Change iOS default Mail app to use Exchange

We recommend using Outlook mobile instead. If you currently use the iOS default Mail app, please review your account type and change settings if needed, even if you are going to use Outlook mobile from now.

1. Review your current setting

1. Launch “Settings” and select “Mail” > “Accounts”.
   
2. Select the account for Primary Mail Service (The account name shown here might differ).
   
3. If you see “IMAP” or “POP ACCOUNT INFORMATION”, you need to set up your account again. Also, even if you see “EXCHANGE”, accounts set up before iOS 11 or manually may be using Basic Authentication. Tap “Account” and if you see the user name including SSO-KID, you need to add the Exchange account again. If you see that only your email address is configured, you are using Advanced Authentication, so no action is required.
   
   The differences in the display of Exchange accounts by authentication method are as follows.
   

2. Change POP setting (when your account is “POP”)

If your account is “IMAP”, proceed to “3. Add a new account”.

If your account is “POP”, you may need to change POP setting to avoid deleting messages from the mail server unintentionally. Please also refer to Extra warning about POP.

1. Select “Advanced” at the bottom of the screen.
   
2. Change “Remove” under “DELETED MESSAGES” and “Delete from server” under “INCOMING SETTINGS” to “Never”.
   

3. Add a new account

Install and set up Outlook mobile, or read Reference info to add an Exchange account to the default Mail app. If you currently use the default Notes app and stored some notes in your IMAP account, you should add an Exchange account to access the same notes. Please do not select “Configure Manually” when adding a new account because it will use Basic Authentication.

If your account type was “POP” and your “Delete from server” under “INCOMING SETTING” was not “Never”, you should keep your POP account not to lose your previous messages (which had been removed from the mail server).

If your account type was “IMAP” or you didn’t delete messages with “POP”, you may disable the old account after you reviewed your mailbox with your Exchange account. You can turn off “Mail” and “Notes” in IMAP setting, or turn off “Account” switch in POP setting. The mailboxes will be hidden from the default Mail app.

Other notes

Due to restrictions of the connection method used in the default Mail app, you cannot move messages from other accounts to folders in your Exchange account. If you want to save messages from your POP account, use IMAP, Gmail, or iCloud accounts.