Office 365 - Accessing Office 365
There are many ways to access your UWM email and calendar with Office 365. Some email/calendar clients offer much functionality, but little mobility. Whereas other clients are very mobile, but offer only limited features. Most UWM students, faculty, and staff are likely to use more than one solution to access their email and calendar.
Chart (Mobility vs. Features)
Supported email/calendar clients are plotted below by their mobility and available features. Click the chart to view full-size and be sure to read the descriptions and recommendations for each email/calendar client.
Descriptions & Recommendations
Outlook 2010, 2011 (Mac), 2013, and 2016 desktop clients offer the full suite of Office 365 functionality. While all basic and advanced email, calendar, and address book features are available, the Outlook desktop clients have little mobility unless installed on a laptop. Outlook is recommended for those who...
- Prefer a desktop client.
- Manage multiple calendars or email accounts.
- Frequently schedule complex meetings.
- Must have offline access to email/calendar data.
- Require archiving, importing, and exporting capabilities.
- Do not require frequent mobile access.
Outlook on the Web (OotW) offers nearly as much functionality as the Outlook desktop client, but with far more mobility. OotW can be accessed anywhere with a standard web browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Chrome and will meet the needs of most of the UWM community. OotW is recommended for those who...
- Prefer a web client.
- Manage only their own email and calendar.
- Do not require complex mail/calendar functionality.
- Frequently access their account from public computers.
- Have an occasional need for mobile access.
Mac OS X Suite offers most of the functionality offered by the Outlook desktop client and OotW web client, but across a suite of apps: Mail, Calendar, and Contacts. Like other desktop clients, the Mac OS X Suite offers limited portability unless installed on a laptop. These apps are recommended for those who...
- Prefer a desktop client.
- Prefer Mac Apps over Outlook 2011.
- Do not require complex mail/calendar functionality.
- Do not require frequent mobile access.
Outlook Mobile App is a free app for iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. It offers virtually the same functionality as web-based OotW, but has a mobile-friendly interface and works with some common mobile device functionality (e.g., push notifications, voice actions, and more). This app is recommended for those who...
- Prefer a non-browser based experience.
- Enjoy the look and feel of Outlook and OotW
- Manage only their own email and calendar.
- Do not require complex calendar functionality.
- Must frequently access their account on-the-go.
Native mobile email/calendar apps that come installed on mobile devices provide a simple interface for accessing your account on-the-go. They are ideal for basic tasks like reading and sending emails and viewing your calendar, but have limited Office 365 functionality. These apps are recommended for those who...
- Prefer a non-browser based experience.
- Enjoy the look and feel of their devices' native apps.
- Manage only their own email and calendar.
- Do not require complex mail/calendar functionality.
- Must frequently access their account on-the-go.
Thunderbird and other clients that do not use Microsoft Exchange can provide limited email/calendar functionality by utilizing IMAP, but they are generally not recommended. These clients are the least functional and portable and are recommended only for those who...
- Use Linux, but prefer a non-browser based experience.
- Manage only their own email and calendar.
- Do not require complex mail/calendar functionality.
- Do not require frequent mobile access.