What's the easiest way to collect 360 feedback without manually emailing people?
Our HR team wants to build a 360-degree feedback mechanism into our Outlook app and we definitely don't want it to involve manually e-mailing people or sending out Microsoft Forms. Are there any automations we can set up in outlook or maybe native apps we might use that you all know?
Unable to Access Scheduling Poll Options
Hi, I would like to access the Scheduling Poll options in Outlook Web so I can select "Schedule when attendees reach consensus" bot I don't see a way to access the panel. This is the option as shown in the docs https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-scheduling-poll-in-outlook-for-windows-34176e59-c87a-4a19-85a4-bb35050ace02 This is what i see:
File Attachment Bug
Hi, I have been struggling with this Outlook bug for months now where every once in a while I am unable to attach any files, even small pdf files, to brand new e-mail chains. I get an error telling me to "remove inline files of large dimensions from this message thread" even though the thread is brand new! I tried all of the workarounds, including switching message format to html (which it was already set to), signing in and out again, deleting all of my cookies and cached files, deleting all and any saved drafts (which I do all the time anyways), and using incognito mode to access Outlook. I do not understand why this happens and frankly I find it unbelievable that this has been going on for so long with no fixes! If anyone has any other advice/fixes please let me know. Thanks!
Open the first message in the list
In the past few weeks, something changed to where I no longer have the option of having the first email selected when I navigate to a folder in Outlook (desktop or web client). There used to be an option in settings "What do you want us to do when you open Outlook?" that had a setting of "open the first message in the list", but that is now missing. How do I get that option back? Is there some setting I need to enable to make that option come back? I know the new UI is being forced on us now, but I haven't seen anything indicating that this was a feature that was removed - the option of not having it auto-select the first message was always an option as well, so I don't understand why a way to toggle between the two is no longer present.
Outlook on Windows 11: when local sync re‑contaminates global settings
Introduction I want to share a finding that I believe is concerning: the Outlook client on Windows 11 can act as a vector of “re‑contamination” of local data, reactivating settings that were already disabled in the cloud. While this is not malware in the strict sense, the behavior is contradictory enough that it undermines privacy and user trust. Context of the issue To avoid any doubt, I disabled the Expanded People Suggestions option in all three possible places: Outlook client on Windows 11. Outlook Web. Global Privacy settings in my Microsoft Account. In every case, the option was disabled and the exported configuration file appeared empty, confirming that the deletion had been applied correctly. Cross‑account contamination → when another account was added to the Outlook client, the contaminated suggestions were transferred and appeared in that account as well, even though those addresses had never been used there. Evidence observed Empty file in the cloud → confirms that the deletion was effective. Desktop client re‑sync → uploads obsolete local data and reactivates the option. Result → the global configuration once again shows suggestions that had already been disabled. Injected email addresses → the suggestions included addresses that I have never used or contacted. These appear to have been introduced by third parties or internal contamination, not by my own activity. Cross‑account contamination → when another account was added to the Outlook client, the contaminated suggestions were transferred and appeared there too. Implications The Outlook client does not respect privacy preferences set in the cloud. Local data takes precedence over global settings, which contradicts modern synchronization logic. The presence of never‑used, injected email addresses raises serious concerns about data integrity and possible external contamination. This may affect many users, not just an isolated case. Reflection This behavior creates the perception that the client acts like intrusive software: even if the user deletes data in the cloud, the client “resurrects” it from its local cache. In practical terms, it is a form of re‑contamination that compromises confidence in synchronization between client and server. The fact that injected addresses appear in suggestions makes the issue even more problematic, as it suggests external influence beyond the user’s own history. Conclusion The cloud should be the source of truth. If a user disables data in Outlook Web and in the global Microsoft Account settings, no local client should have the ability to reactivate it. This finding deserves attention because it directly affects privacy, data integrity, and the coherence of the Microsoft ecosystem. Invitation Has anyone else observed this behavior in Outlook for Windows 11? Have you seen deleted cloud settings reappear after reinstalling or re‑synchronizing the client, or injected email addresses that were never used showing up in suggestions?Auto selecting first email not working
Within the past few days, something changed in Outlook web mail where it no longer automatically selects the first email in whatever folder I'm in, and instead forces me to select something manually. I've always just opened webmail and it defaults to the inbox and auto-selects the first email listed, and I have the reading pane set to show on bottom. Something changed in the past couple days to where that no longer works. No matter what folder I go to, nothing is selected, forcing me to manually select the first email in each folder. I looked through the entire settings area, and I don't see anything to adjust this. Searching online, I see options of "What do you want to happen when you open Outlook", but that may be part of the classic layout options because in the new UI, I don't see anywhere to adjust this. All I want is to have it go back to the previous behavior of auto-selecting the first email in the folder (inbox or any others) when I select the folder. How to I set it back to that behavior? Also to note - in Outlook desktop, it works like it always did (when I open the desktop client, it defaults to the inbox and has the first email auto-selected so I can view it in the pane below), so this appears to only be in webmail. I've tried re-sync, cleared browser cache, and even across multiple browsers, but they all do the same and won't auto-select the first message, so it appears to be some setting in O365 on the web/cloud side, I just can't figure out how to change it.
Cannot unlock my Microsoft account, SMS verification not working
Hi, I need help with a blocked Microsoft account. When I try to sign in, the system asks for my phone number to unblock the account. The first SMS took too long to arrive and when I tried again I received an error message and cannot retry. I tried another phone number but I did not receive any SMS and now I cannot use my original number again. I tried all support options through https://support.microsoft.com/home/contact . I changed my password twice, completed the account recovery form, changed the password again, cleared cache, switched networks, changed browsers and used incognito mode. Nothing worked. When I enter my main number, it shows “Something went wrong” and does not go to the next step. When I use another number, I receive the “Try another verification method” error, even though no other method is available. My account is still logged in on my phone, but I cannot unlock it on the web or on other devices. I have had this account for more than 10 years and everything is linked to it. I even created another email to contact Microsoft Support, but it always redirects me to the same link and I cannot open an actual support ticket. Could someone from Microsoft please help me unblock my account or escalate this issue? I can provide any additional verification if needed. Thank you.
Inserting tables and formatting in Outlook for web
Please could anyone help with the problem of inserting tables into an e-mail message in the web version of Outlook? The previous workaround of converting the message to HTML has been removed by Microsoft. Now the insert table is permanently greyed out (along with other formatting buttons) There does not seem to be any way of converting the message from plain text to HTML. This is proving to be really frustrating, so any help from the community would be very much appreciated. Working on a laptop running Windows 11.Add-in without Connected Experience
I've developed an Outlook Add-in using the new web tech based approach (not a legacy COM Plugin). One of our customers wants to use said Add-in, but they have the requirement that they can't enable the "Connected Experience" for their Outlook. Is it possible in any way to use an Outlook Add-in without having to enable the "Connected Experience" or is this just not an option?
Cannot reset account password
I created an email address for RSVP purposes. I do not remember the password, and cannot find what I wrote it down on, and have never sent an email from it so I cannot provide enough information to recover the account. I have phoned support and all the bot does is refer me to the website reset which does not work. How can I talk to a real person or recover this account?
