Microsoft 365 - Set/Manage a Forward on a NetID, Shared Mailbox, or Service Account

When set, emails sent to the forwarded account will be redirected to the destination account. Regardless of the desktop client you are using, it is recommended that you configure this setting via Wisc Account Administration Site or Outlook on the web.

IMPORTANT: Forwarding your account is not recommended by the Microsoft 365 team. If you are experiencing mail delivery issues, remove the forward and verify if the message is delivered to your Microsoft 365 account.

Important:

  • If you are unable to manage your forwarding setting using the instructions listed below, it may be due to a security policy placed on your account that prevents you from managing your forward setting on your account. If this is the case, you will need to work with your local IT staff and HIPAA Security Coordinator to address this issue - Microsoft 365 staff cannot override this policy/setting.
  • We do not allow forwarding from NetID, shared mailbox, or service accounts to other UW-Madison Microsoft 365 accounts (NetID, shared mailbox, or service account).
  • If the message being forwarded was originally sent from the forwarded address, the message will not be accepted by the destination system. Example: bbadger@wisc.edu forwards to bbadger@gmail.com. Mail sent from bbadger@gmail.com to bbadger@wisc.edu will be dropped by gmail since this will be seen as a mail loop.
  • Forwarding messages frequently breaks the normal email authentication mechanisms that are required for DMARC compliance. Forwarded messages may be rejected by the final destination system (e.g. Google/gmail.com) due to DMARC failures. The only solution is to stop forwarding.
  • Messages that receive a high spam rating or that are classified as bulk mail will not be forwarded to external recipients. This is necessary to preserve our sending reputation with other email providers such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft consumer accounts.
  • All forwarded mail requires TLS support for delivery. If the email provider of the forward address does not support TLS, Microsoft will be unable to forward mail to that account.
  • If you set a forward on an account using the Wisc Account Administration instructions below, the messages will be forwarded to the destination account and not stored within the original account. If you want to keep a copy of the message within the account and also forward them, please use Outlook on the web to set this - use these instructions.

Wisc Account Administration Site

View/Manage

  1. Log into Wisc Account Administration site.
  2. Select or search for the account you want to manage.
  3. Click on the "Office 365" tab in the left-hand column. It will be expanded.
  4. Click on Forwarding option. The following screen will be displayed:

    forwarding screen

  5. Make the desired changes and click Set Forwarding button. Note: If you want to remove an existing forward, click Remove Forward button.

Important: It may take up to 60 minutes for the change to be processed/completed. To reset this setting, wait 60 minutes between removing/adding to ensure changes propagate in Microsoft 365. Confirm after two hours.

Outlook on the web

View/change forwarding settings

Note for administrators: Some administrative functions in Microsoft 365 require administrators to access a user's account via Outlook on the web, which requires the user to grant the administrator full mailbox permissions. Once the administrator has full mailbox permissions, they can follow these instructions to access the user's account.

Follow steps outlined below to view/change forwarding settings:

  1. Depending on the type of account you are attempting to manage the forwarding setting, log into Outlook on the web
    NetID account
    Use the NetID login credentials
    Shared Mailbox
    Use open another mailbox option
    Service Account
    Use the Service account login credentials
  2. Click Settings settings icon.
  3. Then go to Mail > Forwarding.
  4. In the forwarding section, modify any of the desired settings and click Save.

    Important: This field only accepts one email address. If you want to forward to more than one account, you can use the email address of a Microsoft Group, or use the email address of another existing distribution list.

    Note: If you want to keep a copy of messages in your Outlook on the web mailbox, place a check mark within the Keep a copy of forwarded messages in Outlook on the web check box.

See Also


Keywords:
microsoft office365 o365 m365 settings options connected accounts change remove delete email mail forward address outlook web app forwarding setup add owa 
Doc ID:
36539
Owned by:
O365 S. in Microsoft 365
Created:
2014-01-15
Updated:
2026-01-05
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, Microsoft 365, Wisc Account Admin