Everything for the M365 board transition, in one place.
Step-by-step guides for setting up, transferring, and fixing Microsoft 365 accounts for the 2026/2027 board. Use it during the Wednesday tech support session, then share it with members so they can help themselves later.
Wednesday session plan
Who is coming, what they need, and which guide to use with each person. Green means confirmed, amber means waiting for a callback.
Nooshin K.
ConfirmedTakes over Ginny's account once Ginny posts her last documents. Set up the new account on her laptop and iPhone.
Use guides 5 → 1 → 2 → 3
Alice
Confirmed · 3:30Converting the Membership mailbox to shared with Robin A. Keeps the President-Elect email until she becomes President.
Use guide 4
Robin A.
Confirmed · 3:30Gets member access to the shared Membership mailbox and confirms it appears in her Outlook.
Use guides 4 → 1
Diane
Awaiting callbackConverting her email to a shared account with Claire (incoming Treasurer). Message left to confirm Wednesday.
Use guide 4
Andie M.
Awaiting callbackNew account setup if she confirms. Message left with the Wednesday window.
Use guides 1 → 2 → 3
Nikki T.
Awaiting callbackNeeds help with her existing 365 account. Issue unknown until she arrives, so start with the troubleshooting checklist.
Use guide 6
Claire
Pending · gating itemWaiting to hear when she is ready to take the President email. Also becomes co-owner of Diane's shared mailbox.
Linda
Mid-JuneIn Spain. Will set up her account when she returns. Send her this page so she can self-serve with guides 1 to 3.
Wendy F. & Janet C.
CompleteDirectors. Transitions finished. No action needed Wednesday.
admin.microsoft.com, a list of temporary passwords you plan to assign, the Wi-Fi name and password at Chapter, and phone chargers. Ask everyone to bring their laptop, phone, and current passwords.Set up Microsoft 365 on a laptop
This signs a member into their ALOrange.org account on a Windows or Mac laptop. The fastest, most reliable path is the web version first, then the desktop apps. The web version always works, even when the apps misbehave.
Open a browser and go to office.com
Use Edge or Chrome. Type office.com in the address bar and click Sign in at the top right. This page may also appear as Microsoft 365.com, which is the same thing.
Sign in with the @ALOrange.org email
Enter the full address, for example treasurer@ALOrange.org, then the password. If this is a brand-new or handed-off account, use the temporary password Lisa provides, and the system will ask the member to create a new one.
Password rule of thumb: at least 12 characters, a phrase they will remember, written down somewhere safe at home.
Complete the security setup if prompted
A screen saying "More information required" means Microsoft wants a second sign-in method. Jump to Guide 3, set up Authenticator, then come back here.
Open Outlook on the web and send a test email
From office.com, click the app launcher (the grid of 9 dots, top left) and choose Outlook. Send a quick test message to technology@ALOrange.org so we know mail flows.
Add the account to the Outlook desktop app (optional but recommended)
Windows 11: press Start, type Outlook, and open it. Since April 2026 this opens the new Outlook by default. Click Settings (gear) › Accounts › Email accounts › Add account, enter the @ALOrange.org address, and sign in.
Mac: open Outlook from Applications (install from office.com › Install apps if missing), then Outlook menu › Settings › Accounts › +.
Check that shared mailboxes appear (if the member has one)
In the new Outlook and on the web, shared mailboxes the member belongs to (like Membership) show up automatically in the left folder list within about an hour of being added. No manual steps needed. If it has not appeared by the next day, see Guide 6.
Set up Outlook on an iPhone
Use the Outlook app, not the built-in Apple Mail app. Outlook handles ALO's security settings better, shows shared mailboxes, and includes the calendar. Apple Mail works too but causes more support calls.
Install Microsoft Outlook from the App Store
Open the App Store, search Microsoft Outlook, and tap Get. The icon is a blue envelope with an O. It is free. If the App Store asks for an Apple ID password, that is the member's personal Apple password, not the ALO one.
Open Outlook and add the ALO account
First launch: type the @ALOrange.org address and tap Add account. If Outlook already has a personal account on it: tap the profile picture (top left) › gear ⚙ › Add email account.
Sign in and approve the security prompt
Enter the password. If Authenticator is already set up, a number appears on screen; type that number into the Authenticator prompt on the same phone or approve it. If MFA is not set up yet, the phone will walk through it now (see Guide 3).
Turn on notifications and check the calendar
Allow notifications when asked so board emails are not missed. Tap the calendar icon at the bottom to confirm ALO events appear.
Add a shared mailbox if the member uses one
Tap profile photo › gear ⚙ › Add email account › Add a shared mailbox, then type the shared address, for example membership@ALOrange.org. It appears as a second account in the app.
