New protocols for using Apple Mail with Hotmail accounts

Have been helping out a family member with their hotmail account this week which has had a sporadic connection via Apple Mail (on an admittedly older Mac) for months (constantly asking for, and not recognising, password). Monday I copied all their folders from their Hotmail to their iCloud email address, and not a moment too soon it seems as the connection to hotmail (via Exchange in Apple Mail on Mac) has failed since Wednesday. Yesterday, turned on forwarding in the hotmail browser to send their emails to their icloud account and they'll be responding from icloud in the future. They didn't particularly want to move away from hotmail but rather than buying a brand new mac (unnecessarily when their current macbook works just fine for what they need), which doesn't seem to be a guarantee that hotmail would work in Apple Mail on Mac, and rather than mess around with any other apps such as Outlook (there's no way they're going to use a second mailing app, nor should they have to, when they now know their way around Apple mail), this seemed the best solution. It seems Microsoft wants to blackmail anyone who has a hotmail account into using their software, apps & browsers, and it seems Apple isn't too bothered to fix the issue as it will mean mac and iphone users migrate to icloud emails for an easier life. We live in a world of two global monopolies, mac or windows (as the recent global outage caused by Crowdstrike demonstrated) so, until any viable consumer-facing alternatives come along, the two monopolies should try to make the lives of users easier, not put obstacles in their way to try and grow their app usage. Shame on microsoft & hotmail.

Munsterlanders: Here are some links that suggest:

1. Sonoma and Microsoft Exchange somehow use modern authentication -- Integrate Apple devices with Microsoft Exchange - Apple Support.
2. You should be OK if after configuring for Exchange, you no longer receive warnings about needing to input your password. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum/all/how-can-i-assure-i-have-modern-authentication-on/d663834e-1006-433f-b944-66448ba99b42 (I configured for Exchange and haven't received any password messages.)

Have you tried calling Apple Support to answer your question: Contact - Official Apple Support

Hi wlow and all,

I have been having the same issue as all of you folks. I started a separate thread a couple of weeks ago (you can find it at "Newly emerged Microsoft / Apple Mail conflict" here's the link:

Newly emerged Microsoft / Apple Mail conf… - Apple Community

wlow's advice works for me. In one minute (that fast enough for you?) I have deleted one of my least used Hotmail accounts connected to my Mail app on my Mac (it's the little @ sign on a blue field in the accounts dropdown) then created the same thing using the Microsoft Exchange option they describe. Use the same steps wlow states.

Like many here, the Outlook.com option does not appear on my older Mac's dropdown of options for accounts. This may be solved with Sequoia eventually, but waiting is not a good option as Sept 16 is coming up fast. Your Hotmail / Outlook accounts won't disappear from the server they live on, they just won't be as conveniently located in Mail, in one place, to read, reply to and store after that date.

I highly recommend doing what I've done earlier this year, and others here have recommended: use the "On My Mac" feature to file and store all of your emails on your own computer. If you want them, keep them yourself. It may take time, depending on how many accounts you have and how much you use email, but only you can decide what that's worth.

*** If you ever decide to close one of these accounts, remember to also create a SENT folder in the "On My Mac" section just before you do. Copy/move them all over to this folder. I didn't do this before closing an account a couple of years back, and I regret it.

My understanding from reading the Microsoft help article, is that it will continue to prompt you for the password until you add the account using modern authentication.

I was helping a client, and noted the Inbound and Outbound server details had changed to outlook.microsoft365.com as per https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/pop-imap-and-smtp-settings-for-outlook-com-d088b986-291d-42b8-9564-9c414e2aa040

Okay, last effort to help someone here, for those who are talking about "deleting" accounts, that is NOT necessary to conform to Microsoft's security needs. Using the Exchange option when setting up an email account provides what's needed so you don't keep getting asked to enter your password checking for mail. The "other" option available when setting up an account doesn't have the required security - that's what most of us used when setting up a hotmail/live/outlook account in the past. SO. . . you're ONLY changing the way you log into Microsoft's servers NOT deleting your account as some here indicate. Mail remains on the server while you reconnect to the account with the Exchange protocol.

If I read the INITIAL post correctly, this will fix the issue. Somehow this thread has become like that child's game where you whisper something to someone next to you and so on as it goes around the circle ending up at the last person's ear very different than the first message.

Experienced same problems. Simple solution was to delete the hotmail account and reinstall it with help of MS Authenticator approval instead of password.

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]

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.

I am currently using the outlook app in my Macbook pro which is the quick fix.

But yes I wish to have all in the apple Mail app to store all important emails in my laptop than in the cloud server of outlook.

Gmail has 2 way authentications too but it works fine in Mail App for now. Not sure why Outlook can not support Mail app.

Agreed. my important emails are moved in Mailboxes "on My Mac". Technically it should remain there if we remove the account that has other sets of inbox/sent box under "Hotmail". Hope someone can confirm this.

I wish to use back the Mail App to have all in one so I can move the important emails away from the cloud into my laptop.

I have read all of these posts and I am still not sure what to do. I am usually pretty good with my apple products, but all of this sounds like another language. I called Apple support and they shared my screen, read the letter from Microsoft, and then just deleted my account, added it back in and changed the name to outlook. I didn't see any difference in what he did and I still am getting the same problems with seeing mail content and messages about my passwords. so no fix there!

It might be better to move away from Microsoft and any other free email services. If it's free you're the product. This will affect me the same way and I'm going to slowly migrate to a new account away from MS.

@anittaribeiro I don't usually flag emails, so I don't have much experience with it, but I just tried and it seems to be working OK. But I might be taking this at a more basic level than what you are trying to do

I just called Apple support but they don’t have this as an issue saying it hasn’t come up! I showed the problem where Outlook is not an option to add as a new mail server. They suggested to contact Microsoft as it is they are supplying the mail. It appears Apple is not taking this issue seriously enough and it really is having an impact on so many people.

I only have this problem on my Mac machines with no problem on iPads or iPhones.