# Outlook / Office 365

Connect your Office 365 or Outlook.com account to Missive with full two-way sync. Folders, contacts, calendar, and shared mailboxes - everything works seamlessly.

## How to connect

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Open account settings**

Go to **Settings** > **Accounts** and click **Add account**.

{% hint style="info" %}
To open Settings, click your avatar in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar, then **Settings** (or press <kbd>⌘,</kbd>).
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select your account type**

Under the **Email** tab, select:

* **Office 365:** for Microsoft 365 / Office 365 work accounts
* **Outlook.com:** for personal Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Live accounts
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Choose import options**

Select how much email history to import:

* No history - start fresh
* 1 month to 10 years - recent emails only
* All history - everything (paid plans only)

Choose if this is a personal or shared account.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Enter your details**

For Office 365, enter your display name and email address before signing in.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Sign in with Microsoft**

Click **Connect with Office 365** or **Connect with Outlook**. A Microsoft sign-in window opens.

1. Enter your Microsoft credentials
2. Review and grant the requested permissions
3. Complete the authorization
   {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Configure sidebar**

Choose how your Outlook folders appear in your sidebar:

* **Pin all labels** - All labels appear in a new sidebar section automatically.
* **I'll choose which labels to show** - Use the **+ Pin to sidebar** button to add labels manually later.

{% hint style="info" %}
What Outlook calls folders, Missive calls labels. Same thing.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Archive old emails (optional)**

If your inbox has many emails, Missive offers to archive older messages so you can start fresh. Archived emails remain searchable.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Terminology

| Outlook          | Missive          |
| ---------------- | ---------------- |
| Folders          | Labels           |
| Categories       | Not supported    |
| Flags            | Not supported    |
| Recall a message | Undo send        |
| Favorites        | Sidebar sections |
| Archive Folder   | All mailbox      |
| In-Place Archive | Not supported    |

{% hint style="info" %}
**Folders vs Categories:** In Outlook, folders and categories serve different purposes. Folders store emails in specific locations and sync to Missive as labels. Categories are color-coded tags that don't affect storage location and don't sync to Missive.
{% endhint %}

## History

When you connect an Office 365 account to Missive, you choose how much email history to import. This can be changed later in settings.

All emails retain their read/unread status and location (inbox, folders, etc).

{% hint style="info" %}
Paid plans allow importing unlimited history.
{% endhint %}

## Sync behavior

| Action in Missive                        | Syncs | Effect in Office 365                              |
| ---------------------------------------- | ----- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| New email in Inbox                       | Yes   | New email in Inbox                                |
| New email in Team Inbox                  | Yes   | New email in Inbox                                |
| Email is sent                            | Yes   | Email appears in Sent                             |
| Email is archived (personal account)     | Yes   | Email appears in Archive                          |
| Email is archived (shared account)       | Yes   | Email appears in Archive only when owner archives |
| Email read                               | Yes   | Email read                                        |
| Email marked as unread                   | Yes   | Email marked as unread                            |
| Apply email label (e.g. Receipts)        | Yes   | Email appears in folder (e.g. Receipts)           |
| Apply organization label (e.g. Feedback) | No    | Email will not show in folder                     |
| Email is deleted (personal account)      | Yes   | Email appears in Trash                            |
| Email is deleted (shared account)        | Yes   | Email appears in Trash only when owner deletes    |
| Email marked as spam                     | Yes   | Email appears in Spam                             |
| Email is in drafts                       | No    | Email will not appear in Drafts                   |

## Contacts

Missive syncs your Outlook contacts automatically with full two-way sync.

If auto-sync was disabled, re-enable it:

1. Go to **Settings** > **Accounts**
2. Select your Office 365 / Outlook account
3. Click **Contacts**
4. Click **Sync contacts**

## Calendar

Connect your Office 365 / Outlook calendar:

1. Go to **Settings** > **Calendars**
2. Click **Add a calendar account**
3. Select **Office 365** or **Outlook**
4. Sign in and follow the prompts

## Shared mailboxes

Office 365 shared mailboxes work like any shared account in Missive:

1. Go to **Settings** > **Accounts** and click **Add account**
2. Select **Office 365** or **Outlook**
3. In the Microsoft popup, select an account that has access to the shared mailbox

## Distribution lists / Groups

Office 365 groups (distribution lists) forward emails to recipients' personal inboxes - they can't be connected directly. Use Missive's **Shared addresses** feature instead.

Go to **Settings** > **Organizations** > **Message sharing** to set up shared addresses.

See [Google Group address](/docs/core-features/connected-accounts/email-accounts/gmail-google-workspace/google-group-address.md) for setup instructions - the process is identical for Office 365 groups.

## Search operators

Missive supports Outlook search operators. See [Microsoft's full list](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-search-in-outlook-d824d1e9-a255-4c8a-8553-276fb895a8da).

| Operator         | Description                | Example                 |
| ---------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| `from:`          | Search by sender           | `from:john@example.com` |
| `to:`            | Search by recipient        | `to:sarah@example.com`  |
| `subject:`       | Search by subject keywords | `subject:meeting`       |
| `hasattachment:` | Emails with attachments    | `hasattachment:true`    |
| `cc:`            | Emails CC'd to someone     | `cc:mike@example.com`   |
| `bcc:`           | Emails BCC'd to someone    | `bcc:jane@example.com`  |
| `received:`      | Emails received on a date  | `received:today`        |
| `size:`          | Emails by size             | `size:>500KB`           |
| `folder:`        | Search within a folder     | `folder:inbox`          |
| `isread:`        | Read/unread emails         | `isread:false`          |

## Microsoft Exchange

For on-premises Exchange servers, see [Microsoft Exchange](/docs/core-features/connected-accounts/email-accounts/microsoft-exchange.md) to connect via IMAP.


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