Sending a Welcome Message to New Employees Part 2
Recently, I wrote about how to use PowerShell to send a welcome email to new employees together with attached ICS files for corporate events. Although new employees can add the ICS files to their calendars (so the solution works), simply inviting employees to attend those events by updating the participant list with PowerShell is an easier and better approach. This article explains how to find calendar events, update participant lists, and update events with the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK. https://office365itpros.com/2026/05/27/new-employee-email2/
Sole Microsoft 365 Admin Locked Out After Phone Replacement / Lost MFA Device
I am the sole admin for a Microsoft 365 tenant and I am currently locked out after replacing my phone. The old phone was wiped before Microsoft Authenticator was fully re-registered on the new device. Authenticator was the only MFA method configured on the account. Current situation: password is known, Teams desktop sessions are still active, Authenticator cloud backup restored successfully, but all Microsoft security and admin pages still require approval from the old Authenticator registration. I cannot access Security Info, Entra Admin, or Microsoft 365 Admin Center because every path loops back to the dead MFA registration. I have already attempted Microsoft business support phone lines, Authenticator restore and recovery, and existing desktop sessions, but support queues are disconnecting and I cannot open business support tickets because the admin account itself is MFA locked. Tenant: lowepfg.onmicrosoft.com What is the fastest recovery or escalation path to force MFA reset or re-register Microsoft Authenticator for the tenant admin account?
Outlook Cached Mode Repeatedly Re-syncs Mailbox After Restart (Starts Again Around 3.99 GB)
Hi everyone, I’m experiencing a strange Outlook Cached Exchange Mode issue with a Microsoft 365 mailbox after a recent Windows rebuild and wanted to see if anyone has seen similar behavior. Environment: Microsoft 365 mailbox (Exchange Online) Outlook for Microsoft 365 Version 2605 Build 16.0.20026.20076 64-bit Windows 11 25H2 Fresh OS rebuild performed twice New Outlook profile created Office completely reinstalled OST recreated multiple times Issue: When Cached Exchange Mode is enabled, Outlook starts downloading/synchronizing mail normally, and the OST file continues to grow correctly. However, after every reboot or Outlook restart, Outlook again shows “Downloading…” starting from around 3.99 GB. Important observations: Online Mode works perfectly OUTLOOK.EXE closes properly after exit OST file is NOT deleted and continues growing Sync slider changes (1 month, 1 year, all mail) make no difference Disabling Outlook indexing did not help New Outlook profile did not help Reinstalling Office did not help Problem only started after OS rebuild Before rebuild, same mailbox worked normally in Cached Mode No pending office or windows update. It does not appear to actually re-download the mailbox from scratch because the OST size keeps increasing, but Outlook repeatedly processes/downloads from around the same 3.99 GB point after restart. Has anyone seen: Cached Mode replaying synchronization repeatedly after restart? Similar behavior on recent Current Channel builds? Security/EDR products interfering with OST synchronization state? Any known regressions with Outlook Version 2605 Build 16.0.20026.20076? Any suggestions or similar experiences would be appreciated.
Stop Excel auto formating
How do I stop Excel from automatically formatting cells? I have three columns. The first column is formatted currency with fill. The second is text. The third is general. When tying a number in the general column Excel automatically formats the cell to currency with a fill matching the first column. How can I stop Excel from automatically changing the formatting of the cells in the third column?Inherited group-based license service plan checkboxes are now editable but fail on save
Hello, We are observing a possible UI regression in the Microsoft 365 admin center related to group-based licensing. Environment / scenario: - Microsoft 365 admin center - User-level “Licenses and apps” screen - The user receives the Microsoft 365 license through group-based licensing - The source group is a Microsoft Entra dynamic security group - The license and service plan settings are intended to be controlled at the group-based license assignment level We understand that when a license is inherited from a group-based license assignment, the apps/services for that inherited license should not normally be changed directly at the individual user level. The service plan configuration should be managed at the group/license assignment level. However, the current UI behaviour is confusing. Observed behaviour: 1. Open a user in the Microsoft 365 admin center. 2. Go to the user’s “Licenses and apps” screen. 3. The user has a Microsoft 365 license inherited from a group-based license assignment. 4. Some app/service checkboxes appear to be enabled and editable. 5. An administrator can actually clear/uncheck those checkboxes. 6. However, when clicking OK/Save, the operation fails with an error. In other words, the UI allows an administrator to make a change that cannot actually be committed. The reason this looks like a regression is that the previous UI behaviour was different. Previously, when a user’s Microsoft 365 license was inherited from a group-based license assignment, the relevant app/service checkboxes on the user-level “Licenses and apps” screen were greyed out or effectively read-only. Administrators could visually understand that those service plan settings could not be changed directly at the individual user level. Recently, those same checkboxes appear to be active and editable. The administrator can uncheck them, but the change fails only after clicking OK/Save. From an administrator UX perspective, this is confusing because the UI appears to allow an unsupported operation and only rejects it at save time. Expected behaviour: If service plan settings for an inherited group-based license cannot be changed at the individual user level, we would expect one of the following behaviours: - The checkboxes should remain disabled/read-only from the beginning. - The UI should clearly state that these apps/services are inherited from a group-based license assignment. - The Save/OK button should be disabled for changes that cannot be applied. - The UI should provide a link or guidance to manage the setting at the group-based license assignment level. Questions: 1. Has anyone else observed this recent change in behaviour? 2. Was this UI change intentional? 3. Is this a known issue or known UX regression in the Microsoft 365 admin center? 4. Is there any scenario where these checkboxes are intentionally editable for a user who receives the license only through group-based licensing? 5. Does this behaviour differ depending on whether the source group is an assigned security group or a dynamic security group? 6. Is there any recommended administrator workflow when troubleshooting service plan settings for a user whose license is inherited from a group-based license assignment? To clarify, this is not a question about how group-based licensing works. The concern is specifically about the UI behaviour where inherited license service plan checkboxes were previously greyed out, but now appear editable even though the change fails on save. If this is not intentional, it would be helpful if the Microsoft 365 admin center could restore the previous read-only/greyed-out behaviour, or clearly explain in the UI why the change cannot be saved. Thank you.
