Microsoft 365 - Linking a service account to a NetID

You can make it more convenient to access your mail by linking your Office 365 service account to your NetID. Linking your accounts allows you switch accounts without requiring a log-out, access your service account in additional ways, and provide various management options for the NetID over the service account.

For more information on the features available for linked accounts and how to use them, please see: Microsoft 365 - Getting Started with Linking Accounts

Note: If you have an account that ends in mailplus.wisc.edu, please email wmplusadmins@doit.wisc.edu for assistance with this process.

Note for administrators: In order to administer another NetID account in the Wisc Account Administration site, you must have administrative access over the account. To request administrative access over an account, follow these instructions. End users can also grant administrative access. Once administrative access has been granted, you can administer the account.

If you are requesting access to administer service or resource accounts, please follow steps outlined at Microsoft 365 - Request Group for Administrative Access.

What are linked accounts?

Linking is the recommended way to provide a NetID@wisc.edu account with the ability to interact with a Service Account. Specifically, linking a Service Account to a NetID:

Provides Full Mailbox Permissions, which allows the NetID to interact with account data
Provides Send As Permissions, which allows the NetID to send messages using the Service Account email address
For Outlook for Windows, linking will automatically load the service account within Outlook.
For Outlook for Mac, the service account will need to be added as another mailbox so that it loads in Outlook.

Setting Up Linked Accounts

A NetID that has been granted access to your Office 365 service account is called a "linked NetID". If you aren't sure whether your NetID has been granted access to your service account, you can view the linked accounts for your NetID to verify.

View and Add linked NetIDs for your service account

Note: Adding linked NetIDs can only be performed by a user who has delegated access to the service account. This means either a domain administrator or an authorized administrator of the service account can add linked NetIDs.

Log in to the Wisc Account Administration site with your NetID credentials.
Select the service account you want to manage. If you do not see the account you want to manage or are placed into your NetID account, review the following document: Wisc Account Administration site - Logging in.
Once the account homepage is loaded, select Account Administration from the menu on the left-hand side.
From with the Account Administration menu, select Linked Accounts.
Under the Linked NetIDs heading, enter the NetID into the field provided, then click the Add button

Important: Please wait at least an hour before attempting to access this account via the NetID you just added. The permissions may take some time to be set within Office 365. If the linked NetID receives permissions-related errors after this time, you can use the "Repair Permissions" tool to correct any inconsistencies that may remain.

View Linked service accounts for your NetID

To view all service accounts your NetID is linked to, follow the instructions below:

Log in to the Wisc Account Administration site with your NetID credentials.
Select your NetID account.
Select Account Administration from the menu on the left-hand side.
From with the Account Administration menu, select Linked Accounts.
You will see all linked service accounts listed on this page as shown below:
If you don't see your service account listed here, you will need to add a linked NetID for your service account.

Remove a linked NetID from your service account

Note: These actions can only be performed by a user who has delegated access to the service account. This means either a domain administrator or an authorized administrator of the service account can removed linked NetIDs.

Log in to the Wisc Account Administration site with your NetID credentials.
Select the service account you want to manage. If you do not see the account you want to manage or are placed into your NetID account, review the following document: Wisc Account Administration site - Logging in.
Select Account Administration from the menu on the left-hand side.
From with the Account Administration menu, select Linked Accounts.
Under the Linked NetID(s) heading, please highlight the NetID to be removed and click the Remove button.

Important: Please wait at least an hour before seeing the change take affect. The permissions may take some time to be set within Office 365. If after waiting an hour the linked account is still visible within your client, use the "Repair Permissions" tool to correct any inconsistencies that may remain. Then logout of the Wisc Account Administration site or clear cache/cookies and attempt to login again.