outlook contacts continuously restore themselves
I decided to clean out my contacts in outlook, so I exported them all out to a .csv file and then I deleted all 1,200 of them (100 at a time, because apparently microsoft feels that any higher amount would be bad...). Then I spent a few hours in excel combining, consolidating and deleting them down into about 600 contacts. When I went back into outlook and clicked on people, to my surprise all 1,200 of my original contacts were right there again as if I'd done nothing. I figured that some other device must be restoring (through some normal synching process), so I turned off **REMOVED** computers and phones that I've ever used to access outlook). Then I deleted all of the contacts once more, this time using the OWA webpage with my local outlook completely closed. Unfortunately, the exact same thing happens. After repeating that process several more times last night, I shut down my laptop and went to bed. I got up this morning, opened my local outlook app, clicked on people and there were no contacts there at all. For about 5 seconds I was happy, until all 1,200 of them instantly popped right back up like a really bad joke or a dream. Something either on my computer or (I suspect) on microsoft outlook servers is automatically forcing a complete restore of all my contacts. Two side notes: 1) I can create/add and delete single contacts and those changes seem to stick, and 2) I can delete all contacts except a single one and that seems to stick, and 3) I can import my cleaned up .csv file containing 600 contacts back into outlook (with only the one single remaining contact in there), it says that all 600 contacts have been successfully imported, and then within minutes - all 1,200 contacts are back right where they were in the beginning. The truly frustrating part about this issue (and most companies these days), is that IF the customers could possibly **REMOVED** about it so that we can simply continue to make and sell more stuff. It's very sad
Title: Expose SHA-256 or SHA-1 for Mail Attachments in Microsoft Graph
Problem Email attachments in Graph don’t include a content hash. To identify or match attachments, developers have to download the entire file first. That wastes bandwidth and time and increases exposure. OneDrive/SharePoint already return hashes, but mail does not, so experiences are inconsistent. Request Add a server-provided content hash to every mail attachment. Prefer SHA-256. If that’s not feasible initially, expose SHA-1 as a minimum to align with existing Drive item hashes. Benefits Faster and cheaper: avoid downloading large files just to tell if you already have them. Deduplication: detect repeated attachments across threads and mailboxes. Security operations: correlate attachments with threat intel by hash and triage suspicious emails without fetching payloads. eDiscovery and compliance: confidently match the same document across mail and files. Consistency: a predictable, uniform approach across Mail and OneDrive/SharePoint.
Outlook broke after Office 365 update to 16.0.19328.20158 – cannot open emails Windows Server 2016
Hello everyone, posting to report that after the latest automatic update to Microsoft Office 365 version 16.0.19328.20158, we are experiencing a critical issue on multiple company machines running Windows Server 2016: The Outlook desktop application launches normally, but when trying to open any email, the following error appears: “There was a problem opening this item... The text formatting command is not available... Reinstall Microsoft Outlook.” Launching Outlook in safe mode (Outlook /safe) does not help. Creating the FORMS2 folder (suggested workaround) does not fix it. Attempting a downgrade via OfficeC2RClient.exe fails with error 30183-27 (400). Quick/online repair from Control Panel also has no effect. In our environment, this issue appeared simultaneously on many workstations and servers, right after the Office update today. Temporary solution: We are instructing users to access their mail via Outlook Web App (OWA), which is not affected by this bug. We would like to know: If others have experienced this bug with this build, including on Windows Server 2016 If any working workaround exists, or an official fix timeframe from Microsoft Thanks to anyone who can share their experience or updates!
Unified Company Calendar for Mixed Microsoft 365 and Non-365 Users – 2025
Seeking a Shared Calendar Solution for Mixed Microsoft 365 and Non-365 Users I’m working on a solution to create a shared company calendar that everyone in our organization can view, while keeping editing permissions limited to a few selected individuals. The challenge: Some of our team members do not use Microsoft 365, and I’d like them to still be able to subscribe to or view the calendar and receive updates. Ideally, this should work without requiring full Microsoft accounts. I initially considered using an ICS-based calendar, but it seems Microsoft 365 Group calendars don’t support sharing via ICS links. I also explored creating a Group calendar as suggested in other threads, but ran into issues making it accessible to external users or those without 365 accounts. For context, I’m a Global Admin, so I have full access to configure settings in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and Exchange if needed. We’re a small business, and our main goal is to have a centralized calendar for vacation schedules and company-wide events. It should be simple to access and maintain, with a focus on collaboration and accessibility across the board. What I’m looking for: A calendar that’s viewable by all, including non-M365 users Editable only by a few delegated team members Compatible with Microsoft 365, but not dependent on it for basic access Any tools, workarounds, or best practices that have worked for others in similar hybrid environmentsExchange Online Basics – How Email Works in Microsoft 365
In today’s business environment, email remains a critical communication tool—and increasingly, it’s running entirely in the cloud. If your organization uses or is considering using Exchange Online as part of Microsoft 365 (or even standalone), it’s helpful to understand how email works in that context: what happens behind the scenes, what you need to set up, and how to ensure things run smoothly and securely. This article guides you through the basics of Exchange Online mail flow, architecture, administration, and security. https://dellenny.com/exchange-online-basics-how-email-works-in-microsoft-365/Microsoft Issues Updated Guidance for Defender for Office 365 Licensing
Some inconsistencies in the MDO P2 service description and licensing terms exposed a need for tenants to license every user and shared mailboxes. Microsoft has changed the service description and licensing terms to make them simpler. Mailboxes still need MDO licenses, but only if they benefit from MDO protection, including MDO P2 if that’s what they use. Tenant admins have some extra work to do to deploy policies. All explained here. https://office365itpros.com/2025/10/31/mdo-p2-licensing/
Outlook for Android not syncing contacts automatically
Hi Everyone, I can't get Outlook on my android phone (Samsung S9) to sync contact automatically with my Exchange (Microsoft Hosted Exchange) account. If I add a contact on the Outlook app running on my Windows 10 laptop, I can see it if I look on the Outlook for web. I have checked the usual settings on my phone: The only way to get the contacts to update is to reset the account: Contacts that I add on my phone (Exchange account) do not sync back to the online account. Outlook on my phone syncs emails with the same account normally. I've tried clearing data / cache, and even taken the extra step of uninstalling and reinstalling on my phone but it makes no difference Any suggestions gladly welcomed!Replying to emails from M365 Outlook group
A problem I am stumped with, so I am reaching out for some help/guidance. One group wants to not have the emails going into their own inbox but manage and reply only from the group inbox itself (so they know the email has been processed by deleting it once replied). It worked OK to begin with and then some users couldn't reply, then more. Some still can. I have tried reindexing local copy, using browser instead of app & changing the send on behalf of permissions. Owner or member of group doesn't seem to make a difference. Error messages include "This message can't be sent because it no longer exists. It can only be discarded. Make sure you copy the contents of the message before you discard if you want to use them later." and "Couldn't send this message". Please see screenshots attached. My questions: 1: Is Outlook on M365 designed to allow users to reply from the group either as the "group" or as themselves? Information I found isn't clear. 2: If it is / can be - what can I do to make it work for all users? Thanks!
