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How to disable MFA – Microsoft 365

Written by Saajid Gangat in Microsoft,Microsoft 365,Microsoft 365 Guides Last Updated July 28, 2023

MFA or Multi-Factor Authentication for Office 365 is Microsoft’s own form of multi-step login to access a service or device. This stage of security allows organizations with any active subscriptions to enable multi-step security for their Office 365 users without requiring any additional purchase or subscription or plans. 

Step by step process — how to disable MFA for a Microsoft 365 account:

  1. To start the process you need to log in to a Microsoft account that has admin status in order to make changes. Logging in will bring you to the main Office dashboard where saved files and content is located.
  2. Below is the office 365 suite with all the essential tools highlighted for ease of use and convenience. The office suite includes an abundance of features to help users functionally such as the highlighted search bar to allow users to effectively locate functions without having to search through the functions panel.
  3. After this you click the application launcher which is in the left corner of the page and click admin which is one of the default apps located within the launcher.
  4. Following on from this stage you need to access the MFA by going to settings or, to reduce time, use the search feature. Some variations of the 365 suite may require more searching than others, however with the type and search feature, functions such as the MFA are easy to locate and note.
  5. After typing a few letters of the function it will show in the settings tab and here you can click on the MFA function relevant to what you require.
  6. Once you click on the MFA tab you will see a panel on the right hand side of the display.
  7. Once this is complete you click on “Configure multi-factor authentication” where you can edit the MFA — in this case disabling it.
  8. After entering the page, you can now start to edit the MFA preference to the ones you require.
  9. To change these preferences you need to first click on the associated account you wish to edit MFA on, then click either enable or disable.
  10. When you click enable, it will automatically activate the MFA upon login. You will need more than the set password to login.
  11. Note: The M365 portal will show a warning when you wish to disable the MFA as it may compromise your security and your organization may be more susceptible to cyber attacks.
  12. If you wish to continue the process of disabling the MFA feature, simply click yes and it will automatically adjust to those settings if necessary.

MFA will greatly improve the security of users logging in to cloud services and is more robust than simple passwords. With Office 365’s multi-factor authentication, users need to confirm the call, text message, or application notification on their smartphone after entering the correct password. The user can log in only after the second authentication factor is met. Despite these active security features present within Microsoft 365, some may choose to completely pass MFA and log in a regular way with a simple password. Microsoft has allowed users to edit the MFA in a way that’s convenient for them.

The process to actively change the Microsoft 365 MFA for user accounts is quite simple as it’s located in the settings panel within the UI dashboard. 

How to access MFA settings and deactivate it

  • To start the process you need to log in to the associated Microsoft account that has admin status in order to make changes. Logging in will bring you to the main Office dashboard where saved files and content is located.
  • After this you click the application launcher which is in the left corner of the page and click admin which is one of the default apps located within the launcher.
  • Following on from this stage you need to access the MFA by going to settings or better to reduce time use the search feature. Some variations of the 365 suite may require more searching than others. However, with the type and search feature, functions such as the MFA are easy to locate and note.
  • After typing a few letters of the function it will show in the settings tab and here you can click on the MFA function relevant to what you require.
  • Once you click on the MFA tab you will see a panel on the right hand side of the display which resembles the image below.
  • Once this is complete you click on “Configure multi-factor authentication” where you can edit the MFA in this case disabling it.
  • Once you click on the configure function it will bring you to this page where all the accounts associated with the Microsoft suite are located.
  • After entering the page shown above you can now start to edit the MFA preference to the ones you require.
  • To change these preferences you need to first click on the associated account you wish to edit MFA on, then click either enable or disable.
  • When you click enable it will automatically activate the MFA upon login. You will need more than the set password to login.
  • However it will show a warning when you wish to disable the MFA as it may compromise your security and may even be more susceptible to cyber attacks.
  • This is the warning. If you wish to continue the process of disabling the MFA feature simply click yes and it will automatically adjust to those settings if necessary.

That’s the process of disabling the MFA on an account or even a series of accounts if necessary. This will allow the users to effectively change the preset settings upon requirements. However, what is the reasons people may wish to disable MFA?.

There are a few common reasons people may wish to disable the MFA, some are for convenience and some are more complex associated with individual organization preferences.

Reasons people wish to ignore MFA:

  • MFA requires a form of 3rd party access requirements such as SMS or email, both of which can be compromised or hacked, therefore further restricting access to your Office account.
  • Devices may be registered with a company therefore MFA may be seen as reducing productivity.  

