forward their UVic email address to non-UVic email addresses.
Former employees aren’t allowed to forward their UVic email address when they leave the university.
This restriction is determined by University Policy IM 7200 - Acceptable Use of Electronic Information Resources.
Email storage
By default, all @uvic.ca email accounts can archive up to 100GB to free up space in their inbox. If you need more email storage, contact your IT support.
You can manage your email storage with online archive mailboxes using the Outlook desktop app or Outlook Web App.
Mobile device security settings
If you're a UVic employee, your M365 email account has some extra security requirements. All UVic employee email accounts must meet the university's information security standards.
You can only add your @uvic.ca email to a mobile device that can handle all the following security requirements:
- your lock screen passcode can't be too simple, like 111111 or 123456
- the passcode must be at least six characters long
- your mobile device is encrypted
- your lock screen timeout can only be set to a maximum of 15 minutes
- your @uvic.ca email account will be removed from your mobile device if there are more than 10 incorrect lock screen passcode attempts in a row.
- This won't delete any of your email, it just removes it from the device in case your phone has been lost or stolen.
These requirements apply to student employees as well.
Additional information
Using your email account
This section covers support information for UVic Microsoft 365 accounts used by faculty and staff. You can find additional information about role-based email and resource accounts on their support pages.
Your @uvic.ca email can be accessed through a web browser, desktop application on Windows or macOS, or mobile app.
It works best with Outlook 365 for Windows or Mac. Outlook 2016 for Windows isn't recommended for Exchange Online. Older versions of Outlook or alternative mail clients don't fully support all features and can cause issues with your calendar. This includes software like Mac Mail, Windows Live Mail, and Thunderbird.
If you check your email on mobile devices, we recommend using Outlook for iOS or Android. Some Exchange Online features like accessing shared mailboxes don't work with other email apps.
All UVic employees can use Outlook through UVic's Microsoft 365 subscription. This includes:
Outlook on the web
If you don't have Outlook installed on a computer or mobile device, you can still access your @uvic.ca email through a web browser. Just login to outlook.office.com with your NetLink ID and passphrase!
- Important: if your email account hasn't been moved to Exchange Online yet, you might see two login prompts.
UVic MFA is required to access this service.
Through Outlook on the web, you can:
- edit Office 365 attachments.
- set your profile picture.
- set up automatic replies.
- recover deleted emails.
- access a role-based email.
- set up mailbox rules.*
*Important: any inbox rules set-up through Outlook on the web will apply to your entire email account. This could conflict with local rules configured in a desktop mail client.
You can also configure calendars in Outlook on the web.
Windows 10 and 11
Before starting make sure you:
- know your NetLink ID
- have a computer running Windows 10 or Windows 11
- have Office 365 installed
Exchange Online users
Microsoft Support has a full walkthrough for adding your UVic email account to Outlook for Windows.
If you have trouble signing into your UVic email account after following Microsoft's instructions, try this fix:
- If your computer is managed by University Systems
- Click the Windows Start Menu and search for Software Center. Open the application.
- You should see a list of software available for your computer. Select the Exchange Online Outlook fix application.
- Click Install.
- When it's finished, re-launch Outlook.
- If your computer is not managed by University Systems
- Download this Windows registry key to your computer.
- You should have a file called UVicEmailUpgradeOutlook365-fix.reg. Double-click it to install.
- When it's finished, re-launch Outlook.
Please contact the Computer Help Desk if you need assistance with installing an Outlook fix.
Exchange 2016 users
If your UVic email hasn't been upgraded to Exchange Online yet, contact the Computer Help Desk for help with adding your UVic email to Outlook.
macOS
Before starting make sure you:
- know your NetLink ID.
- have a computer running macOS 12 or newer.
- have Office 365 installed.
Exchange Online users
Microsoft Support has a full walkthrough for adding your UVic email account to Outlook for macOS.
Exchange 2016 users
If your UVic email hasn't been upgraded to Exchange Online yet, contact the Computer Help Desk for help with adding your UVic email to Outlook.
Outlook mobile for iPhone and Android
Before starting make sure you:
- know your NetLink ID and passphrase.
- have Outlook for iOS or Outlook for Android installed
- have an iPhone running iOS 16 or newer OR Android 9.0 or higher.
Exchange Online users
Microsoft Support has a full walkthrough for adding your UVic email account to Outlook for iPhone and Outlook for Android.
Exchange 2016 users
If your UVic email hasn't been upgraded to Exchange Online yet, contact the Computer Help Desk for help with adding your UVic email to Outlook.
Support for Exchange email
If you need assistance with your @uvic email account, contact the Computer Help Desk.