When to Use?
If you're suddenly unable to access your mail in Outlook on your Mac, or things aren't working quite as expected, you may want to try removing and re-adding your account to your mail app.
Run Microsoft Outlook Reset in GVSU Software
This self-service action takes only a few minutes and contains a script from Microsoft to clear out all Outlook account/mailbox data and caches on your Mac. Mailbox items will then download once you re-open outlook and sign back in.
- Quit Microsoft Outlook
- Open GVSU Software from your Applications folder
- Search for Reset Microsoft Outlook
- Click the Run button
- Once the action has finished, you can re-open Outlook and sign back into your GVSU account
Clearing Caches
Clearing caches will remove any locally stored items, and re-sync them from Microsoft 365.
The following steps will vary if you're using the "New" or "Old" Outlook view in Outlook for Mac.
You can verify which view you're using by clicking the Outlook menu in the toolbar, and seeing if New Outlook is checked:
On the New Outlook
- With Outlook open, in the toolbar go to Tools > Accounts
- On the left side of the window, select the account you want to reset
- On the bottom left, click the three dots and select Reset Account from the list.
For more information, see Clear the cache in the new Outlook for Mac (Microsoft)
On the Old Outlook
- In your mailbox folders on the left, control-click or right click the Folder for which you want to clear the cache.
- On the General tab, click Empty Cache. Outlook will automatically re-download the items from Microsoft 365.
For more information, see Clear the cache in (old view) Outlook for Mac (Microsoft)
Manually Removing and Re-adding GVSU Mail Accounts
Another method to resolve any connectivity or syncing issues is to remove and re-add the account.
- With Outlook open, in the Toolbar go to Outlook > Preferences...
- In the Outlook Preferences window, click on Accounts
- Identify the account you want to remove and re-add
(In this example we only use one account, but it's possible you may use multiple accounts.)
If you've recently had your inbox migrated as part of our Microsoft 365 Migration, make note of whether your account shows up as Microsoft Exchange or Exchange/Office 365 Account. If your account still shows as Microsoft Exchange after a migration, removing and re-adding should force the account to switch over to Exchange/Office 365 Account.
- With the account selected, click the minus (-) button in the lower left, and when prompted click Sign Out
- To re-add the account, Click the plus (+) button in the lower left, or if all accounts have been removed the Add Email Account button on the right
- When prompted, enter in your GVSU email address and your password.
- Your account should now be re-added.
If you've recently had your inbox migrated as part of our Microsoft 365 Migration, verify that your account shows Exchange/Office 365 Account at the top of the Account settings page.
Other Known Issues
Exchange Online accounts have a new look.
Exchange Online accounts can use Focused Inbox.
Local mailbox folders are hidden.
Tasks and Notes open in web browser when using New Outlook.
The default signature could be absent from new emails after migrating to Exchange Online. Choose Preferences from the Outlook menu bar and then Signatures. Choose the default signature for New Message or Replies/Forwards.
Use Reset Microsoft 365 License in GVSU Software to resolve activation issues with symptoms like Outlook unable to connect, not sending email, unable to save documents, or continually prompting for credentials.