If you login daily to Microsoft Outlook to check your emails you might need to change the way you use the service in the coming months. That’s because Microsoft has announced it will soon stop you accessing your inbox via Outlook.com, Hotmail.com and Live.com as these browser-based email sites are deemed to have outdated security on Microsoft’s side. It means you’re going to have to download a new app if you want to keep using Outlook on Windows 11, Windows 10, iPhone, Mac and Android.
“To help keep Outlook personal email accounts secure, starting September 16, 2024, Microsoft will no longer support Basic Auth, the method in which a person provides only their username and password to sign into their account,” Microsoft said on its website. “As of September 16, 2024, Outlook will require that all those with a Microsoft email account use a mail or calendar app or the Outlook.com website which supports modern auth, such as the latest versions of Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird.”
Though it looks as though Microsoft won’t force you to use two-factor authentication via SMS or authenticator app, you will have to use a version of Outlook that has ‘modern auth’ technology behind the scenes. The firm says this includes “the free Outlook apps for iOS, Android, Outlook for Mac, or Outlook for Windows.”
“With Modern Authentication methods we apply additional backend process/tokens that users may not notice that add an extra layer of security,” Microsoft added. “Anyone who is attempting to use an application which does not support modern authentication will no longer be able to access their Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live.com email from those applications.”
Microsoft also confirmed that the ‘light’ version of the Outlook Web App will no longer be supported after 19 August 2024, claiming: “As we accelerate our security efforts to help better protect our customers, we are retiring the light version of the Outlook web app. This means that after 2024 customers will need to run the latest versions of a supported browser to run Outlook.com.”
If that weren’t enough, another change is coming even sooner that could affect the way you use Outlook. Though we suspect not everyone uses Outlook to access their Gmail account – Microsoft software accessing Google account emails – if you do use Outlook.com for that, you won’t be able to come 30 June.
The tech giant said you can still login to your Gmail inbox using the Outlook for Windows or Outlook for Mac apps.
While these changes may not affect all Outlook users, you may find that the way you access your emails will change due to these deadlines, so make sure you’ve switched to using a new method of Outlook access to avoid any nasty login surprises.