Logging in to Outlook Online

Use Outlook Online to access your SAEON email, calendar, contacts, and Microsoft 365 services from any supported web browser.

Your SAEON account

Your Microsoft 365 (M365) account and your ESS account are the same account.

• Use the same username and password for both systems.
• Your username format is:

[staffnumber]@saeon.nrf.ac.za

• Example:

12345@saeon.nrf.ac.za

• If you change your password in Microsoft 365, your ESS password changes too.
• Likewise, if you change your password in ESS, use the new password when signing in to Microsoft 365 and Outlook Online.

Keep your password private. SAEON IT staff will not ask you to disclose it.

Sign in to Outlook

1. Open a web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
2. Browse to:

https://outlook.office.com

1. On the Microsoft sign-in page, enter your SAEON email address in the required format:

[staffnumber]@saeon.nrf.ac.za

1. Select Next. Microsoft’s standard Outlook Online process uses a work or school account username followed by the associated password.

The sign-in screen will look similar to the example below. Enter your SAEON staff-number email address, not the example address displayed in the image.

1. Enter your current SAEON password.
2. Select Sign in.
3. If prompted, complete the multi-factor authentication (MFA) approval using your configured method, such as Microsoft Authenticator, a verification code, or a phone prompt. Microsoft may require this additional verification for work accounts.
4. After successful sign-in, your Outlook mailbox will open. You can select Mail, Calendar, People, or other Microsoft 365 apps from the left-side menu or app launcher.

Your inbox will resemble the Outlook web interface shown below, although folders and layout can differ slightly.

Changing your password

Because ESS and Microsoft 365 use the same SAEON account, a password update affects access to both systems.

If you know your current password:

1. Go to:

https://myaccount.microsoft.com

1. Sign in with your staff-number email address.
2. Select Change Password.
3. Enter your current password.
4. Enter and confirm the new password.
5. Select Submit.

Microsoft confirms that work or school passwords can be changed from the My Account portal and that you will then need to sign in again using the new password.

If you cannot sign in

• Check that your username includes your staff number and the full domain: @saeon.nrf.ac.za.
• Confirm that you are using the current password—the same password used for ESS.
• If your password was recently changed in ESS, try the new password in Outlook Online.
• Use a private/incognito browser window if a different Microsoft account keeps appearing.
• If available, select Forgot password or Can’t access your account? and follow the verification prompts. If self-service reset is not enabled, Microsoft directs users to contact their organisation’s administrator.
• If access is still unavailable, contact SAEON IT support and provide your staff number and a brief description of the error, but never send your password.

What detail would make this article most useful for your staff—an IT support contact section, a password-reset process, or instructions for signing in on a mobile phone?