Thunderbird will attempt to automatically configure your account settings. This will fail and a message saying 'Thunderbird failed to find the settings for your email account' will display. Enter the following settings: Incoming: IMAP; Server hostname: outlook.office365.com; Port: 993; SSL: SSL/TLS; Authentication: Oauth2; Outgoing. Using OAuth2 with Thunderbird and Gmail. To use Thunderbird to access your Gmail account, Google will tell you that you must allow “Insecure apps” in your Google security settings. However, since version 38, Thunderbird has supported Oauth2 with Gmail, so you don’t have to enable “Insecure apps”. Google just doesn’t tell you that. In Thunderbird, use OAuth2 only when it's necessary. It gives a poor customer experience, because OAuth expires and the user has to re-login, at unknown intervals, it's completely up to the server, whether it's 3 hours or 3 months. We cannot save the password.
ITS highly recommends using the Outlook email client or Outlook Web App (OWA) to access your USC Office 365 email. This page provides links to documentation on how to configure your email client to access Office 365. You can set your email client to access your Office 365 account using either Exchange or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) settings.
Exchange Versus IMAP
There are several advantages to setting up your email client to use Exchange rather than IMAP settings. Exchange only requires that you provide your email address and password for set up; IMAP, however, requires additional server information. Exchange also provides direct access to the USC calendar that is a part of your Office 365 account.
If you are using Microsoft Outlook as your email client, you should use the default Exchange connection type. At this time, ITS also supports connecting with other compatible mail clients using the Exchange and IMAP4 with OAuth2 connection methods, although Exchange is highly preferred.
Setting Up an Office 365 Account Using Exchange
For documentation on setting up your Office 365 account on an email client using Exchange, please see the links in the side navigation to the right of this page.
NOTE: The versions of Outlook that are listed below are the only versions that are supported by Microsoft for use with Office 365.
Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise
Outlook 2019
Outlook 2016
Setting Up an Office 365 Account Using IMAP and SMTP with OAuth2 Authentication
Below you will find information on configuring ITS-supported email clients to access your Office 365 account using IMAP and SMTP with OAuth2 authentication. You will need to know your Office 365 email address (based on your USC NetID username), password, and the Office 365 server settings in order to successfully set up your email client. ITS is no longer permitting new accounts to connect with IMAP and SMTP without OAuth2. Existing accounts configured to connect using IMAP and SMTP will need to update their client and client configuration to an OAuth2 compatible client soon as ITS will no longer support basic authentication beginning in early 2021.
Att Oauth Thunderbird
IMAP and SMTP with OAuth2 Server Settings
Thunderbird Oauth2 Download
The following are the incoming and outgoing IMAP server settings for Office 365.
| Setting | IMAP (incoming) | SMTP (outgoing) |
| Server Name | outlook.office365.com | smtp.office365.com |
| Port Number | 993 | 465 or 587 |
| Encryption Method | SSL/TLS | SSL/TLS |
| Authentication Method | OAuth2 | OAuth2 |
| Username | NetID@usc.edu (which maybe different from your preferred email address) | NetID@usc.edu (which maybe different from your preferred email address) |
The following screenshots provide summary information on how to connect your email client to Office 365 using the Exchange and IMAP/SMTP (non-Outlook email clients) protocol.
Configuring for Exchange
Find the Mail item in the Windows control panel to add or edit your Outlook account profile.
NOTE: Outlook for Mac configuration is similar
Configuring for IMAP/SMTP with OAuth2
Use the following screenshot as guidance for configuring your IMAP/SMTP client with OAuth2. The example is for Thunderbird V78.4.
Thunderbird Gmail Oauth2
Getting Help
For assistance configuring your email client for Office 365, please contact the ITS Customer Support Center.