Set up Microsoft Authenticator (MFA)
Multifactor authentication (MFA) is the second lock on the account. Microsoft requires it, and after the donation form fraud incident this year, it is the single most valuable security step a member can take. The member needs their phone in hand.
Install Microsoft Authenticator on the phone
App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android), search Microsoft Authenticator. The icon is a blue padlock. Free. Beware of look-alike apps that charge money; the real one is published by Microsoft Corporation.
On the laptop, go to the security setup page
In a browser, visit aka.ms/mfasetup and sign in with the ALO account. If the account is new, Microsoft shows this page automatically with the message "More information required."
Scan the QR code with the Authenticator app
On the phone: open Authenticator, tap + › Work or school account › Scan a QR code, and point the camera at the square code on the laptop screen. Allow notifications when asked.
Approve the test with number matching
The laptop shows a two-digit number. The phone pops up a prompt asking for that number. Type it on the phone and tap Yes. This number-matching step is how all approvals work now, so explain it to the member: only type the number if you are the one signing in.
Add a backup method
On the same page, click Add sign-in method › Phone and enter the member's cell number for text codes. If the member ever gets a new phone, this backup avoids a lockout.
Reset a password & hand off an account
Use this when a role email (like a Director or President account) passes from the outgoing member to the incoming one. The goal: the new member gets in cleanly, and the outgoing member's devices and security methods are fully disconnected.
Confirm the outgoing member is finished
For Ginny: she posts her last documents first. Do not reset until she confirms, or her unsaved work could be lost.
Reset the password
In admin.microsoft.com › Users › Active users, select the account and click Reset password (the key icon). Uncheck auto-generate and set a temporary password you can hand to the new member. Keep "Require this user to change their password when they first sign in" checked.
Sign the old member out of every device
On the same user pane, Account tab › Sign out of all sessions. This kicks the account off the outgoing member's laptop, phone, and browsers within about an hour.
Clear the old MFA methods
Go to entra.microsoft.com › Users › All users › select the account › Authentication methods. Click Require re-register multifactor authentication, and delete the outgoing member's phone number and Authenticator entries. Otherwise sign-in approvals would still go to Ginny's phone.
Update the display name
On the user pane, Manage contact information: change the first and last name so emails arrive as "Nooshin K." instead of "Ginny." The email address itself stays the same, which keeps history and group memberships intact.
Fix common sign-in & mailbox problems
Work top to bottom. Most "my email is broken" reports are one of these five things. The web version at outlook.office.com is the truth test: if mail works there, the account is fine and the problem is the device.
"Password is incorrect"
First check the address: members often sign in with a personal Microsoft account (Hotmail, Outlook.com) by mistake. Confirm the screen shows the @ALOrange.org address. Still failing? Reset it as admin (Guide 5, step 2) and have them sign in fresh.
"Account is locked" or too many attempts
Wait 15 minutes (the lockout clears itself), then reset the password as admin. While waiting, check Sign-in logs in entra.microsoft.com to be sure the failed attempts came from the member and not an attacker. Unfamiliar countries or repeated nightly attempts mean: reset password, require MFA re-registration, and report to Tech.
MFA prompts go to an old phone
Member got a new phone and Authenticator went with the old one. As admin: entra.microsoft.com › Users › [member] › Authentication methods › Require re-register MFA. Then run Guide 3 on the new phone.
Mail works on the web but not in the app
New Outlook (Windows): Settings ⚙ › Accounts › select the account › Remove, restart Outlook, add it back (Guide 1, step 5). iPhone: in the Outlook app, profile photo › gear › tap the account › Delete account, then re-add (Guide 2). Removing and re-adding fixes 9 of 10 app-side problems.
"Mailbox is full" or mail stopped arriving
Check usage at outlook.office.com › Settings ⚙ › General › Storage. Empty Deleted Items and Junk first, then sort the inbox by size and remove old large attachments. Also check that no forwarding rule is silently redirecting mail: Settings › Mail › Forwarding and Rules. Unexpected forwarding rules are a compromise red flag; report them to Tech.
A shared mailbox is missing
Confirm the member is listed under Teams & groups › Shared mailboxes › [mailbox] › Members in the admin center. If yes, give it an hour; sync is not instant. On the web, the member can also right-click Folders › Add shared folder or mailbox and type the address to attach it immediately.
outlook.office.com first, every time. Account-level issues (password, MFA, storage, rules) show up there. Device-level issues do not.FAQ & quick references
I see a different Outlook than the screenshots online. Why?
Can Linda set up from Spain?
Do shared mailboxes cost a license?
Should members ever share a password instead?
What do members do after Wednesday if something breaks?
outlook.office.com works in a browser.