How to access or connect to your Microsoft Exchange Canadian hosted email accounts Print

Requirements for Connecting to Exchange Servers

• This article only applies to those who have a subscription for our Microsoft Exchange hosting.
• This article does not apply to shared hosting email accounts, reseller accounts, or VPS
• Webmail at web.mailsavers.ca will not work for Exchange hosting, see below for the correct webmail address.
• On Windows, you must use the app called Classic Outlook to work with Exchange. See here for more info: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5644024/since-the-new-outlook-does-not-support-exchange-se

Exchange / Outlook Webmail

You can login to Outlook web access here: http://ex.websavers.ca

Exchange-type Connection Info

You can use these steps and this info to connect via any mail app that directly supports Exchange ActiveSync, such as the Classic Outlook app on any device (Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, etc), or Apple Mail.

Begin by opening the app you wish to use, then choose the option to add a new account. If you are asked for the type of account, choose Exchange. Here's how to do this with the Outlook app on an iPhone or iPad or a Mac. Here's how to do it with Outlook on Android [The domain field should be left blank. The server field value to use is above. See notes at bottom of this page]. The Outlook for Windows guide is here. [Outlook 2016 or newer is required. For the latest version it must be Classic Outlook. The new Outlook does not support Exchange servers. Open the guide, look for the outlook version selector and select "Classic Outlook." Scroll down and everything under the heading "Add a new account in classic Outlook" is the guide you need]

Once you have found the option to add a new account, you will be prompted for:

• Username or Account Name: the email address
• Password: the email account password

You will be asked to accept various connections and security settings. Please accept them. You may not be asked for anything else, however if you are, here's some common ones and how to fill them out:

• DOMAIN\username: usually blank, but if that fails, try entering your email address
• Domain: blank
• Username: if it demands a value, enter your email address
• Server Type: Exchange (or ActiveSync)
• Server: ex.mail.ovh.ca

When autoconfigure/autodiscover does not work, particularly when using Outlook:

• Please ensure that your DNS is configured correctly for Exchange mail hosting. The specific record that makes it easy for devices to add Exchange accounts is the SRV record.
• Ensure that if you have an autodiscover or autoconfig directory within your website hosting, it is removed - these can take precedence over the SRV record. This will be instant.
• Ensure that any autodiscover CNAME DNS records are removed - these can take precedence over the SRV record. This can take up to 24 hours.
• If you have ever used Microsoft365 for your domain at any point since its debut in 2011, even though you are not using it now, Outlook may ignore Microsoft's own autodiscover protocol (the SRV DNS record) and immediately assume you are using Microsoft365 (because: Microsoft). To work around this when adding the new account, on the same screen you enter your email address, you must expand the "Advanced Options" section, then choose "Let me set up my account manually", then select the blue icon that says Exchange. (Do not choose Exchange 2013 or earlier). You may be able to work around this by contacting Microsoft and cancelling your Microsoft365 account fully; but we have no clue if Microsoft will do it right.

IMAP, POP, and SMTP Connection Info

Mail apps that do not support Exchange connection types, such as Thunderbird, will need to connect via standardized mail protocols: IMAP (or POP) and SMTP. The connection details for these protocols are listed below. It is strongly recommended to use a mail app that directly supports an Exchange type server, rather than IMAP or POP, because full Exchange compatibility (as found in the Outlook app) provides you with additional features like push mail, access to shared email accounts, group accounts, and more. All of these features are also available in the webmail service linked at the top of this guide.

Please note: it's important not to try any other variations than you see below. Different ports and protocols will not work.

IMAP Details (Incoming Mail)

• Protocol: IMAP
• Server Name: ex.mail.ovh.ca
• Username or Account Name: your email address
• Password: the email account password
• Port: 993
• SSL/TLS: Enabled (any setting that is not disabled should work)
• Authentication: password
• IMAP Path Prefix: leave this blank. Thunderbird may put something in for this - be sure to remove it.

SMTP Connection Details (Outgoing Mail)

• Server Name: ex.mail.ovh.ca
• Username or Account Name: your email address
• Password: the email account password
• Port: 587
• SSL/TLS: StartTLS
• Authentication: password

POP Connection Details (Incoming Mail Alternative to IMAP)

We don't recommend using POP to connect to your Exchange server, however if you have a particular need to do so, the details are as follows. POP connections download a copy of the messages to your computer and do not synchronize with the server. That means if you're using more than one device to access the account, each device will download a copy of the messages that's totally separate from the other devices and what you see in webmail.

• Protocol: POP or POP3
  
• Server Name: ex.mail.ovh.ca
• Username or Account Name: your email address
• Password: the email account password
• Port: 995
• SSL/TLS: Enabled (any setting that is not disabled should work)
• Authentication: password

Android Outlook app update as of Oct 16 2024

Please note: Microsoft updated the Android Outlook app on Oct 16 2024 and it has kicked many people out of their Exchange access. This is a Microsoft issue - please report it repeatedly to them so they understand that it's a problem and fix it for future updates, or at bare minimum prevent it from occurring again. However we have a workaround:

Remove all mobile devices from the "Mobile Devices" area in Outlook Web Access. Here's how:

1. Login to Outlook Web Access (URL at the top of this article)
2. Choose Settings (Cog icon in upper right corner) > Options
3. Choose General > Mobile Devices
4. Remove all devices in the list
5. Reboot your phone
6. If the account wasn't removed from Outlook, please remove it and re-add it using the connection settings above

This should ensure your Outlook app on Android is capable of reconnecting to your Exchange account and syncing messages successfully.