Set Up Outlook on Your Computer

This guide explains how to add your SAEON Microsoft 365 email account to the Outlook desktop application on a Windows computer.

Before you start

Ensure that Microsoft Outlook is installed on your computer and that you have an internet connection.

Your SAEON Microsoft 365 (M365) account and ESS account are the same account:

• Use the same username and password for Outlook, Microsoft 365, and ESS.
• Your username format is:

[staffnumber]@saeon.nrf.ac.za

• Example:

12345@saeon.nrf.ac.za

• Changing your password in Microsoft 365 changes it for ESS as well, and changing it in ESS changes it for Microsoft 365 and Outlook.

Add your SAEON account

1. Open the Outlook application on your computer.
2. If Outlook opens with an account already configured, select File in the top-left corner.
3. Select Add Account.
4. Enter your SAEON email address:

[staffnumber]@saeon.nrf.ac.za

1. Select Advanced options.
2. 
3. Select Microsoft 365 as the account type to continue.

Important: Select Microsoft 365. Do not select POP, IMAP, Outlook.com, or another personal email account option.

1. Select Connect or Continue.
2. Enter your SAEON password—the same password you use for ESS.
3. Select Sign in.
4. 
5. If prompted, approve the sign-in through multi-factor authentication (MFA), such as Microsoft Authenticator or a verification code.
6. Select Done or Finish once Outlook confirms the account has been added.

Microsoft’s Outlook setup process uses the Add Account option, your Microsoft 365 email address, and your password to connect a work account.

First synchronisation

After setup is complete, Outlook will begin downloading your mailbox data, including email, calendar entries, contacts, and folders. This can take several minutes, particularly for a large mailbox or a slower internet connection.

Keep Outlook open and connected to the internet until your mail folders appear and recent messages begin loading.

If setup fails

• Confirm that the email address is entered exactly as [staffnumber]@saeon.nrf.ac.za.
• Verify that you selected Advanced options and then Microsoft 365.
• Use the same current password used to access ESS.
• Complete any MFA prompt that appears.
• Close Outlook, reopen it, and try again if the account was not added successfully.
• If you have recently changed your password in either ESS or Microsoft 365, use the new password.
• If the problem continues, contact SAEON IT support with your staff number and the full error message or screenshot. Never include your password in an email or support request.

Microsoft provides the File > Add Account path for classic Outlook, while newer Outlook versions offer account setup through Settings or View settings