Windows – Will Outlook 2016 connect to Exchange using EAS

activesyncexchangemicrosoft-outlookmicrosoft-outlook-2016windows 10

This KB article acknowledges that Outlook 2013 won't connect to Exchange using EAS (Exchange ActiveSync) for non-Hotmail accounts, i.e., a corporate Exchange server. There is also a similar six-year old question on the topic, as well as further discussion here.

Has the situation changed any for Outlook 2016? The reason to ask is that the "free" Windows 10 mail client does support EAS connections (the same was true for Windows 8/8.1 too), so I would think Outlook would as well. It seems rather odd that I should lose functionality when "upgrading" my Microsoft-provided email client.

(And, no, other options aren't possible, such as the much-preferred Outlook Anywhere feature; the only supported "off site" configuration is EAS–for mobile devices.)

I'm trying to get Microsoft to weigh in: Can't add non-Hotmail Exchange ActiveSync account in Outlook 2016 .

Best Answer

The best "answer" on this is from Roady [MVP] on this Microsoft community question. He says

Don't expect that Outlook will connect to Exchange via EAS. In fact, EAS support in Outlook will most likely be abandoned once Outlook.com accounts have been migrated to Exchange Online.

The article New ways to get more done in Outlook.com is also interesting as it outlines the move to hosting outlook.com on Exchange servers.

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