Summary:

Having an MFA improves security and is highly recommended by Microsoft which ensures the data you have on Office 365 remains safe and secure. However, for reasons, people may wish to avoid using MFA for reasons such as convenience. This is manageable in the settings panel and people can enable and disable it upon request. The companies associated with an Office 365 account may also choose to change the MFA settings for colleagues, employees, or members related to the company.

How to share a M365 calendar with an external user?

Written by Saajid Gangat in Microsoft,Microsoft 365,Microsoft 365 Guides,Outlook,Outlook Guides Last Updated July 26, 2023

Microsoft Outlook is more than just an email application. It’s another useful piece of collaboration software in the Microsoft Office 365 suite. Microsoft Outlook provides a feature-rich calendar to help keep everyone organized with personal and career activities, in addition to the strong e-mail capabilities we enjoy.

One of the unique and interesting abilities of the 365 calendar is the ability to share with external users. Below shows the process of how to share this content:

  1. Sign into the Office 365 web app, and navigate to Outlook calendars. 
  2. Click the + symbol next to “My Calendars” on the left side of your Outlook calendar. A new calendar will be added at the bottom of the list as a result of this. After you’ve given it a name, you can continue onto the next stage.
  3. Right click the calendar you want to share.
  4. Click “Sharing Permissions”.
  5. Change setting permissions to “can view all details” than exit.
  6. Right click the calendar again, and select “Share Calendar”.
  7. Add the email of the external person you want to share with.
  8. Pick permissions for calendar visibility and click save.
  9. Repeat these steps for each of your multiple calendars in Office 365.

If you’re sharing your Office 365 calendar with someone, you’ll probably want them to know everything about your meetings. Choose a lesser permission level instead if you simply want them to observe availability. When you save your calendar, Outlook will send email alerts to everyone you shared it with. You won’t be able to offer them edit access since you’re sharing your calendar with someone outside your company.

Unsurprisingly, for the ordinary company, these instructions on how to utilize Office 365 shared calendars with external users have a few restrictions. Only those who use Exchange or Office 365 can use the aforementioned procedure. A link emailed from Outlook can be used by Google users to access the calendar. Due to the various calendar formats, they will be unable to view your shared calendar invitation without the use of a third-party program.

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Enable sharing in the Office 365 admin center to share a M365 calendar with an external user

  • In the admin center, go to Settings > Organization Settings.
  • On the Services tab, select Calendar.
  • On the Calendar page, choose whether you want to let users share their calendars with people outside of your organization who have Microsoft 365 or Exchange. Choose whether you want to allow anonymous users (users without credentials) to access calendars via an email invitation.
  • Choose what type of calendar information to make available to users. You can allow all information, or limit it to time only or time, subject, and location only.

This has now allowed you to enable better sharing preferences as opposed to the settings in the Outlook calendar section.

Why would you want to use Outlook calendar to share a M365 calendar with an external user

Outlook delivers alert messages to your Inbox to remind you of forthcoming events, meetings, appointments, and tasks noted on your Calendar, so you can stay on top of deadlines. When you create a new meeting in Outlook Calendar, you can choose the subject, invite guests, and select the time and location all from a single interface.

In Depth step by step process: How to share your Outlook calendar with external users

  • Next you need to go to the calendar section of the Outlook software which is symbolised by a calendar icon as shown below.
  • When you have arrived at the calendar section you will be presented with a list of calendars in the left hand side panel. Here you find which calendar you wish to share and right hand click to open a preference dialogue box as shown below.
    • You then need to click Sharing and permissions once you have selected the calendar of choice to share.
  • In this dialogue box you type out the email address or contact name of the person or company you wish to send the calendar to. Then click share.
  • Once you have clicked share it will bring up a selection box where you need to select one of three choices. The email recipient will only be allowed to receive the content and view it in the way you the sender has sent it. Below are the 3 choices.
  • Can view when I’m busy –
    • This essentially means when you are busy and effectively allows someone to view blocks of time as Free, Busy, Tentative, and Away.
  • Can view titles and locations –
    • Allows someone to view your Subject and Location. Events set to private will only display as Private Appointment.
  • Can view all details –
    • Allows someone to view your Subject, Location, Attendees, and Description. However, any event you mark as private displays simply as Private Appointment.
  • This is subjective to what you the user requires. However ensure you select the correct calendar and user to ensure the information sent to the correct individual. For example the chosen preference in this example is the “Can view all details”
  • Once you have selected the correct option you can now click share to share the calendar to the preferred individuals.
  • This will now share to the recipients email where they can view the calendar. You will need a third party application to ensure Outlook calendar syncs smoothly with external calendars like Google calendar.
  • You can delete the recipient to prevent them from seeing the content if you wish for them to not see the calendar. For example the recipient may no longer be part of your organization so therefore requires no more access to the selected calendars.
    • To delete the recipient click the remove icon which is symbolised as a bin. Note this action is irreversible and the user will have to added again to the share list
  • You can also change preferences of the recipients using the dropdown menu on the right hand side.

