Forum Discussion
Outlook 2016 with MFA enabled MSA
2fa Support for consumer accounts is new to outlook 2016 (should be available in updates this month), so if you need the app password now, you soon won’t. Gmail 2fa support is coming too - I thought in the same update, but haven’t tested it yet.
2fa Support for consumer accounts is new to outlook 2016 (should be available in updates this month), so if you need the app password now, you soon won’t. Gmail 2fa support is coming too - I thought in the same update, but haven’t tested it yet.
I'm going to go with this answer because this seems to be in line with my observations, but I have to say that Microsoft's documentation is all over the map on this topic. Here's a general one about adding additional accounts to Outlook. It makes a big point about "some" systems that require app passwords and specifically calls out Gmail and Yahoo, but completely leaves Outlook.com off the list even though your answer and my observation say that app passwords are required.
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Add-an-email-account-to-Outlook-6e27792a-9267-4aa4-8bb6-c84ef146101b
and here's one that makes a big point about using app passwords for Outlook 2010 and earlier with Microsoft consumer account. They could have saved themselves some ink and just said "all version."
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12409/microsoft-account-app-passwords-two-step-verification
I don't mind a straight answer because I can make a decision, but endless trolling of documentation that never really gets to the point is frustrating.
I'll live with the app password requirement for now.
Thanks.
Here is an official Microsoft document stating the need for an App Password in Outlook 2016 for Outlook.com accounts with 2FA: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/i-can-t-see-my-outlook-com-email-in-outlook-2016-or-outlook-2013-cda1751d-9503-40bf-bf76-e79454ac5eb3
Look for: "Important: If you're prompted to enter your credentials repeatedly, https://support.microsoft.com/help/12408 might be turned on for your Outlook.com account. To fix this issue, you'll need to https://support.microsoft.com/help/12409 to add the account in Outlook."
Yes I have created an app password and submitted that to outlook and it works. BUT outlook still asks for a password every few days (no not all the time, very random), I just hit the x to shut the dialog box and outlook continues to work. Very very annoying though, and should be easily fixed by Microsoft.
At present I am very reluctant to recommend MFA to clients based on my experience with outlook - works ok in all other areas.
Howard Randall Salvatore Biscari
I'm under the impression that App Passwords completely bypass all MFA; so users who store their App Passwords on paper or digitally are adding a backdoor into their MFA protected environments. I believe SharePoint Online and OneDrive for business have options to prevent access to users using App Passwords, but I believe Exchange Online has no such option. So, a mal-user who obtains a compromised App Password can get to your entire (otherwise MFA protected) Exchange mailbox by using Outlook for the PC.
- Yes, thank you Salvatore. That is a document that alludes to the need for app passwords with Outlook.com accounts. It's a bit of buried article, IMO, since it's stuck in a troubleshooting document with a very specific title, but it does call out app passwords directly none-the-less.
I wish that the top level documents would do the same. Of course, this may all be a moot point once Outlook.com and Outlook 2016 are wired to handle each other's form of modern auth.
Just so I'm clear here. I don't even like this Outlook.com / Outlook 2016 solution. I try to guide my users towards using the browser, but for some, Outlook runs deep.
Thanks again.
