Notice of Change to Microsoft Outlook Functionality


This article contains important information regarding Microsoft Outlook email functionality on University and personal computers.

From 1 November 2021, Microsoft will begin to disable access to their servers for older versions of Microsoft Outlook. This means that if you use an older, unsupported version of Microsoft Outlook you will no longer be able to access basic functions such as email and calendaring.

This change will affect you if you use Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010. It may also affect you if you use Office 2013, 2016 and O365 and have not updated your version of Office recently. IT have assessed our computer estate to identify and address the issue, however due to the age and variety of our computers, and differences in user requirements, not all can be identified and addressed automatically.

If you use Microsoft Office but do not use Outlook then you may disregard this notice.

What to do if Microsoft Outlook stops working

If Microsoft Outlook has stopped working on your Windows or Apple computer, in the short term you can:

1. Use Outlook Online via the Microsoft 365 web portal: https://office365.leeds.ac.uk/ or 

2. Use Microsoft Outlook through the Windows Virtual Desktop.

The following provides further guidance for users of specific versions of Microsoft Outlook.

Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010 on University Windows Computers

If you use Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010, Outlook will no longer work. You can either:

  1. Upgrade to Office 2016. If you are using a University computer, you may upgrade to Office 2016 using the installer available through Windows Software Center. Please note:
    1. If using a laptop, it is recommended that you install Microsoft Office while onsite, and wherever possible connected to the wired network, due to the size of the installation. If offsite, you will need to connect to the University VPN before being able to access the Software Center. Please be aware that it may take up to 2 hours for Software Center to become available via this route.
    2. The installation process may take some time to complete on older computers, and the performance of the Outlook software will probably also be slow.
    3. Some applications and files that interact with Microsoft Office may no longer work after upgrading, and you may need to buy version updates or replacements.
    4. The Office 2016 installer will be available on request only for computers currently running Office 2007. It will be advertised automatically to computers running Office 2010 and 2013.
  2. Switch to using Outlook Online via the Microsoft 365 web portal: https://office365.leeds.ac.uk/


Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 and 365 Users on University Windows Computers

The majority of University computers run compatible versions of Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 and 365. However, a small number of these may need to be manually updated to allow Outlook to continue to function. If you lose email functionality in Microsoft Outlook in Office 2013, 2016 or Office365, please take the following steps:

  1. Check for and apply any outstanding Windows updates.
  2. Restart your computer.
  3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until Windows Update confirms that there are no further updates available.

If these steps fail to resolve the issues you are experiencing with Microsoft Outlook, please raise a support request.

Microsoft Office on Personal Windows Computers

If you use Office 2007 or 2010 on a personal computer, Microsoft Outlook access to Office365 services is no longer supported. You therefore have two options:

  1. Remove Office 2007/2010 and install Office365.
  2. Switch to using Outlook Online via the Microsoft 365 web portal: https://office365.leeds.ac.uk/

If you use Office 2013 or 2016 on a personal computer, you will need to apply outstanding security and feature updates for both Windows and Microsoft Office to restore functionality. If you are using an older version of Microsoft Office, you may also wish to consider updating to Office 365.


Microsoft Office on University Apple MacOS Computers

Microsoft advise that only the Monterey (MacOS 12), Big Sur (MacOS 11) and Catalina (MacOS 10.15) versions of MacOs are supported for Office365 compatibility.

If your Apple Mac computer is not on a supported version of MacOS, it may be possible to upgrade by submitting an IT support request. Please do not attempt to upgrade the operating system yourself.

Before submitting a support request please be aware that:

If you are on a supported version of MacOS and Outlook is not working, please ensure that you have applied all available security and feature updates to Microsoft Office.

If this fails to resolve the issues you are experiencing, please raise a support request.


Microsoft Office on Personal Apple Mac Computers

Microsoft advise that only the Monterey (MacOS 12), Big Sur (MacOS 11) and Catalina (MacOS 10.15) versions of MacOs are supported for Office365 compatibility. If your Apple Mac computer is not on a supported version of MacOS, you should therefore update the operating system to ensure compatibility.

You should also ensure that you have a supported version of Microsoft Office installed on the computer and that you apply all available security and feature updates to Microsoft Office.