Finally, to access more settings you can go to the admin center and from the settings located within the share area. You can either enable or restrict the sharing preferences depending on what’s required.

How to fix Outlook continually asking for credentials?

Written by Saajid Gangat in Microsoft,Outlook,Outlook Guides Last Updated July 25, 2023

Microsoft Outlook is a highly effective and simple to manage personal information manager, but sometimes it does not work as expected due to occurring errors present. One such error that may occur is that Outlook keeps prompting for a password. It annoys users who are involved in some urgent tasks, such as drafting or sending emails containing critical information, because users need to enter the password of the Outlook profile every time to continue the work in progress. It is not a normal function in Outlook and needs to be resolved to work uninterruptedly with the application. 

Why does Outlook keep prompting for a password?

There are several reasons why Outlook keeps prompting for a password:

  • Outlook is configured to prompt for credentials.
  • The Outlook password stored by the credential manager is incorrect.
  • Corrupted Outlook profile.
  • Bad internet connection.
  • Antivirus program causes Outlook error.
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Step by step process to resolve the issue

In Outlook if the identification settings for users are activated (configured with an Exchange account), it demands for login credentials on a regular basis. You must disable this setting to get rid of the password prompt issue. 

  • Open Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
  • Select the Exchange account and click the Change button.
  • Click More Settings in the new dialogue box.
  • In the Security tab of the Microsoft Exchange dialogue box, uncheck Always prompt for logon credentials.

Credential Manager stores all your entered credentials, try the next few steps to remove them. By removing previously stored credentials from the Credential Manager, you can fix the issue:

  • In the Control Panel, click on Credential Manager.
  • Look for the credential sets that have Outlook in the name.
  • Expand the set and click on Remove from Vault.
  • Repeat the steps for all credential sets that have Outlook in the name.

The Outlook profile has become compromised. A damaged profile may cause Outlook to forget passwords. Create a new profile in Outlook to fix the corruption problem.

  • Look for Mail in the Control Panel and click it.
  • Click the Show profiles button in the Mail Setup, Outlook window box will appear.
  • To create a new Outlook profile, pick Outlook from the profile and click the Add button.
  • Click OK after entering a profile name.
  • Set your name, email address, and password in this stage, then click the Next button.
  • Your new profile is ready. Click Finish and proceed to the final step.
  • Now, select the new profile, click Always use this profile and select the new profile from the drop-down list. Click Apply and OK.

When Outlook is unable to connect to the server, bad network troubles can occur at any time. Slow or unreliable networks can cause a loss of connection to the mail server, prompting you to provide your credentials every time you try to connect. To resolve this problem, consider switching to a better connectivity situation and seeing if it helps.

Anti-viral software that may be installed on your network may be interfering with Outlook, resulting in the Outlook password prompt issue. You can try disabling the antivirus in this scenario to see if it addresses the problem. Then switching if the issue is resolved and evidence suggests the connectivity issue is prominent from the anti-virus software.

The solutions mentioned above should help resolve an issue as they directly interact with the credentials and play an important part in ensuring you log in correctly. effective management of the lists above may result in having to be continually asked for credentials.

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In Depth – Step by step process – Visual

Disable user ID settings – 

  • Open Outlook in the application or web however for effective results and more control, use of the application is recommended. Go to file when Outlook is opened.
  • Once file is opened click on Account Settings, than click Account Settings again.
  • A box will appear with some information on content you can change, here you select the correct exchange account if there are multiple or if there’s one account select that one, then click “Change” in the menu bar at the top.
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  • After that you click more settings and a new dialogue box will appear.
  • In the final dialogue box click on the “Security” button than uncheck the box which says “Always prompt logon credentials’ “. This will disable the credential prompt feature.

