Before trying to set up your CUIMC email account in Outlook, please be sure you have already completed initial steps to Get Started with CUIMC Email.

Outlook 365 is the supported app for CUIMC email accounts and users. It is free to current CUIMC faculty, staff, and students as part of the Microsoft 365 suite of programs. Instructions will also work for older versions of Office, though we strongly recommend using Microsoft 365 for best compatibility. Older versions, including Outlook 2016 and earlier, are no longer supported by Microsoft and should not be used, as they no longer receive security updates or are not fully compatible with Microsoft 365 accounts.

IMPORTANT: CUIMC Duo multifactor authentication (MFA) is required when signing in to email and Microsoft 365 from off campus. Please make sure you have set up CUIMC Duo if you will ever need to use these when not connected to the CUIMC campus wired, wireless, or VPN.

Quick Steps

1. Start Outlook (from Finder, select Applications - Microsoft Outlook). If this is the first time you’ve opened Outlook, you’ll be prompted to enter your email address.
2. Type in your full uni@cumc.columbia.edu email address (using your own UNI instead of “uni”) and click Continue.
   IMPORTANT: Do not set up using advanced options or any manual settings if they appear. If you are not able to connect to your CUIMC email account using these Quick Steps, please use the more detailed steps further below.
3. Enter your CUIMC email password and click Sign in.
4. If you are off campus (not connected to Mercury wireless, campus wired, or VPN), you will be prompted to approve your sign-in using your CUIMC Duo MFA account.
5. Click Done or follow any prompts to continue set up.
6. Outlook will open; select your Inbox or another folder in the left to view your messages.

Set Up Outlook for CUIMC Email - Detailed Steps

1. Start Outlook (from the Finder window, select Applications - Microsoft Outlook). If this is the first time you've opened Outlook, you'll see the Welcome screen; click past any introductory messages to start using Outlook.
2. Skip to step 3 if you see the Accounts window and message to Add an Account. Otherwise, click Tools from Outlook's topmost menu, then Accounts... 
3. In the Accounts window you can either select Add an Account, or click the + (Add) button in the lower left and select New Account from its dropdown menu. 
4. You will be prompted to enter an email address. Type in your full uni@cumc.columbia.edu email address (using your own UNI instead of “uni”) and click Continue.
   IMPORTANT: Do not set up using advanced options or any manual settings if they appear.
5. Enter your CUIMC email password and click Sign in.
6. If you are off campus (not connected to Mercury wifi, campus wired, or VPN), you will be prompted to approve your sign-in using your CUIMC Duo MFA account. For help, see how to Use Duo with CUIMC email and Office 365.
7. Click Done or follow any prompts to continue set up.
8. If you see a message that Outlook was redirected to the server..., check the box to Always use my response for this server option, then click the Allow button in the lower right.
   
9. Once your account has connected you will see your Inbox and other mail folders in the far left pane of the main Outlook screen, email messages that are in your Inbox or selected folder in the middle, and a preview of any selected item to the far right.
   NOTE: If the Accounts window doesn't close automatically once Outlook has connected (your full name will appear near the middle of the window), simply click the the red button in the upper left corner of the window to close it and begin using Outlook.
10. To verify that you are fully connected, send yourself or a colleague a test message and make sure it is properly received.