Microsoft 365 email for students


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 become a UVic student. 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 student. Your @uvic.ca email account is disabled 30 days after your last semester 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 email to a different email account before the end of your last semester. You will keep your NetLink IDs indefinitely so you can access personal records in Online Tools.

Can I forward my UVic email?

Students can contact the Computer Help Desk to setup or change email forwarding.

Important: if you also work or have worked at UVic, you can’t forward your email. All employees (including former ones) aren't allowed to forward their UVic email address to non-UVic email addresses.

This restriction is determined by University Policy IM 7200 - Acceptable Use of Electronic Information Resources.

Email storage

All @uvic.ca email accounts can archive up to 100GB to free up space in their inbox.

You can manage your email storage with online archive mailboxes using the Outlook desktop app or Outlook Web App.

Mobile device security settings

You'll need to set a lock screen passcode if you add your @uvic.ca email account to a mobile device. This security setting is required for your device to connect to UVic's Microsoft 365 email service.

If you're using a mobile device running a supported version of Android or iOS, you probably already have a passcode set!

  • Important: there are extra security settings if you're also a student employee.

Helpful Outlook features

Here are some of the handy things you can do with your Microsoft 365 email account:

Add your course schedule from Online Tools

You can download your course schedule from Online Tools and add it to your Outlook calendar.

Note: you'll need to download a new .ics calendar file anytime your course schedule changes. 

  1. Login to Online Tools and select Student services.

  2. Scroll down to the Registration section and click Current and past schedules. This will open the student registration dashboard.

  3. You can find your schedule for the current term under the Class Schedule section.

  4. Select your term schedule from the drop-down menu and click on the Email icon in the right-hand corner. This will send you an .ics calendar file. You'll have to repeat this process if you add or remove courses from your schedule.

    click on the email icon to send your course schedule file to your uvic email

  5. Login to http://outlook.office.com and open the message with the attached .ics file. Click the drop-down arrow on the attachment and select "Add to calendar".

    click the drop-down arrow on the calendar file attachment to add to your uvic calendar

  6. Select the Calendar tab from the left hand navigation bar. You can now see your added course schedule in your calendar.

Add your Brightspace course schedule to your calendar

No need to copy over all the due dates for your classes because you can just sync your Brightspace calendar with your Microsoft 365 email calendar.

You can find instructions in the UVic Teach Anywhere article: How do I sync my Brightspace calendar with external calendar applications?

Schedule meetings for group work

Got a group project to schedule? No need to keep track of different text threads anymore, because you can book meetings with other students now! You can also:

UVic Students Contacts

All Microsoft 365 email student accounts include a handy list of important UVic contacts for all kinds of student services. You'll have the email addresses for the Computer Help Desk, Academic Advising, the Registrar's Office, and more right at your fingertips.

Using your email account

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. 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 use email on mobile devices, we recommend using Outlook for iOS or Android. Some newer Exchange Online features don't work as well using other email apps.

All UVic students 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!

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.

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

Configure Exchange for Outlook 2016

Before your start this procedure, make sure you have:
  • a NetLink ID
  • a Microsoft Exchange account.
  • a device running a supported version of Windows 10 or Windows 11
  • a device running a support version of Microsoft Office. If you need to upgrade your version of Office, check out UVic's Microsoft software subscription.
  1. Click the Windows Icon in the bottom lefthand corner of your screen, type in Control Panel, and select the Control Panel application.
  2. Click on Mail. Click on Email Accounts. Under the E-mail tab, click New.
  3. In the Auto Account Setup, fill in your nameemail address and password, and then click Next.

    screenshot of the auto account setup window with sample text entered

  4. Select 'Allow' on the bottom right when prompted with the pop-up window to allow this website to configure server settings.
  5. Select 'Finish' on the bottom right of the window.
  6. Open Outlook. If you are off-campus or using wireless, you may be prompted to enter your email address and password.

Configure Exchange for Outlook 365

Before your start this procedure, make sure you have:
  • a NetLink ID
  • a Microsoft Exchange account.
  • a device running a supported version of Windows 10
  • a device running a support version of Microsoft Office 365. If you need to upgrade your version of Office, check out UVic's Microsoft 365 subscription.

Please note: a software patch is required to configure your UVic Exchange account with Microsoft 365. The first part of these instructions include restarting your computer.

