Re: The name cannot be resolved. The connection to microsoft exchange is unavailable. outlook must be online or connected to complete this action - Email and calendar - Office 365

I get this error when I check my name during a manual install of Outlook 2010

The name cannot be resolved. The connection to microsoft exchange is unavailable. outlook must be online or connected to complete this action

Hi lswarcz,

Could you verify that you've gone through all of the folowing steps:

Determine the mailbox server name and the proxy server URL. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Sign in to the Office 365 portal.
2. Click Outlook to open Microsoft Outlook Web App.
3. In the upper-right corner of the page, click the Help icon (the question mark), and then click About.
4. On the About page, locate and then note the following items:
  - Mailbox server name: This is the mailbox server name.
  - Host name: This is the proxy server URL.
Manually configure Outlook to connect to Exchange Online. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Mail.
2. Click Show Profiles and then click Add.
3. Type a name for the profile, and then click OK.
4. Click to select the Manually configure server settings or additional server types check box, and then click Next.
5. Select Microsoft Exchange, and then click Next.
6. In the Server box, type the mailbox server name that you noted in step 1d.
7. Make sure that the Use Cached Exchange Mode option is selected.
8. In the User Name box, type your user name (for example, alias@contoso.com), and then click More Settings.
9. Click the Connection tab.
10. Make sure that the Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP check box is selected, and then click Exchange Proxy Settings.
11. In the Use this URL to connect to my proxy server for Exchange box, type the proxy server URL that you noted in step 1d.
12. Make sure that the Only connect to proxy servers that have this principal name in their certificate check box is selected, and then type msstd:outlook.com.
13. Click to select the On fast networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP check box, and then click to select the On slow networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP check box.
14. Under Proxy authentication settings, select Basic Authentication.
  Note Users can also select Negotiation Authentication if the administrator enabled this option in the Office 365 portal.
15. Click OK two times.
16. Click Check Names. When the server name and the user name are displayed with an underline, click Next.
17. Click Finish.

Let me know how that goes
David Wong
Office 365 Technical Support

Att: David Wong,

I am a new Office365 user and have spent about 5 days so far trying to get through each hurdle of the set up.

I have the exact same problem and followed your directions to the letter (twice) but when I got through to the 'check name' section the response came back that once again 'The connection to microsoft exchange is unavailable. outlook must be online or connected to complete this action'.

David

any update on this - i have the exact same situation - migration from inhouse SBS2003 Exchange to MS365, can get mail via OWA, via Apple mail client and my Iphone 3GS, but can not get Outlook 2007 to work on my work PC (XP Pro Sp3)

Any assistance appreciated.

David (or anyone),

I have done these steps more times than I can count, on both Ooutlook 2007 and 2010 and still no joy.

Anyone who has resolved this issue please post how they did so.

Editing this because I hate when people solve their problem and don't post the solution.

In step 1d above instead of the Mailbox Server Name I used the Exchange Client Access server Name. I followed the rest of the instructions as written and it works just fine in both Outlook 2007 and 2010.

TimD nailed it. Worked for me, thanks a million. Mind-boggling MS is not able to give out those simple instructions despite hundreds of Office 365 support pages.

Thanks so much, David Wong and TImD, the combination of your posts was the solution.

Wow, it took me hours to get Outlöook 2007 running, does it really need to be so complicated !?

Hi David - our account has just transitioned to Office365 this past weekend. I've been trying to get Outlook setup with the new server info since the transition completed. I have followed your instructions to a T above, however, I am STILL receiving the error message "The Action cannot be completed. The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable. Outlook must be online or connected to complete this action." after I click check name.

I located my server name and even tried TimD's recommendation but i keep getting the same error message. Argh! How do I get Outlook online?

The owa portal crashes my computer and it's making my day to day work challenging. Please help!

Susan

Tim and everyone else thank you for the effort to update the setup procedures. This solved the issue I was having as well.

I was able to use these instructions follwed with the suggestion to use the Client Access Server name instead of Mailbox Server name field and it worked. Way more difficult than it was in the old BPOS, but overall the service is far better, once you get all the ducks lined up, and there are quite a few ducks. :)

I've tried these instructions, but I don't have a Mailbox server name or an Exchange Client Access server Name on my about page. Any suggestions?

Hi Will_J,

If the issue persists in your side, I suggest you open a new thread in the forum, and you will be able to get dedicate help.

Thanks,
Reken Liu

I have the same issue as Will_J. Is there a new thread? Why should there be multiple threads with the same issue? I'm getting tired of trying to chase this one down.

This helped me get connected blog.migrationwiz.com/.../manually-configure-outlook-for-office-365

The server name was the problem.

I have tried all of the above, including the link provided by Will_J and still, no luck. Any additional support or suggestions?