Forward Outlook or Microsoft 365 to Hushdesk

Outlook.com, Hotmail and Microsoft 365 all forward from Settings > Mail > Forwarding in Outlook on the web. Microsoft 365 adds one hurdle: it blocks forwarding to outside addresses until an admin allows it.

Before you start

• Who can do this: a Hushdesk owner or admin, and someone signed in to the support mailbox. For Microsoft 365 policies and shared mailboxes, a Microsoft 365 admin.
• Plan: all plans.
• What you need: your support address added under Settings > Email.
• Time: about five minutes, plus any admin change.

Step by step

1. In Hushdesk, open your address under Settings > Email, copy the forwarding address and pick Outlook / Microsoft 365 under Where is this mailbox?.
2. Press Open Outlook forwarding settings, or sign in to Outlook on the web as your support address and open Settings (the gear), then Mail, then Forwarding.
3. Turn on Enable forwarding and paste the forwarding address.
4. Tick Keep a copy of forwarded messages, then click Save.
5. Back in Hushdesk, press Send a test email.

If the test never arrives (Microsoft 365)

Microsoft 365 blocks forwarding to outside addresses by default. Your admin needs to allow it: Microsoft Defender > Policies and rules > Threat policies > Anti-spam > Anti-spam outbound policy, with Forwarding rules set to On. Then send the test again.

For a shared mailbox

An admin sets forwarding in the Exchange admin center under Recipients > Mailboxes, then Mail flow settings for the shared mailbox.

What happens next

Outlook does not send a confirmation code, so forwarding starts as soon as you save. When the test comes back, step 3 says Forwarding works.

For an address on your own domain, continue to step 4 to make replies come from it. See Send replies from your own domain. For @outlook.com or @hotmail.com, replies go from Hushdesk's shared address with your store name.

Tips

• Use a shared mailbox for support so forwarding does not depend on one person's account.
• Check Outlook rules too. A rule that moves or deletes mail before forwarding can stop customer emails reaching Hushdesk.
• Keep the copy in Outlook as a backup.

Troubleshooting

Microsoft returns forwarded mail as undeliverable

This is the outbound forwarding block. Ask your admin to change the anti-spam outbound policy as above.

The test arrives but real emails do not

Check for Outlook rules that act before forwarding, and the junk email folder. See Troubleshoot email forwarding.