Logging in to Outlook Desktop App with Microsoft Authenticator (Alumni)
This article covers how to log in to your Outlook desktop app on PC or Mac with Microsoft Authenticator.
1. Open the Outlook desktop app.
2. A CSUF Student Authentication screen should appear. Enter your campus password and then click Sign In.

- Enter your campus password. This is the same password that you use for the campus portal.
- Then click Sign In.
3. Enter the code that you received via text message. Then click Verify.

- Enter the code you received via text message on your phone.
- Click Verify.
- Didn't get the text message? Click Sign in another way to have Microsoft Authenticator call your phone.
4. If you are on a device that you use frequently, click Yes to stay signed in.

5. Your Outlook should be updated.
Test sending an email to your CSUF account from another account (e.g., a personal account such as Google or Yahoo, etc.) and from your CSUF account to another account to make sure you are able to send/receive emails.
If that did not work or you did not see the CSUF Student Authentication page, choose your device below for detailed instructions.
These instructions were created on a Windows 10 PC. The steps will be similar for other operating systems, but contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888 for additional assistance if you aren't able to find these options on your computer.
1. Close your Outlook app.
2. Click on the Start menu. Type Control Panel in the search box. Then select Control Panel in the search results.

- Click on the Start menu.
- Enter Control Panel in the search field.
- Select the Control Panel option in the search results.
4. Select Mail (Microsoft Outlook 2016).
Older systems may show this option as Microsoft Outlook 2013 or similar. Whatever version of Microsoft Outlook that is listed, you can click on this link.

5. Click Show Profiles in the Profiles section.

6. Click on the profile and then click Remove.
Do you have multiple profiles listed? You can most likely remove all of them, but contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888 if you have any concerns or want additional assistance.

Your profile name may be Outlook or your username (e.g., tuffytitan) or similar. No matter what the name is, you can select it and remove it.
7. Click Yes.

All of your email, calendar events, contacts, and tasks should be synchronized with the Office 365 email server, so you won't lose any content by removing this profile.
If you have a personal folder (.pst), you may need to re-connect it to your Outlook, but none of the content in it should be affected.
Contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888 if you have any concerns or want additional assistance.
8. Click OK. You can also close the Control Panel window.

9. Open the Microsoft Outlook app.
10. Enter a name for your new Outlook profile (it should be different from the previous one). Then click OK.

- Enter a new name for your Outlook profile. This can be anything you'd like, but it should be different from the previous one just to have a clean slate.
- Then click OK.
11. Outlook may find your CSUF email address. If not, you can type in your email address. Then click Connect.

- Select or type in your CSUF email address (e.g., [email protected]).
- Then click Connect.
12. The CSUF Student Authentication page should appear. Enter your campus password. Then click Sign In.

- Enter your campus password. This is the same password you use for the campus portal.
- Then click Sign In.
13. Enter the code that you received via text message. Then click Verify.

- Enter the code you received via text message on your phone.
- Click Verify.
- Didn't get the text message? Click Sign in another way to have Microsoft Authenticator call your phone.
14. If you are on a device that you use frequently, click Yes to stay signed in.

15. Click Done.

16. Depending on the size of your mailbox, it may take several minutes to populate your emails, calendar events, contacts, and tasks. Please be patient!
Once your Outlook has updated, test sending an email to your CSUF account from another account (e.g., a personal account such as Google or Yahoo, etc.) and from your CSUF account to another account to make sure you are able to send/receive emails.

1. You may see a Sync Errors screen when Outlook tries to update. You can close this screen.

2. Click on the Outlook menu and select Preferences.

- Click on the Outlook menu.
- Select Preferences.
3. Select Accounts.

4. Click on your campus account to select it. Then click the minus icon at the bottom of the screen to remove it.

5. Click Yes.
The information contained in your campus email account is saved to the Office 365 cloud, so you should not lose any content such as emails, calendar items, contacts, or tasks.
However, if you are concerned about any of your information not being saved, contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888 for assistance.

7. Enter your campus email address. Then click Continue.

- Enter your campus email address (e.g., [email protected]).
- Then click Continue.
8. The CSUF Student Authentication page should appear. Enter your campus password. Then click Sign In.

- Enter your campus password. This is the same password you use for the campus portal.
- Then click Sign In.
9. Enter the code that you received via text message. Then click Verify.

- Enter the code you received via text message on your phone.
- Click Verify.
- Didn't get the text message? Click Sign in another way to have Microsoft Authenticator call your phone.
10. If you are on a device that you use frequently, click Yes to stay signed in.

11. Your account is now set up. Click Done.

12. You can close the Accounts screen by clicking on the red circle. It may take a few minutes for your emails, calendar events, and other information to populate in the app.
Once your Outlook has updated, test sending an email to your CSUF account from another account (e.g., a personal account such as Google or Yahoo, etc.) and from your CSUF account to another account to make sure you are able to send/receive emails.

13. If prompted to use the autodiscover-s.outlook.com server to get new settings for your account, click Allow.

Need More Help?
Contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888 for additional assistance.