Microsoft 365 email for employees

Email and calendar

Email and calendar

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:

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

Can I use Thunderbird with my Exchange account?

We recommend using a supported Outlook client for full functionality of your email account. Using an unsupported mail client means you'll miss out on some features and may experience service issues.

University Systems can only provide best effort support for clients who wish to use an unsupported mail client. If you need to use an alternative mail client, please contact the Computer Help Desk.

Do I have to accept a meeting for it to appear in my calendar?

No. When you receive a meeting request the meeting will immediately appear in your calendar and the meeting's date and time slot will be marked as "tentative." However, you should always reply to the request so that the meeting organizer will know if you are planning to attend or have declined the invitation.

If I give someone "owner" permission over my calendar, will they be able to see items that are marked as "private"?

No. Items that are marked as private will only be visible to the actual calendar owner and not to a person with whom the calendar is shared. Only a delegate can be provided with explicit permission to view items that are marked as private.

How do I change my preferred name and title?

Your preferred first name is the name by which you are normally addressed, and can be different than your legal first name registered with UVic. It is used together with your last name in a number of university systems.  For faculty and staff this includes but is not limited to:

  • Exchange Email and Calendar - This is the name on all of your outgoing emails and in the Global Address List
  • UVic Online Directory - This is the name used for your directory entry

You can update your preferred name and title in Online Tools. 

How do I add the Religious Observances calendar to my Exchange calendar?

Download the up-to-date calendar file from the EQHR Religious Observances page. The file is not exhaustive of all faith groups. Please consult with Equity and Human Rights for further information. 

To view important dates at the University of Victoria please see the UVic Online Calendar Academic Year Important Dates Page. 

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:

*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.

Access your calendar in Outlook on the Web

  1. Using a web browser, navigate to outlook.office.com and access your Exchange account using your NetLink ID and passphrase.

  2. Once logged in, select the square shaped icon in the top left corner to expand the menu. Choose the Calendar icon.

Access your role-based email in Outlook on the web

Note: Please ensure you have been granted access to the role-based email before trying to access the mailbox in Outlook on the web. You do not need the username or password for your role-based email.
  1.  Using a web browser, navigate to outlook.office.com and access your email account using your NetLink ID and passphrase.
  2. Once logged in, click on your profile picture in the top right-hand corner and select Open another mailbox... from the drop-down menu.
  3. Type in the role-based email address and click Open. Example: rolebasedemail@uvic.ca
  4. Your role-based email inbox should open in another browser tab.

You can learn more about role-based email in the role-based email support section.

Adding resource calendars in Outlook on the web

Note: Please ensure you have been granted access to the resource calendar before trying to use it in Outlook on the web. You will need the name of the resource calendar to add it.

  1. Using a web browser, navigate to outlook.office.com and access your Exchange account using your NetLink ID and passphrase.
  2. Once logged in, select Calendar from the side menu and click on Add calendar from the top menu.
  3. Choose the From directory option, and fill in the name of the resource calendar. Click Open.
  4. The resource calendar should now be added to your Other calendars list.

You can learn more about resource calendars in the resource calendar support section.

Configure calendar settings in Outlook on the web

You can configure calendar settings to your preference using options in Outlook on the web. Options include: setting your work week and work hours, enabling or disabling reminders, changing calendar colours, and automatic processing for meeting invitations.

  1. To configure your calendar work week and other calendar options, click on the cogwheel located in the top right corner and select Options from the drop-down menu.
  2. The Options menu will open on the left-hand side. Under the Calendar section you can find all of the customization settings for your role-based calendar.

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:

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.


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