M365 Changelog: (Updated) New Microsoft Outlook for Windows: Automatically configure accounts with new policy – Aug 22, 2024

MC800501 – Updated August 21, 2024: Microsoft has updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.

Coming soon for new Microsoft Outlook for Windows: A new policy to automatically configure accounts based on Active Directory Primary SMTP address.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 396729.

When this will happen:

General Availability (Worldwide): Microsoft will begin rolling out mid-September 2024 (previously mid-August) and expects to complete by early October 2024 (previously early September).

How this will affect your organization:

Before the rollout: On the first-time login page in the new Outlook for Windows, the email field will be empty, and users will need to enter their email address.

After the rollout: On the first-time login page, the email field will be automatically filled with the primary SMTP address and the user will not be able to change it.

You can access the new policy called Automatically configure accounts based on Active Directory Primary SMTP address through the Microsoft Intune admin center > Apps > Policies for Office Apps.

Admins are advised to configure the new policy for specific groups for an easier account setup process on managed devices and to guarantee that company policies will always be respected.

If this policy is enabled, the primary SMTP address used to log in to Windows will be suggested the first time a user adds their account to new Outlook for Windows.

The default state of the new policy is off.

What you need to do to prepare:

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout. You may want to notify your admins about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.

Learn more: Policy Management – Deploy Office | Microsoft Learn (will be updated before rollout begins)