Background

Outlook 2016 for Mac supports synchronizing your Gmail, calendars, and contacts.

How-to Setup Outlook 2016

Step 1: Enable IMAP in your Google account

1. Login to Gmail.
2. Click the Gear in the top right.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
5. Select Enable IMAP.
6. Click Save Changes.

Step 2: Change Google account settings to allow 3rd party mail clients

1. Login to Gmail.
2. Click the Gear in the top right.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click Accounts and Import.
5. Click Google Account settings.
6. Under Sign-in & Security click Signing in to Google.
7. Scroll to the bottom of the list.
8. Change Allow less secure apps to On.

Step 3: Configure your Outlook for Mac

1. Quit Microsoft Outlook.
2. First create a new Outlook profile.
   1. In the Finder open the /Applications folder.
   2. Right-click Microsoft Outlook and select Show Package Contents.
   3. Open the Contents folder, then open the SharedSupport folder.
   4. Double-click the Outlook Profile Manager.
   5. Click the "+" icon in the lower left corner to Create a new identity.
   6. For the Identity Name enter username@alaska.edu - Google Apps and press return.
   7. Select the new identity and click the Gear icon to Set the default identity. Click Set as default.
   8. Close the Outlook Profile Manager.
3. Launch Outlook.
4. In Outlook, on the Tools tab, click Accounts.
5. In the Accounts box, click Other Email.
   
6. Enter the email address and password. As you enter your email address the window will expand and prompt you for additional information. Enter the following information:
   • User name: enter username@alaska.edu
   • Type: IMAP
   • Incoming server: imap.gmail.com
   • Select Use SSL to connect (recommended)
   • Outgoing server: smtp.gmail.com
   • Select Use SSL to connect (recommended)
7. Click Add Account.
8. The new account will be added as the Default Account. Make sure the Full name field contains the name you want displayed on all outgoing email.
9. Close the Accounts window.
10. Outlook will now connect to your account and begin syncing your content.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I sync my contacts and calendar with Outlook for Mac?

  This feature is available for individuals using the University of Alaska Microsoft Office 2016 volume license, Office 365 ProPlus, or personal Office 365 Subscription versions of Microsoft Outlook. Check to see if you have build number 16.15.18070902 or higher.

  Outlook 2016 for Mac versions before 16.15.18070902 were able to retrieve email; however, they did not support Google Calendar or Contacts.

• Why am I unable to respond to meeting invitations sent from Google?

  In order to respond to meeting invitations from Google, the meeting must show on your calendar. The Google Calendar web app provides a setting that controls whether meetings in invitations will show on your calendar. This setting must be set to “Yes” in order to respond to meetings in Outlook.

  1. In a browser, go to Google Calendar and select Settings at the top of the page.
  2. Then select Settings > General > Automatically add invitations to my calendar.
  3. Select either of the "Yes" options for this setting.
• Why do I need to enable "less secure apps" in Gmail, isn't this a bad thing?

  The short answer, is there is nothing major to worry about.

  The longer answer is with respect to less-secure, Google is referring to the mechanism by which the application authenticates itself to gain access to your Gmail account. Outlook 2016 sends your username and password over an encrypted IMAP connection. There is nothing inherently insecure about that approach. It is used by every other email provider.

  Google would prefer that apps use a different mechanism, called OAuth. An overly simplified description of that mechanism is that the app uses a token to authenticate itself to gmail. Instead of sending your username and password over the encrypted communication channel, it sends the token over the encrypted connection.

  When using properly functioning software from a reputable company, there is essentially no difference between the two approaches. The mechanism used by Outlook is not any more vulnerable to a malicious attack than is Google's preferred mechanism.

 

Known Issues

• Are Google Tasks and Notes supported?
  At this time Outlook 2016 for Mac does not support Google Tasks, or Notes.
• Is creating, renaming, or deleting Gmail labels supported?
  Currently creating, renaming, or deleting folders (i.e. Gmail labels) in Outlook is not supported.
• Why can't I send attachments larger than 10 MB?
  Currently you are only able to send email attachments that are 10 MB or smaller using Outlook 2016 for Mac, even though the Gmail attachment limit is 25 MB.
• I made a change to a Gmail label in a web browser, why doesn't Outlook see the change?
  Labels in Gmail appears as folders in Outlook. If you create or rename a label in Gmail, it can take up to 24 hours for the corresponding folder to appear in Outlook.
• I just configured Outlook for my Gmail account, why isn't all my mail showing up?
  If your Gmail mailbox is large, the initial download of your complete mailbox to Outlook for Mac may take some time due to data limitations with Google. You don't have to wait for your entire mailbox to download to use your Gmail account in Outlook. All new email will be sent or received without delay. However, depending on the size of your mailbox, it may take up to a few days for older messages to become available in Outlook.
• Why are draft messages I compose in Outlook not in my Gmail drafts label?
  The drafts folder currently doesn't sync from Outlook to Gmail; however, it does sync from Gmail to Outlook.
• Why events I add to my calendar in Outlook visible to others?
  If you create an event on your calendar in Outlook, its default visibility is “Public,” regardless of your Google Calendar settings. To ensure the event is not publicly visible, right-click on the event in the Outlook calendar and select “Private,” or open the event and select the lock icon in the ribbon.
• Are attachments in events supported?
  No, at this time you can not send attachments with your meeting invitation. You will need to send a separate email message with any desired attachments to your meeting participants.

 

Need additional help or have issues

For additional assistance contact the IT Services Technical Support Center via phone at (907) 786-4646, toll-free at (877) 633-3888, or email at uaa.techsupport@alaska.edu.