Fix a Microsoft account problem when connecting an inbox

What to check when the Microsoft account itself stops a mailbox connection, such as the wrong account, a disabled or locked account, an expired password, or no mailbox.

In the sidebar, open Settings, then choose Email Accounts under Communications (/settings/communications/email-accounts). This screen appears after the Microsoft sign-in step of Connect a Microsoft inbox, when Nova shows Microsoft would not sign this account in, or Not done yet: wrong account naming a different account.

These problems live in the Microsoft account, not in Nova. Nothing on the Email Accounts page fixes them; the account has to be put right at Microsoft, then the connection tried again.

Steps

1. Check the address. Nova connects only the address you typed in Mailbox to connect. If the screen says Not done yet: wrong account, you signed in to Microsoft as someone else: select the button that reads Go to Microsoft and sign in as followed by your mailbox address, and choose that account at Microsoft. If the account you used is the one you meant to connect, select the link that reads Connect followed by that address and "instead".
2. Check the account can sign in at all. In a private browser window, sign in as the mailbox account: at Microsoft 365 for a business mailbox, or at Outlook.com for a personal Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or MSN address. If that fails, the problem is the account.
3. If Microsoft says the password has expired or the account is locked, the account owner resets it, or your Microsoft administrator does for a business account.
4. If Microsoft says the account does not exist or is disabled, your Microsoft administrator has to enable it, or the mailbox belongs to a different Microsoft account than the one you signed in to.
5. Make sure the account actually has a mailbox. A user with no mailbox cannot be connected. A shared mailbox with no sign-in of its own is connected through one of its members; see Connect a Microsoft 365 shared mailbox.
6. Sign out of Microsoft everywhere in the browser, open a new private window, and start Connect a Microsoft inbox again. Start mailbox setup again on the error screen opens the Connect mailbox panel.

What you see

Once the account signs in cleanly, Microsoft moves on to the permissions step. Nova then shows Connected; select Open Email Accounts to see the mailbox under Connected inboxes.

If something looks different

• The screen says Microsoft needs an extra sign-in check: the account is fine but needs a second verification step. See Finish a Microsoft sign-in that asks for two-step verification.
• The screen says Ask your Microsoft administrator: the account is fine but an administrator must approve Nova. See Get administrator approval for a Microsoft inbox.
• The same account works at Microsoft but not here: open Error details at the bottom of the error screen and select Copy support info. Then select Go to Nova home, open Help, choose Report a problem and paste it in.