Your old profile is compromised, you need to create a new profile with updated details, follow the steps below –

  • Firstly, go to the control panel where you can change and edit a majority of Microsoft settings in regards to both hardware and software, Here click “User accounts”, Once the panel is open click on user accounts if its the updated windows 8-10, or if its windows 7 click “Mail, Microsoft Outlook.” From the updated windows 10 you can click Mail by outlook.
  • In the next dialogue box click on show profiles which will show you all the profiles and help you manage them,
  • A new box will show up and here you click on add profile to make a new profile,
  • When you click add it will bring up a new box where you can type out your new profile details,
  • Once you have typed out your profile name you can now start to enter your details, once that is complete you can now click next to finish the setup

SharePoint: Can’t add user: How to fix

Written by Saajid Gangat in Microsoft,SharePoint,SharePoint Guides Last Updated July 28, 2023

SharePoint Online is a Microsoft-hosted cloud-based solution for companies of all sizes. Any organization can subscribe to a Microsoft 365 plan or the standalone SharePoint Online service instead of installing and running the SharePoint Server on-premises. Employees may set up websites to exchange documents and information with coworkers, partners, and customers. However, sometimes issues may accrue in regards to adding users to the platform which can cause inconveniences when transferring files across to the user.

How to Fix?

A global admin of the group may need to change the preferences of members within a group to ensure they have correctly added members or users to a group and that they have the correct permissions enabled to ensure they can access the group and be added.

Step by step process to add user:

  • Go to Office 365 and open the Admin center
  • Click on Groups option >> Active groups
  • Now, if you can see your SharePoint online site under this Office 365 Groups, select your SharePoint site under Groups.
  • Click on that site >> click on Members tab >> click on View all and manage members.
  • Click on +/Add members.
  • In the search box search for the affected user name or select >> click on Save.
  • Get SharePoint from $6.00 per month with Microsoft 365 Business Basic.

Admins at this point should be able to resolve the issue however if the admin still fails to add members or users to a group, this may prompt the creation of a new team site to resolve the issue.

When you build a SharePoint Team site, Outlook will automatically generate related Office 365 groups. Admins and users may also utilize SharePoint to establish team sites, which will generate an Office 365 group. The group owners are added as site owners, and the group members are added as site members, for group-connected team sites.

In this case, you’ll want to establish a new SharePoint online site and invite members to join it. This will resolve the issue of members being added as group owners, which may prevent new members or users from being added to the SharePoint group.

You may either add members to the Microsoft 365 group connected with the site or add members to Office 365, or alternatively, you may share the site with others who aren’t part of a Microsoft 365 group.

  • In this instance try giving individuals direct access to a site in SharePoint online by going to setting >> site permissions >> Invite people >> Share site only
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Steps to avoid user adding issues

The best practice for adding users to a SharePoint site is generally to first create a group with appropriate permissions, and then add users to the group.

If you have an existing group configured, to add users to it:

  • In your site, click Site Contents, and then click Settings.
  • Under “Users and Permissions”, click People and groups.
  • On the left, select the group to which you’d like to add the users.
  • Click the drop-down arrow next to New, and then select Add Users.
  • In the box “Enter names, email addresses or ‘Everyone'”, type the name, username, or email address of the user and select them from the search box that appears.
  • Include a personal message if desired, and click Show Options to choose whether to send an email invitation.
  • When you’re finished, click Share

Affected Users

It appears that when you add a single impacted internal user as a member via setting>site permissions >Invite people>Add Members to your Group on any SharePoint online site, you will receive an error notice. 

However, Microsoft suggests that you may add that impacted user successfully using Office 365 admin center, and that person is likewise shown in active users.

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Can’t add users to SharePoint: Step-by-step fix

  • Next click on the group option shown in the left hand side menu followed by “Active groups” in the dropdown menu
  • Once you are in the group section you need to find the group you wish to add members or users in but can’t. You may need to scroll to find the correct group you are looking for. Here the group used for example is group Demo Site
  • Once you have clicked on the chosen group, a window will pop up in the right side of the display showing information about the group and areas where you can edit the preferences. Here you need to click “Members”
  • Once this is complete click on view all and manage members
  • Once this is complete click on the add members button where you can add members and manage the old ones. In this case type out the affected user who cannot be added to the group, then finally click on save to save and add the new members to the group

You may either add members to the Microsoft 365 group linked with the site, as seen above, or you can add members to the Office 365 group. You may also share the site with others who aren’t part of a Microsoft 365 group. Try giving direct access to the site in SharePoint Online by going to settings >> site permissions >> Invite people >> Share site only and seeing what happens.

How to make a SharePoint file read only

Written by Saajid Gangat in Microsoft,SharePoint,SharePoint Guides Last Updated January 18, 2023

In Microsoft SharePoint, you may adjust the file settings for libraries, folders, and individual documents which is effective to ensure you have greater control over the contents of your SharePoint site. There are only a few changes that need to be made to a document to ensure it’s read-only, then users who have not been authorized will only be able to open and read the document rather than downloading it.