  1. Ensure you are logged into the Windows account associated with your primary email account. For UVic-managed machines bound to Active Directory, this means logging in with your Netlink ID.
  2. Download this registry key file created by University Systems. This is a required patch to ensure your UVic exchange account will work properly with Outlook 365. Copy and paste the included file to your desktop.
  3. Close Microsoft Outlook if it's not already closed.
  4. Double-click the downloaded 'excludeExplicitO365Endpoint.zip' file to open the folder.
  5. Double-click the 'excludeExplicitO365Endpoint.reg' file to apply the new setting.

    a screenshot of a system notification about using the registry editor

  6. Restart your computer.
  7. Once you have logged back into your computer, open Control Panel and select User Accounts > Mail.
  8. Select E-Mail accounts.
  9. Under the email tab, select New.
  10. In the Auto Account Setup, fill in your nameemail address and password, and then click Next.

    screenshot of the auto account setup with sample text entered

  11. Click Finish.
  12. Open Outlook. You may be asked for your NetlinkID password when opening it. You should now have access to your email in Outlook 365.

macOS

Before starting make sure you:

  • know your NetLink ID.
  • have a computer running macOS 12 or newer.
  • have Office 365 installed.

Configure Exchange for Outlook 365

Before your start this procedure, make sure you have:
  • a NetLink ID
  • a Microsoft Exchange account.
  • a device running a supported version of macOS
  • a device running a support version of Microsoft Office. If you need to upgrade your version of Office, check out UVic's Microsoft 365 subscription.
  1. Open Outlook on your Mac.
  2. From the menu bar, choose Tools > Accounts.
  3. Select Add Email Account or New Account by clicking the plus sign (+) in the lower-left corner.
  4. Enter your UVic Exchange email address and press Continue.
  5. A dialogue box with Exchange will open, now enter or select the following information:
    • Method: Username and Password
    • Email Address: your UVic email address
    • User name: UVIC\ your personal Netlink ID
    • Password: your NetLink ID password
    • And click Add Account.

      screenshot of the exchange account configuration page in Office 365 for mac

  6. A dialogue box will open and show that your Exchange account now has been successfully added. You can safely close this by pressing Done and start using your Exchange account on Outlook.

 

Outlook mobile for iPhone and Android

Before starting make sure you:

Configure Exchange for iOS devices

Before your start this procedure, make sure you have:

  • a NetLink ID
  • a Microsoft Exchange Online account.
  • a mobile device running a supported version of iOS
  • installed Outlook for iOS
  1. Open the Outlook app.
  2. Enter your @uvic.ca email address (netlinkid@uvic.ca) and tap Add Account.
    • If you already have an email address added to Outlook, you'll need to add it in Settings. Go to Settings > Add Mail Account > Add Email Account.
  3. Enter your NetLinkID and passphrase in the Microsoft login window. Tap Sign in.
  4. Your email account should now be added to Outlook.

If you need to use Advanced Settings to add your account, use the following information:

  • Email Address: netlinkID@uvic.ca
  • Password: NetLinkID passphrase
  • Server: mail.uvic.ca
  • Domain: uvic.ca
  • Username: NetLinkID (without the @uvic.ca)

Configure Exchange for Android devices

Please note:  Android devices don't fully support ActiveSync encryption so they aren't a recommended standard.

Before your start this procedure, make sure you have:

  • a NetLink ID
  • a Microsoft Exchange Online account.
  • a mobile device running a supported version of Android
  • installed Outlook for Android
  1. Open the Outlook app. It may ask if you want to add any Google accounts. If you don't want to add a Google account, tap Skip.
  2. Enter your @uvic.ca email address (netlinkid@uvic.ca) and tap Add Account.
    • If you already have an email address added to Outlook, you'll need to add it in Settings. Go to Settings > Add Mail Account > Add Email Account.
  3. Enter your NetLinkID and passphrase in the Microsoft login window. Tap Sign in.
  4. Your email account should now be added to Outlook.

If you need to use Advanced Settings to add your account, use the following information:

  • Email Address: netlinkID@uvic.ca
  • Password: NetLinkID passphrase
  • Server: mail.uvic.ca
  • Domain: uvic.ca
  • Username: NetLinkID (without the @uvic.ca)

Support for Exchange email

If you need assistance with your @uvic email account, contact the Computer Help Desk.