Outlook 2019 doesn't allow custom username for IMAP/SMTP account

swec · 21 Jan 2019

Most my users are using Thunderbird, but sometimes someone wants Outlook too.

For my users, i am creating emails similar to this "john.smith@company.com" and all have usernames like "johnsmith". It is pretty practical, username can be same to more services, only password is different if needed. Why not?

I am using LInux servers which provides IMAP and SMTP services, nothing unusual.

In last Outlook 2019 i was very surprised it doesn't allow set custom username different from email address. I can choose advance settings, set email, password and both server names, TCP ports, SSL etc. That's all fine. But without possibility correct username every atempt of login fails.

WHY? WHY Microsoft does not allow different username from email address?

How i can do some workaround?

Is there some good reason which i cannot see?

bro67 · 21 Jan 2019

You cannot use a username to replace a email address, but you can use a email to replace a username in a email. If you wish to use common names, such as a login ID, you are going to have to define those in a template and also implement rules on your server.

swec · 21 Jan 2019

There is probably little missunderstanding. Let's be more specific.

I have server, let's name that server biggreen.company.com, on this server i have local user account johnsmith which can be used for authentication to IMAP, SMTP and other services if i want (PAM authentication or LDAP etc). In Postfix i can configure one or more emails for that user, some aliases etc. It is not neccessary to be john.smith@company.com, but very often it is like that. There is no rule which forbids it, only some recommendations or traditions or politics inside company.

Actually there is only one rule, user account on one server must be unique and it is.

And now i need configure email client.

IMAP URL = biggreen.company.com
SMTP URL = biggreen.company.com
USERNAME = johnsmith
EMAIL = john.smith@company.com
PASSWORD = 12345
+ SSL/TLS or STARTTLS and adequate TCP ports...

Outlook 2019 doesn't allow set USERNAME only EMAIL, which stupidly trying use as username and it doesn't work. It was possible in past, it is easily possible in other mail clients, like Thunderbird.

So why it is not possible in Outlook 2019? Or how i can do it if it is somehow possible (hidden), but not easy for average user?

I really cannot see why my setup is wrong. It worked perfectly many years until Microsoft did this weird decision.

And maybe you think - just write USERNAME in dialog and modify email address to proper later? It is not possible either, Outlook 2019 doesn't allow set email which is not meet requirements for proper email address and missing character @.

bro67 · 21 Jan 2019

Again a username is not a email address. You would have to define in the email server the usernames that are associated with a particular email address, by using a distribution list. Without that, the server is going to spit it back out, because it is not a properly defined email address. There is no way that the "Post Office" knows where to send an email, if you do not properly format who you want it to go to. Email programs have never used a username for logging in as a way to address emails, unless you have already defined it in a distribution list or contacts in the email program.

Look up "MTA Alias File". It is how you tell the Post Office who gets mail from a email address (ie root gets emails from say john.smith@company.com, etc.). When you setup Postfix, it will route all system log info as emails to root. You can see this by using say Webmin. Learn Linux, 101: Mail transfer agent (MTA) basics IBM Developer

swec · 21 Jan 2019

At least, i am not alone and maybe there is way. But still, i don't understand why Microsoft did this.

Cannot add email account to Outlook 2019 where the username is not the - Microsoft Community

bro67 · 21 Jan 2019

swec said:

At least, i am not alone and maybe there is way. But still, i don't understand why Microsoft did this.

Cannot add email account to Outlook 2019 where the username is not the - Microsoft Community

Microsoft did not do anything. You have to create an alias to use on the MTA. To add a user alias on my Exchange 365 email accounts, I just go to that user and add their alias, which is the first part of there @Mycompany.com email address. Every MTA (Mail Transport Agent) is different in how they route emails with the username/alias.

How to do it with Outlook. About mailboxes, addresses and aliases - HowTo-Outlook

Rules for Microsoft live.com Outlook.com alias.

Notes:

You can't add an email address that's associated with a work or school account as an alias.
An alias or email address can only contain letters, numbers, dot (.), underscore (_) or dash/hyphen (-). Spaces and other special characters aren't allowed.
Existing Hotmail, Live, Outlook.com, and MSN addresses can't be added as aliases, and you can't add an alias that is already associated with another Microsoft account.
It isn't possible to create a new @HOTmail or @live.com alias.

swec · 21 Jan 2019

bro67 said:

Again a username is not a email address.

I never said that. Why you think so?

bro67 said:

You would have to define in the email server the usernames that are associated with a particular email address, by using a distribution list.

Yes, email address is defined in file virtual (just Postfix thing) and associated with user account, which can have totally different name. Why not?

bro67 said:

Without that, the server is going to spit it back out

Don't worry, my server work just fine many years (properly updated) and with many mail clients (properly set SPF, DKIM...). Only Outlook 2019 is The problem, only that missing dialog for username in it, nothing more.

bro67 · 21 Jan 2019

Nothing changed in Outlook 2019. I have answered it as best as I can, how the alias works with MTA's.

swec · 21 Jan 2019

bro67 said:

Nothing changed in Outlook 2019. I have answered it as best as I can, how the alias works with MTA's.

I don't need aliases (and i know exactly how it works)

Sorry, but i think, we both talking about something different. (Outlook 2019 as desktop application, part of MS Office 2019, not the server outlook.com, MUA not MTA)

Outlook 2019 does not have dialog for username. That is the big problem, ok? Tomorrow i will try it again, now is pretty late night for me.

Thanks for effort.

bro67 · 21 Jan 2019

Again, Outlook is not the problem. It only knows what you name a contact as, if it is in the contacts. If it is Exchange, Postfix or another MTA, the alias has to be on the server, so that the MTA knows that admin is johnsmith@yourcompany.com, etc.. Read the links I posted and it explains how a alias works.

For example, your login username "alias" for tenforums is swec, but if someone clicks on your profile and sends you a IM, the MTA for the website knows to send you a alert to your email account, if you have alerts set up that way.