FAQs for Email on Microsoft 365


announcement

Important: Recipient limits for Non-2FA enabled McGill email 

In an effort to limit the impacts of unsolicited and fraudulent emails being sent in large numbers to the McGill community, McGill’s IT Infrastructure & Information Security limits the number of emails that can be sent from non-2FA (two-factor authentication) enabled email accounts.

Accounts that are NOT two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled (at this moment, mostly Alumni and Retirees’ accounts) are restricted to sending messages to a maximum of 100 recipients per 24 hours. This limit is imposed on the number of recipients, regardless of the number of emails sent.

Important: McGill Active Directory-managed distribution lists are not affected by this change. Such distribution lists are treated as one (1) recipient.

OVERVIEW

Target audience: Anyone using McGill email

This article contains FAQs about McGill email:

Accessing your McGill email

General FAQs

How do I access my McGill email on Microsoft 365?

You can access your McGill email through many applications and devices, as well as the Outlook on the Web app. See * Index of email configuration articles for settings and instructions.


Where are my mail folders?

Mail folders may be hidden when you enter Outlook on the Web. Simply click the arrow button next to Folders and then click More to view them.


What are the public folders and how do I access them?

Microsoft Exchange public folders let people in an organization share messages, calendars, and address books. After you subscribe to a public folder, the folder appears in the navigation pane and you can access its contents.

McGill public folders are accessible from the Outlook application on Windows, Mac and Outlook on the web. They are hidden by default. To access them:


Can I access my McGill email from my Gmail, Yahoo, etc. account?

There are a few options for dealing with McGill and other email accounts; however, due to security concerns, they may not be suitable for you. See Options for dealing with multiple email services.


Can I access my Outlook calendar and contacts from the Cisco Webex app?

You can look up McGill contacts from the Global Address List (GAL) using the Webex search, and if you have the Outlook integration setting checked in Webex, you can access your calendar meetings. However, any personal contacts you have added to Outlook are not available with the Webex app. You will need to create those contacts separately in Webex.


How do I get help if I have problems with my McGill email?

Please use the webform to Report issues with Email on Microsoft 365.


How do I access my unit's non-personal (shared) account mailboxes on Microsoft 365?

See Add a resource account mailbox in Outlook.


What are the benefits and features of Microsoft 365 Exchange Online?

Additional features useful for faculty and staff:


Is there a limit to the number of recipients per email address or per day?

With a 2FA-enabled account, you can send to a maximum of 500 recipients per message and a total of 10,000 recipients per day. However, if you send to an email distribution group or listserv address, it only counts as one recipient, so if you need to communicate with a large number of individuals, they can be put into a group. Contact the IT Service Desk to request an email distribution list.

For Non-2FA enabled accounts:

You can also use a LISTSERV or email distribution list in Outlook to email large audiences. An email sent to a group or LISTSERV only counts as one recipient. See Email Distribution Lists (LISTSERV, Outlook)


What is the maximum size allowed for email attachments?

You can send or receive emails with a maximum size of 20 megabytes (MB) from one McGill email account to another and from a McGill account to a non-McGill account, or vice versa. However, this is subject to the message size limit defined by the email service provider of other parties involved.

The message size is the sum of the message content, headers, and attachments after being encoded. The maximum message size applies to all email accounts, even if they have been redirected or forwarded.

Note: Specific email apps might have their own limits for attachment size.


How do I recall a message I sent to a McGill email address?

The Outlook application on Windows allows you to recall a message; however doing so is generally not recommended. See the warning below.

info

IMPORTANT: Notes on recalling email messages

  • You can only recall emails sent to other McGill Exchange email addresses (@mcgill.ca, @mail.mcgill.ca, @affiliate.mcgill.ca or @campus.mcgill.ca).
  • There is no guarantee that you will successfully recall an email before it is read. This is especially true if you are attempting to recall an email that was sent to a group of users. 
  • You can only recall emails using the Outlook application on Windows; this functionality is not available using Outlook on the web or Outlook on Mac.

To know how to recall or replace a message, please consult the Microsoft article Recall an email message that you sent in Outlook, which provides the steps for most current versions of Outlook.


What is conversation view, and can I turn it off?

Conversation view groups messages with the same subject in your Inbox. This is the default view in Outlook on the web. Click the gear icon at the top right corner of the window and click View all Outlook settings to access the Outlook Settings pane. In Layout  > Message Organization, you will see the option to show messages in conversation view or as individual messages. 


How do I set up an out-of-office reply or set up rules for a shared mailbox?

Basic instructions for the Web are as follows:

If you added the shared mailbox following the instructions in the KB article How to access a shared mailbox, or the Inbox of an account for which you are a delegate:

  1. Open a web browser, go to https://outlook.office.com and log in with your McGill personal account. 
  2. Click on your profile circle at the top right and then click Open another mailbox.
  3. Type in the shared mailbox email and select it from the suggested accounts. Then click Open
  4. A new tab will open for the shared mailbox. Click on the gear icon at the top right for settings.
  5. Go to Mail > Automatic Replies for Out of Office or Mail > Rules for any mailbox rules. 


How can I set up a mail merge using a shared mailbox?

First, follow the instructions to add the mailbox in Add a shared mailbox using an alternate method when you have full access (including "Send as").

Then set the shared mailbox as the default account for Email and Data files.


references

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: