Information Services > Services > Email > Employee Email > Accessing Your Email > Outlook on the Web

Outlook on the Web

Outlook on the Web (formerly the Outlook Web App) provides all employees with an online method for accessing their email when away from their office computers. It offers many of the same functions as the Outlook desktop clients for Windows and Mac OS X. It is compatible with most major browsers for Windows, Mac, and Linux.  Log into the DePaul Outlook on the Web at outlook.depaul.edu. 

Quick Start

  • Navigation icon

    1. Navigation Menu

    Click on the Navigation Menu.  Depending on the size of your window, this may be located in the upper left-hand corner or near the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

  • Menu icon

    2. Select an Option

    Select either Email, Calendar, People or Tasks to move between the main areas of Outlook.

To change the PIN you use to access your voicemailbox from a phone:
  1. Click on the gear icon to access the Settings Menu and select Options.
  2. Navigate within the menu to General > Voicemail > Reset PIN.
  3. Click the Reset my voicemail PIN link and select Yes.
  4. You will receive your temporary PIN in email.  You can then change your PIN the next time you call Outlook Voice Access.
  • login screen

    Log In

    Navigate to outlook.depaul.edu and login. The username is the first part of your BlueM@il email address (username@depaul.edu). The password is your primary DePaul password (the same one that you use in Campus Connect and BlueKey portals).

  • logout screen

    Log Out

    Click on the round profile picture at the the top right-hand corner of the screen, and select Sign out.

Options Menu screen
  • The Outlook on the Web Options Menu offers a wide variety of choices to customize your email, calendar, and phone experience.
  • To access the menu, click on the gear icon to access the Settings Menu and select Options.
  • Among the options in this menu you will find: email and calendar appearance, inbox rules, auto replies, delivery/ read reports, language, date format, time format, time zone, voicemail options, reset voicemail PIN, mobile phone details & wipe device, accessibility settings, and keyboard shortcut options.

Email

  • New Message: To create a new message, click the New button located over your inbox.
  • Save a Draft: To save a draft of a message, whithout sending it, go to the menu above the message.  Click the button with three dots.  Select Save Draft.  The message will remain in your drafts folder until you either send or delete it.
  • Open a Message: To view a message within the reading pane of the same window, select the message.  To open it in a new window, double click the message.
  • Expand a Conversation: Click the small arrow next to the conversation to expand it.  Select individual messages within the conversation to view them in the reading pane.
  • Reply to a Message: When viewing a message in the reading pane, in the upper-righthand corner of the message you will see a Reply All button with a small down arrow next to it.  To reply to the message sender and all recipients, click Reply All.  To reply to only the message sender, click the down arrow and select Reply.
  • Forward a Message: To forward a message to another sender, click the down arrow and select Forward.
  • Delete a Message: To delete a message from your inbox, click the down arrow and select Delete.
  • Play a Voicemail:  To play a voicemail from your inbox, select the message containing the voicemail.  To play it on your computer you must have computer speakers or headphones.  Simply press the triangle play button.  If you wish to play the voicemail on your phone, click Play voicemail on phone.... and then click Call.  The system will dial your DePaul extension and when you answer the phone the message will be played automatically.
  • conversation inbox screen

    Conversation View

    Conversation view allows you to organize your inbox by related messages.  It shows the complete course of a conversation, including your responses from your Sent folder, grouped together in your inbox. Messages are arranged by the time the last response was received.  Click the arrow to the left of a conversation to see all messages in the conversation.

  • conversation setting screen

    Turn On/Off Conversation View

    To turn conversation view on or off, click the Filter menu above your Inbox. Select Show as, and then check or uncheck Conversations.

Outlook on the Web cannot access the email signatures that you have saved on the desktop app.  This means that if you wish to use a signature when sending from the Web App, you will need to create a new signature here.  This signature will be available anytime you use the Web App, regardless of which computer or mobile device you are using.
  1. Click the gear icon to access the Settings Menu.  Select Options.
  2. Select Layout and then Email Signature.
  3. Add your signature in the editing box. 
  4. Check the boxes to automatically include signature on new messages and/or replies.
  5. Click Save.

To set an Out of Office Auto Reply:

  1. Click on the gear icon to access the Settings Menu.
  2. Click Automatic Replies.
  3. Select Send automatic replies.
  4. To set a start and end date/time for the auto replies, check the box for Send auto replies only during this time period.  Set start and end times.
  5. Type and format the message in the box below.
  6. Please note that the auto replies entered into this first text box will only be sent to other DePaul faculty and staff with BlueM@il email addresses (username@depaul.edu).  To send auto replies to individuals with outside email addresses, check the box below to Send automatic reply messages to senders outside my organization.  In the textbox that appears below, enter type and format the message you would like to send out senders with outside email address, or cut/paste your auto reply message from above.

  7. Click OK to save your changes.

Click on the round profile picture at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and select Open another mailbox… .  Type the username of the account you wish to open. Click Search Directory.  The full name and email address of the account should appear.  Click Open.  Note: To open another account, the owner of that account must assign you delegate rights.

Calendar

  • View Your Calendar: Go to the Navigation Menu, and select Calendar.
  • Schedule an Appointment: Click the New button.  Add the details of the appointment, including the title, location, date and time.  Click Save.
  • Schedule a Meeting with Others: Open an existing appointment or create a new appointment (see above.)  You will add people invited to the meeting in the column titled People.  Use the Add People text box to type an email address, search the DePaul Address Book, or search your own contacts.  Click Save.
  • Make an Appointment Private: You have the option of hiding details of certain calender appointments from those  with whom you share your calendar.  When editing the details of your appointment, click the box labeled Private.  To others viewing your calendar, the appointment will still be visible on your calendar, but the title will be labeled "Private."  All other details, besides the date and time, will be hidden.
  • View a Specific Date: Directly above your calendar is written out the date or dates currently being displayed.  Use the left, right, and down buttons to navigate to another date.  To jump back to today's date, use the Today button in the upper right of your calendar, just to the right of the "Day, Work Week, Week, Month" menu.
  • View Calendar by Day, Week, or Month: To the top right of your calendar it says Day   Work Week   Week   Month.  Use these buttons to change your calendar's view.  
  • Add Calendar Menu

    Open a Shared Calendar

    To open a calendar that has been shared with you, click Add Calendar, then select From directory.  Search for the user or resource account in the directory and click Open.

  • Share Calendar

    Share Your Calendar

    To share your calendar with another user, click Share.  Begin typing in the text box titled Share with to search the directory for the user.  Customize the sharing email in the fields below and click Send.

People/Contacts

People: You can search for a DePaul employee or resource account in the DePaul Directory from the People page of Outlook on the Web.

  1. Go to the Navigation Menu and select People.
  2. On the left-hand side of the screen, select Directory.
  3. Above that you will find the Search People text box, marked with a magnifying glass icon.  Use this box to search the directory by first name, last name, or username.
  4. Matching directory entries will be displayed.  Select the correct entry, and their directory information will be displayed to the right.

Email:  You can also search the DePaul Directory directly from the To field, when drafting an email.

  1. When drafting and email, click To. (Alternatively, you can click Cc to add someone to the Carbon Copy field.)
  2. Using the Search People text box, type a first name, last name, or username.  Click the magnifying glass to search.
  3. Matching directory entries will be displayed.  Click the plus(+) sign next to their name to add them to the To field. 
  4. You may continue searching and adding entries to the To field as many times as needed.  When you are done, click Save.

  • Open Your Contacts: Go to the Navigation Menu and select People.  Click on Your Contacts and Directory in the lefthand column to switch between the contacts you have saved and the DePaul Directory. 
  • Find a Contact:  Use the blue search bar in the lefthand column titled Search People to find a contact.  Click Enter or the magnifying glass to search.  You will be given the option to restrict your search to your contacts, the directory, or both.
  • Send a Message to a Contact from People: Once you have located a contact in the address book, click on their name to view their contact card to the right.  If you click on their email address, a new email window will pop-up with their address in the To field.
  • Send a Message to a Contact from E-Mail: You can also send a message to a saved contact without coming to People.  When drafting and email, click To. (Alternatively, you can click Cc to add someone to the Carbon Copy field.)  Using the Search People text box, type a first name, last name, or username.  Click the magnifying glass to search.  Matching Contacts will be displayed.  Click the plus(+) sign next to their name to add them to the To field.  You may continue searching and adding entries to the To field as many times as needed.  When you are done, click Save.
  • Create a New Contact:  From within People, click New.  Enter the contact's information, and click Save.

Accessibility

Because Outlook on the Web is run in your web browser, you can use your web browser's features that improve the readability of pages.  Most browsers offer features like zoom, customizable font sizes and colors, a high contrast mode, and compatibility with screen readers.  For information about the accessibility features that are provided by your web browser, look for information in the Help menu of your browser.

Outlook on the Web works in a browser, and lets you get your email whenever you are online. Keyboard shortcuts and navigation for the online experience are different from Outlook 2016 desktop. If you use a screen reader, this article can help, as well as these most commonly used Keyboard Shortcuts for Outlook on the Web.

Alternatively, you can decide to use the Light version of Outlook on the Web. It has an HTML interface that some people prefer to use with a screen reader. For more information about the Light version of Outlook, see the next section titled Outlook Light.

The light version of Outlook on the Web is much simpler than the standard version.  Because the light version of Outlook is HTML-based, it can work better with assistive technologies such as screen readers.  The light version also works with older web browsers that aren’t compatible with the standard version of Outlook on the Web. For more information about the Light version of Outlook on the Web, see Outlook Web App Light  on Microsoft's website.

To switch to the Outlok Web App Light:

  1. Log into outlook.depaul.edu.  

  2. Go to  Settings > Options > General > Light Version.

  3. Check the Use the light version of Outlook box.

  4. Choose Save.

  5. Sign out of the Outlook, close your browser, and sign in again using a supported browser. You may need to close all open browser windows before you can sign in again.

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