How to sync Outlook.com, Office365 and Exchange Online contacts and calendars with Outlook 2016, 2019 and Office365?

How to sync Outlook.com, Office365, Windows Live Hotmail and Exchange Online with Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019?

As we step into 2024, a growing number of professions require remote work, a trend that persists beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Syncing calendars, contacts, and tasks from home presents a challenge for those unaccustomed to this practice, despite its benefits for collaborating with colleagues.

In light of Google's provision of Gmail, what does Microsoft provide in a similar vein?

How can one synchronize Outlook.com contacts and calendars with Outlook versions 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 (Outlook classic)? (This method also applies to Office 365 and Exchange Online accounts.)

Let us try EVO Collaborator for Outlook to see if synchronization works?

1. Download EVO Collaborator for Outlook and install it
2. Click on Configure profiles

   

3. Select Profile called outlook.com – not configured

   

4. Click TEST button at the bottom to proceed entering Outlook e-mail and password in popup window

   

5. A list of permissions acknowledgement pops up and click on YES to grant ECO

   

6. Click off the window popup to continue
7. Click on OK in Success box and then Apply to save configuration settings
8. For existing local items before ECO installation, click on Browse local above CardDAV action for contacts and CalDAV action for calendars and perform O2C action (upload from outlook to microsoft)

As we know, steps are easy and no computer knowledge is involved. Installation and configuration are easy just as if you are adding an Exchange account.

Outlook.com contacts and calendars

What is , or Microsoft Graph API?

Numerous individuals endeavor to access their previous Hotmail or Outlook.com contacts and calendars using Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. While Outlook 2013 and 2016 excel in enabling users to integrate their Outlook.com accounts via Active Sync, a native Microsoft protocol utilized by Exchange Online service within Office 365, the compatibility of Outlook 2007 and 2010 raises questions. Despite Microsoft's indication that Outlook 2007 SP3 and 2010 SP2 resolve these issues, findings from various internet communities suggest otherwise. Moreover, mainstream support for Outlook 2007 ceased on 10/9/2012, followed by Outlook 2010 on 10/13/2015, further exacerbating the situation. Consequently, users seek a functional replacement or alternative, such as the Hotmail connector or Outlook.com connector for Outlook 2007 and 2010. Fortunately, third-party solutions like EVO Collaborator for Outlook offer assistance by supporting the Graph API, succeeding both the Outlook.com API and Live Connect API, thereby facilitating the synchronization of Outlook.com contacts and calendars.

 

Evolution of MSN

From MSN Hotmail to Windows Live Mail to Outlook.com to Office 365 (cloud service), the journey has been long and eventful. For many of you, Hotmail has been a steadfast companion since its inception in 1995. Following Microsoft's acquisition in 1997, it was rebranded as MSN Hotmail, with numerous attempts to integrate this service into the Windows infrastructure. In 2005, facing competition from Google's Gmail, MSN Hotmail underwent a transformation and emerged as Windows Live Hotmail, offering faster, easier, and more secure services. Subsequently, in 2012, Outlook.com was launched, gradually replacing Windows Live Hotmail by 2013. By the middle of 2015, Microsoft commenced the integration of all previous accounts, including Hotmail, MSN Hotmail, Windows Live Hotmail, and Outlook.com, into Office 365 services. Presently, users can still access the desktop version of Office software through their Office 365 portal.

How does EVO Collaborator for Outlook make it happen?

As we mentioned previously, Hotmail.com, Windows Live, and Outlook.com services were merged into Office 365 service collectively. Using Exchange Online service along with Microsoft Graph API, third-party software developers are able to sync a complete set of fields between Office 365 and Outlook 2007/2010, which has issues synchronizing ever since. Other userful information

2024.5.27

How to share Outlook's calendar with other people?

Without Exchange Server, how to share Outlook's calendar?

Back in the old days, Outlook users could share their calendars with others via Microsoft Exchange Server. However, only users within the same domain could be accessing to the calendars since it is within a proprietary network environment.

Outlook Calendar Sharing

Now, Microsoft started to promote Office365 a few years back after realizing content sharing is getting more popular through Internet. Not only Office, but also its own Outlook.com was merged in with Exchange Online Service as its backend. As a result, individuals other than users within the same domain, such as free Outlook.com users, are able to access shared calendar resource.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

It is almost summer vacation for schools. Teachers and club staffs may want to plan out agenda of the upcoming school year during summer instead of at last second. But, the fact is that everyone is on vacation and planning trips here and there. 

In the past, teachers and staffs used to hold meetings somewhere they need to physically show up. Then, they would have discussions and use Excel to jot everything down. It was not really effective and yet a good summer vacation was interrupted for some of them.

For now, I suggest that teachers and staffs can create a shared calendar to which every member has access. Whenever there is any idea popped up in mind, just simply create an entry in the shared calendar. By using this collaboration scheme, an outline of agenda for next school year is almost complete. What is left is to wrap it up with some touch and fix on back-to-school day before school really starts.

How to share calendars with users on different platforms?

As we mentioned before, not every teacher or staff has an Outlook.com or Exchange account and gets to add, modify or delete calendar entries. Some has Gmail while some has Yahoo, iCloud or etc. Yet, everyone is on a variety of devices to get online, such as Android, iPhone, desktop PC, or laptop.

As perhaps the most commonly used calendar cloud service provider, Google is strongly recommended. Once this shared Google account is created, every teacher or staff can easily log in this shared Google account from his/her device. Since only one account is being used, everyone logged surely has the privileges to add, modify or delete entries.

How to confgiure shared Google account on different platforms?

Let's talk about how to configure Google account on various platforms.

1. Android:

Android

Whether it is Android phone or tablet, we can log in the shared Google or Gmail account. Then, we can download and install Google Calendar app. Lastly, open this installed app and we will see entries synchronized.

2. iOS:

iPhone

Whether it is iPhone or iPad, we can create Google/Gmail account from within Settings/Passwords & Accounts/Add Account. Then, we can open the built-in Calendar app and put checkmarks in the boxes next to the shared Google calendars. Lastly, we will see the entries.

3. Windows 10/8.1:

Built-in Calendar app within Windows 10/8.1 is rarely used by Windows users because they mostly use Outlook or Thunderbird instead. But, it is working fine. Once a Google account is created within the Calendar app, calendar entries will also be synced.

4. Outlook:

A known fact is that Google Calendar Sync for Outlook was discontinued 4 years ago. Even we downoad and install it on Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 or 2007, it would not work because this Outlook add-in cannot connect to Google server. Yet, calendar ics files off Google Calendar can only be imported to Outlook and thus fails serving the purpose of synchronizing. I would rather recommend you to use some third-party Outlook add-in, such as EVO Collaborator for Outlook. Setting up such Outlook add-ins is similar to Google Calendar Sync for Outlook. Once installed, enter username, authenticate through Google OAuth 2.0, configure sync folders and that is all.

5. Thunderbird:

If some teacher or staff is using Thunderbird, then they can refer to Using Lightning with Google Calendar to install & configure Lightning and Provider for Google Calendar. 

6. Mac OS X:

Mac OS X

Like iOS, simply add the shared Google account within Internet Accounts. Once added, open the built-in Calendar application to access shared calendar entries.