Microsoft Outlook becomes a part of every user’s daily routine to handle their emails, meetings, reminders, and more. Many users prefer Outlook for Wwndows to manage their multiple accounts, including their personal and professional accounts. Adding personal email accounts from providers like Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, etc., helps managing their personal and professional communications at a single place.
However, it might affect the user’s privacy and security as they must provide Microsoft access to read, compose, and delete personal emails, files in their drives, delete contacts, etc. Also, as an admin, the organization’s security should be their priority. To maintain security, admins can block Microsoft 365 users from adding personal email accounts to Outlook.
How to Block Users from Adding Personal Email in Outlook Using PowerShell?
Admins can block personal email access in Outlook for Windows using Exchange Online PowerShell by following the below steps.
- First, connect to Exchange Online PowerShell .
- To block users from adding personal accounts in Outlook, run the cmdlet with both ‘PersonalAccountsEnabled’ and ‘PersonalAccountsCalendarEnabled’ parameters.
|
1 |
Set-OwaMailboxPolicy –Identity “<Policyname>” -PersonalAccountsEnabled $false –PersonalAccountsCalendarEnabled $false |
Using ‘PersonalAccountsEnabled’ parameter alone won’t block users from adding personal accounts in Outlook.
Reminder: Please note that the above setting will only block users from adding any new personal accounts. It won’t block or affect the previously connected personal accounts in Outlook for Windows. Don’t worry! Microsoft is working on this to block the previously added accounts too!
Microsoft 365 End User Experience
After admins blocked the ability to add personal accounts, when users try to add any personal account, they will experience the error stating that ‘Your organization doesn’t allow adding personal accounts in Outlook’.
Will this Setting Affect Microsoft’s Update on Adding Non-Microsoft Personal Accounts to New Outlook for Windows?
Microsoft made an announcement in October 2024 that users can have the ability to add Microsoft accounts with non-Microsoft accounts in new Outlook for Windows. If a user uses their personal accounts like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc., for the Microsoft 365 personal or Copilot Pro subscriptions, they can add these accounts to new Outlook for Windows and enjoy the benefits. Recently they have updated the rollout timeline of this feature.
General Availability: Starting late January 2025 and expected to be completed by late February 2025.
After this rollout, Outlook users will see a new section ‘Additional Microsoft Accounts’ under their ‘Email Accounts’ page to add the subscription linked personal email accounts as shown below.
We are not sure that setting the OwaMailboxPolicy will prevent users from adding their subscription linked personal accounts in new Outlook for Windows.
I hope this blog has helped you to learn how to block users from adding personal accounts in Outlook. We encourage admins to act instantly on blocking users from personal email access as they can’t control the previously added personal accounts in the organization. Explore upcoming changes in Microsoft 365 and stay updated on retirements and new features! Reach out to us for any queries. Happy securing!
