How to Sync Microsoft Outlook to Android

With 1.2 billion users of Microsoft office and 65 million commercial users of the Office 365 platform, Microsoft products are still in high demand. Over eighty percent of phones run on Android today, and with sixty-six percent of emails opened on mobile, syncing Outlook on Android is a necessity.

Powerful productivity features such as calendars, contacts, and reminders form a pivotal core of our work life. The ease of accessing them from all your devices is essential.

This article will show you how to import your Outlook profile to your Android phone. It syncs calendars and contacts too.

Also read: How to Access and Sign In to Your Hotmail Account

Download or Update Your Gmail App

Gmail comes bundled with every Android device, and it’s one of the most popular email apps available on mobile. It will provide support for your Outlook email backend and allow you to register your Outlook account.

Register Your Outlook Account on Gmail App

To do this you must have a valid Outlook account. If you don’t have one, follow this link to register.

Once your account is set up, you can proceed to log in on a desktop PC. Keep this page open to verify that your Outlook account syncs properly through it.

3. Log in on Your Gmail App

Using the same registration credentials from your Outlook account, log in to your Outlook account using the Gmail app.

1. Open Gmail on your Android device and click on the Menu icon.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the menu items and click on “Settings.”

3. On the next page select “Add account.”

The next page shows a list of email services supported by the app. Choose “Exchange and Office 365.” You shouldn’t choose the “Outlook, Hotmail, Live” options because they use POP and IMAP which don’t support calendar and contacts sync.

4. Enter your email address and password. It should start validating server settings on your device.

5. If it pops up a dialog box requesting “Remote security administration,” click “OK” to allow it.

The next page should complete your sign-in. Now you’re ready to go.

Set Up Dummy Reminders to Force Outlook Sync

Typically, when you complete your setup, your contacts and calendar should sync immediately. But sometimes you may have to “force” this to happen. Here’s how to achieve this.

1. Go to your Outlook account (logged in on your desktop). Click on the little Calendar icon located at the bottom-left of the page.

2. Create two new calendar items. (It doesn’t have to make sense; you’ll delete them later.) Set them for all day.

Set Sync Settings to Allow Contacts and Calendar Sync

At this stage you’ll have to enable sync for contacts and calendar. This action will ensure that your email is receiving updates for your events, reminders, and contacts in real time.

1. Go to Settings on your Android device (not Gmail settings).

Different Android devices have different customizations, but the underlying pattern is the same. Navigate from Settings to “Accounts” and then select “Sync.” On some devices you may only need to navigate to Accounts for this task.

2. Click on “Exchange.” Next, click on your registered Outlook account.

3. Tick all the checkboxes for Calendar, Contacts, and Mail. This action will update your sync settings to get real-time updates. Click on more and then “Sync now.”

4. Open your Gmail app and navigate to your Outlook account. You should see all your emails here.

5. Go to Google Calendar – if you have it installed as your default calendar app. You will see the reminders you set in step four synced with your daily to-do list.

Now you can get all your emails delivered and synced to your Android device, and on one app, too.

Wrapping Up

Instead of having to switch apps to access both personal and professional emails, you can do it all from one app. That’s the power of sync. Now it’s your turn. Use this guide to sync all your important Outlook events and emails to the Android platform.