New protocols for using Apple Mail with Hotmail accounts

Microsoft has announced the following:


"The safety and security of your information is top priority for Microsoft. To help keep your account secure, Microsoft will no longer support the use of third-party email and calendar apps which ask you to sign in with only your Microsoft Account username and password. To keep you safe you will need to use a mail or calendar app which supports Microsoft’s modern authentication methods. If you do not act, your third-party email apps will no longer be able to access your Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live.com email address on September 16th."


I use Apple Mail for all my email accounts which include two hotmail accounts that need to be redefined as 'outlook' accounts with new security parameters for them to work with Apple Mail, otherwise I am going to lose access to these accounts via Apple Mail. I have Apple Mail installed on all my devices, the principle device being a Mac Mini (Sonoma 14.5). Obviously these email accounts will be available via other email apps like Outlook for Mac and via a web browser.


According to general advice that I have looked for, the best way continue to use Apple Mail is to delete the accounts from Apple Mail (via the Mac Mini) and then add them again with the new Outlook parameters which are not simply the current account name and password. Doing this does not alter any emails that you have stored on the Outlook server - the account name is not changing.


I have all of my mail stored in mail folders on my Mac. I don't keep the messages on the remote server. The only messages that are held on the remote Outlook server are the most recent in my Inbox i.e. those that I have not yet moved to other folders on my Mac and those that have not yet been deleted from the remote server.


So, if I delete the accounts in Apple Mail (on the Mac Mini), I am going to lose all of the history of my emails stored in the various mail sub-folders for the corresponding email account on my Mac Mini. As there is no copy of these on the remote server, they will be lost forever. Adding the new Outlook version of the accounts will not connect these accounts to their history in Apple Mail.


I must admit that I am a bit lost as to how I can continue using Apple Mail for my two Hotmail accounts. The only thing that I can see that I can do is the following:


Copy all subfolders for these email accounts on the Mac into new subfolders for another NON-Hotmail account that I currently use.

Delete the Hotmail Accounts on my Mac, thus deleting all of their sub folders.

Add the new Outlook versions of these accounts with the necessary parameters.

Re-create the subfolders for those accounts and then move all of the previously moved emails back to these accounts.

I understand that deleting and re-adding the accounts on my Mac will be reflected on my other synced Apple devices (iPhone, iPad etc) which don't contain the history, as this is only on the Mac Mini.


I hope I have understood the situation correctly and explained it well.


I don't want to use different apps for my different email accounts. I want to maintain them all in one application if possible.


Any help would be greatly appreciated. There is a distinct lack of information about this one the internet. Sorry if this message is a bit long or is incorrect in any way.

Thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro, OS X 10.11

Posted on Jun 28, 2024 6:49 AM

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Posted on Jul 1, 2024 11:24 PM

Same here. I’ve been having login issues with my Mac ( not iPad or iPhone, they work fine)

The “fix” proposed by Apple support is to use Exchange (remove account and add it again as exchange account). But the problem is the email flagging option is terribly glitchy with exchange. Outlook for Mac is terrible, I hate it. Temporary solution : forwarding all emails to my iCloud account. Note: the more complaints Apple has regarding this subject the better. They need to fix this.

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Question marked as Best reply

Jul 1, 2024 11:24 PM in response to Munsterlanders

Same here. I’ve been having login issues with my Mac ( not iPad or iPhone, they work fine)

The “fix” proposed by Apple support is to use Exchange (remove account and add it again as exchange account). But the problem is the email flagging option is terribly glitchy with exchange. Outlook for Mac is terrible, I hate it. Temporary solution : forwarding all emails to my iCloud account. Note: the more complaints Apple has regarding this subject the better. They need to fix this.

Jun 29, 2024 10:07 AM in response to Munsterlanders

Not sure when Apple is going to update their Mail app to reflect the changes that show the Outlook.com on this screenshot. My guess will be once Sequoia is out of beta testing. I use their app that can be downloaded from the app store for my old Hotmail and Outlook accounts. The only place I use my Hotmail and Outlook accounts are on my iPhone and iPad in Mail.


[Edited by Moderator]

Jul 1, 2024 2:29 PM in response to AlWeir

On my iPhone I see an option for Outlook.com as an email type (same as in the screenshot you provided). But it doesn't show up in the mail app on my Mac. On my Mac all I'm seeing is Microsoft Exchange.


I tried chatting with Microsoft Support about this today, but they were absolutely useless and kept offering solutions that had nothing to do with the problem.

Jul 2, 2024 4:29 AM in response to jcho1962

Hi! This can only happen when you have all your emails stored on the email service provider's servers. The problem we have occurs when you have them stored only in Apple Mail (copies have been deleted from remote server).

I think we all agree what we can simply choose to use Outlook instead of Apple Mail, although you would never be able to see any emails stored only in Apple Mail because the two apps cannot access each other.


For information, I can access my Hotmail emails via Outlook on a web browser without any problem, but the only emails I can see are those that are still on the remote server.


Jul 1, 2024 1:34 PM in response to Munsterlanders

I also received this warning message from Microsoft on June 28, 2024 so I decided to look into it. It seems the message is legitimate as I was able to find several articles on Microsoft sites detailing steps to correct the login method. When I first setup the Outlook.com email account on MacOS, I chose the account type (from the list) as "Add Other Account". While this worked, it seems the login method used is being deprecated by Microsoft, so it will stop working.


A quick search for "Does Apple Mail on MacOS support Outlook email", turns of the following Apple Support article.

Choose the correct email service provider when you add an account to Mail - Apple Support


I followed the steps to delete the old Outlook account and recreated it, this time selecting Exchange as described in the article. I had created several folders (server based) containing older emails and all were preserved.


One suggestion for the folders that you created using local storage, Try creating a new Outlook account using the Exchange selection BEFORE deleting the old account from Apple Mail. Once the new account is setup and working, you should be able to move the local folders to the new account before deleting the old account from Apple Mail. Please let me and this thread know if this suggestion works.

Jul 1, 2024 3:03 PM in response to Apple-Fan-805

Hi!

Thanks for taking the time to reply. The problem with your solution is that I would lose the Hotmail accounts that I have had for more than 30 years by substituting them with new ones. These email accounts are used as logins and accounts etc. for many sites. I would have to remember all of these and set them all up again (not really practical).


I would also have to advise anyone who has my email current addresses!


Some users in this situation may have noticed more and more messages (especially on iPhone) saying that the current password needs to be entered again (for the Hotmail accounts). This situation has already been publicised by Microsoft and looks like it is getting worse.


I'm guessing that there must be email accounts with other providers that are going to end up in a similar situation in the future, if they all decide to change to more secure protocols, so this could be the tip of the iceberg.


My best solution at present seems to be to move away from Apple Mail and use Outlook for Mac. I hate even considering this as I am so used to having all my email accounts managed via Apple Mail.


New protocols for using Apple Mail with Hotmail accounts

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