Circular Reference Issues - A desperate woman needs help ASAP =(
I have an incredibly in-depth spreadsheet, with about 15 pages, and in-depth tables and calculations on most of those pages. Point being, I have a HUGE freaking file with tons of data collected over the years. Now, all of a sudden, I cannot input anything without the Microsoft Excel Warning popping up, stating: "There are one or more circular references where a formula refers to its own cell either directly or indirectly. This might cause them to calculate incorrectly. Try removing or changing these references, or moving the formulas to different cells." I understand what this pop up is saying, but my file is so huge, and there is so much information, I cannot find the error anywhere!!!!! And I don't have the option to search for it. So I cannot correct this error on my own, and I cannot input anything into the spreadsheet without having to exit out of that **bleep** pop up!!! I am defeated, INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATED, and I cannot see a clear path to recovery. I have been working on this document for years now, and I cannot start fresh. HELP, HELP, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOS!! Anyone! I am desperate and beyond frustrated =(
Why is Microsoft 365 setup (Groups + SharePoint + Domains) still so complex?
Microsoft 365 Setup Feedback Summary Summary of Experience: Setting up two small business workspaces (Cork & Clarity and Stone Clarity Consulting) in Microsoft 365 required navigating multiple disconnected systems including the Admin Center, Outlook, SharePoint, and an external DNS provider. The process was significantly more complex than expected and not intuitive for a non-technical user. Key Issues Encountered: 1. Identity and Account Confusion - Unclear whether to create separate users or use one account with aliases - Creating multiple users caused login confusion, broken permissions, and access issues 2. Domain and DNS Setup Complexity - Required switching between Microsoft and external DNS (Looka) - Instructions were unclear and required manual troubleshooting - No clear distinction between required and optional DNS records 3. Default Domain Confusion - New groups defaulted to the wrong domain - No visible option to change domain during group creation - Required changing global default domain (non-intuitive) 4. Inconsistent Group Behavior - Outlook groups and Teams-backed groups behave differently - No indication of differences or consequences - Groups appeared in some places but not others 5. Membership and Ownership Issues - Group creator was not consistently added as member - Ownership did not always persist after changes - Groups existed but were inaccessible or invisible 6. Outlook UI Limitations - Groups not visible despite existing and being correctly configured - No clear instructions on how to 'activate' or 'follow' groups 7. SharePoint Site Not Created Automatically - SharePoint sites were not created when groups were created - Required hidden steps: Outlook → Files → Open in SharePoint - No indication that the site did not exist yet 8. SharePoint Discovery Issues - Sites do not appear until manually accessed or followed - No onboarding or guidance for discovering sites 9. Ghost/Deleted Items Still Visible - Deleted group (Cork & Clarity Hub) remained visible - No clear distinction between deleted vs followed sites 10. Fragmented User Experience - Required switching between multiple platforms - No single place to manage or understand setup status - High cognitive load for basic configuration Conclusion: While Microsoft 365 is a powerful platform, the initial setup experience is overly complex and fragmented, especially for small businesses. Simplifying group creation, making SharePoint provisioning automatic and visible, and improving UI consistency across apps would significantly improve usability and adoption.Prevent Microsoft 365 meeting invites from automatically appearing in users’ calendars
Hi All, We are trying to prevent Microsoft 365 meeting invites from automatically appearing in users’ calendars as Tentative until the user explicitly accepts the invite. Setting for Outlook Classic, New Outlook and Windows or Outlook Web. Need Microsoft recommendation on this one.
