Outlook (Windows): Opening a service account as a separate profile

Normally, accessing of a service account in the Outlook client leverages the automapping feature in this doc: Office 365 - How to access a Service Account. However, there may be users who wish to open a service account inbox on its own, namely to run mail merge on the inbox. This doc describes the process of opening a service account inbox as a separate profile in Outlook. Please note: a password will need to be set for the service account prior.

Setting Up a Secondary Profile

  1. In the bottom left of the screen, click the search icon and search for Control Panel.

    Search for the classic control panel.

  2. Click Control Panel to open the classic control panel.

  3. Make sure that View By is set to Small Icons.

    Set the "View By" option to "Small Icons"

  4. Click to open Mail (Microsoft Outlook 2016).
    *Note: the year and bit version may vary from computer to computer depending on what is installed.

    Open the Mail options

  5. Click Show Profiles...

    Click "Show Profiles..."

  6. Click Add...

    Click "Add..."

  7. Create a descriptive name for the email profile then click OK. This is just so you know which email is which.

    Create a descriptive name for the new mail profile.

  8. Select Manual setup or additional server types then click Next.

    Select Maual Setup for this new profile.

  9. Select Microsoft 365, enter the full email address of the inbox you are trying to open, and click Next.

    Enter the full email address under the Office 365 option

  10. It may take a minute or so for the email to connect. If you are prompted for credentials you will need to enter the service account's username and password.

  11. Once you see the "Congratulations!" message, click Finish.

    Congratulations! The profile has been set up.

  12. You will have the option to have Outlook prompt you for which email to open on startup. This is only for users that are in that mailbox frequently. Most users will want to select Always use this profile and set the profile to Default.

    Set the profile preferences to change how Outlook behaves on open.

  13. Click OK and close out of all Control Panel windows.

Using A Secondary Profile

  • If you selected Prompt for a profile to be used in step 12 above, you will see this when signing in:

    Select the profile you would like to open.

    Simply use the drop-down menu to select the profile you would like to open and click OK.

  • If you selected Always use this profile, you will need to follow these steps to open your secondary profile:
  1. In Outlook, select File > Account Settings > Change Profile.

    File > Account Settings > Change Profile

  2. A prompt will warn you that "Outlook will close. You must restart Outlook to choose a different profile." Click OK.

  3. Open Outlook.

  4. At the prompt, use the drop-down menu to select the profile you would like to open and click OK.
    Select the profile you would like to open.

  5. When you are done using this profile, simply close Outlook and reopen it to load back into your default profile.

Common Troubleshooting

  • If Outlook prompts for a username and password, use service account username and password.

  • If you receive this error:

    Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opened. The attempt to log on to Microsoft Exchange has failed.

    Then you have not been given permission to view the inbox for the service account. Please contact the service account administrator, or the DoIT Help Desk if this is the case.

Doc adapted from UW Stout's Outlook (Windows): Opening a shared inbox as a separate profile