Changing Outlook.com access from simple password to OAuth

Initial setup
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Greetings eM Client Users!

I was using eM Client with Outlook and simple password authentication. Microsoft just recently sent warning to fix this by September, 2024. Their piecemeal approach to updating their servers may explain some intermittent connection issues some users have experienced here.

So I reviewed what I could find, made a plan, added new eM Client accounts using current eM Client, and deleted the old eM Client accounts after moving some messages around. There was the expected inital setup hop through the web browser. I believe I am now using Microsoftā€™s required authentication (OAuth?).

There were a few wrinklesā€¦

  1. The initial eM Client account setup could not be performed using an Outlook aliasā€¦ I had to use the master email address instead. This then displayed the master email address throughout eM Client which would only confuse the user. So, I simply renamed the eM Client account to the alias email address to get back to what the user was familiar seeing. This seems to work ok(?).

  2. The new eM Client accounts could not send Outlook mail until I enabled Services\AirSync. So now all three services are enabled: IMAP, AirSync, SMTP. I assume thatā€™s as it should be(?)

  3. Enabling AirSync appears to enable Outlook Calendaring and Contacts (Mail, Calendar, Contacts) which we do not use. The respective tree entries under the eM Client Calendar are unwelcomed clutter(?).

  4. The new accounts display the circular activity icon when syncing email. The old accounts did not; gmail accounts still using app password authentication do not.

  5. Microsoft just sent another (first) warning for a different Outlook account, but one I already updated when I did them all. I can understand the warnings trickling in, but this does cause me to second guess my work. I believe Iā€™m still done with all of this(?).

  6. I was using POP, which is now no longer evident anywhere in eM Client. Without investigating, I assume Iā€™m now using IMAP and messages are left on the Outlook server. If so, if I move a message to a local eM Client folder, does this remove/delete it from the Outlook server?

I welcome any feedback, particularly if Iā€™ve missed or messed up something. It was not as straightforward and without reservation as I would have hopedā€¦ but it never isā€¦ reminds me of plumbing repairs!

Cheers!

GK

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I was using POP, which is now no longer evident anywhere in eM Client. Without investigating, I assume Iā€™m now using IMAP and messages are left on the Outlook server. If so, if I move a message to a local eM Client folder, does this remove/delete it from the Outlook server?

Yes as per the nature of IMAP normally all messages are stored on the server and not locally compared to POP which downloads the mail and then normally deletes it from the server end.

if I move a message to a local eM Client folder, does this remove/delete it from the Outlook server?

Yes if you move a message from your Outlook IMAP account to eM Client ā€œLocal Foldersā€ it will no longer be in the Outlook server mailbox end and only locally on your device. So no other devices will be able to see that email.

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I donā€™t use ā€˜Local foldersā€™ at all. Instead I use the ā€˜Archiveā€™ folder of each email account (You can create subfolders there too). That way the content is available on all devices (and you can even delete emClient, they will still be there).

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Good to know how that all works with IMAP.

My primary email is gmail POPā€¦ I use one non-mobile device and avoid leaving messages online, so I like using the local folders to aggregate all saved email in one placeā€¦ has worked for me since the beginning of it all, literally.

I notice that eM Client accounts configured for POP do not appear to have the Archive folder.

GK

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Well, one device and POP3 can also work, just remember to take backup!

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Indeedā€¦ backup is fundamental! Iā€™ve been using Cobian Backup foreverā€¦ he does good work, I like his programming sensibilities (eM Client should hire him!), but I understand that he is likely coming to the end of the line (again) with his backup projects.

GK