Step by step process:

  • First, sign into Office 365.
  • Open the app launcher and click on Admin.
  • Click on SharePoint to open the SharePoint app.
  • Click on policies followed by sharing.
  • Scroll down and, in the category where it says “Choose the permission that’s selected by default for sharing links,” click on “view” — this will change the share setting to view.
  • Then underneath “These links can give these permissions” change the file view and edit selection to just edit.
  • Then click save.
  • Get SharePoint from $6.00 per month with Microsoft 365 Business Basic.

What this does is that it allows users to effectively turn the file into a read-only file every time it’s opened making it easier to ensure unintentional edits are avoided. To reverse the effect and disable the read-only feature you can click file >> info >> Protect document again. This will remove the changes made earlier and ensure you have the document the way you need it.

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When would you use the “read only” feature

Users have a choice as to whether they want to enable read-only or have editing from the start however there are instances where users want to disable the edit feature. Firstly, as stated earlier it’s a safety feature where accidental and unintentional edits can be prevented if used correctly.

Users may also wish to have this feature enabled to prevent their partners who have access to this particular file from being edited upon opening, only when essential should the file be edited in this instance. 

The file is used for visual purposes only, where users may want to only use the file to share content to visualize for example planning writeups, invoices, and other important defined documents that don’t need any form of editing.

Limitations

Unfortunately, SharePoint does not have the ability to make a document read-only on its own. While a document is in SharePoint, SharePoint can assign read access to it. Those permissions will not be carried if downloaded and opened. To limit, you’d have to utilize Azure Information Protections or the Rights Management Service.

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Make a SharePoint file read-only: Step-by-step

  • Firstly, you need to sign in to Office 365 where the Sharepoint file is located. This will bring you to the office 365 dashboard.
  • Then click on the app launcher menu section illustrated by three dots followed by the Admin button.
  • Then click on the “show all” button which will bring up more selections for you to access.
  • At the bottom of the section click on Sharepoint which will bring up the admin Sharepoint section.
  • Then under policies click on sharing, the policies tab is located in the left hand menu panel as a dropdown listing you will see sharing, click on this.
  • Then in the link share category change it to view from edit. What this will do is remove the editing portion from a shared link and restrict it to view only.
  • Then edit the settings for the file or folder as this content illustrates changes for a file select the tab which illustrates file,
  • Finally, click on save and this will save the setting changes and when the file is opened you will only be able to view the file and not edit it.

How to share a SharePoint file with external users without a Microsoft account?

Written by Saajid Gangat in Microsoft,SharePoint,SharePoint Guides Last Updated July 27, 2023

An extensively appealing advantage many consider when adopting the professional tool SharePoint is its ability to collaborate with other content creators part of the organisation or even members outside the organisation such as clients This ability makes SharePoint a valued asset amongst companies or organisations of varying size. Having the ability to share content externally with the assistance of SharePoint enables users that are part of an organisation to interact effectively with external members of the group.

Step by step process

  1. First, login into your Microsoft Office account and access the app launcher panel.
  2. Click on “Show all” on the left menu to view all admin centers.
  3. Select “SharePoint” from the list of admin centers.
  4. Expand “Policies” on the left menu of your SharePoint admin center and select “Sharing.”
  5. Ensure that “Anyone with the link” is enabled.
  6. Click the “Save” button to save your changes.
  • Get SharePoint from $6.00 per month with Microsoft 365 Business Basic.

Please note you will need to be a global admin or SharePoint admin in Office/Microsoft 365 to follow the steps outlined above. If you’re not, ask your admin to assign your user the appropriate permissions or ask them to apply the retention policies on your behalf. 

External users are members or associates that are outside your organisation network related to Office 365. They are not permanent members of your company however they have a good reason to be part of your network therefore they require temporary access to files of content related to the company Office 365 network. The content below shows a precise step by step guide on how to share content with external users in the organisation.

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Step-by-step: How to share a SharePoint file with external users without Microsoft account

A user who is considered external to the organisation is an individual who has no active participation in the company Office 365 subscription, however, that user has been granted access to associated content including files, documents, one or more sites related with that company or organisation.

There are essentially 2 types of users which are considered external and these users have no verified association with a company or organisation prior to acceptance or verification. One of those members is authenticated members with a Microsoft account and the other is authenticated members without a Microsoft account.

Content sharing with members or users external to the organisation who have a Microsoft Account from another Office 365 subscription has a similar approach to the way content is shared with internal members. Since these users do not have a license to the company Office 365 subscription, they have limited abilities to collaborate with the company.

Content sharing with Authenticated users without Microsoft accounts

  • Sharing with existing external users

This option allows you to share sites, folders, and documents with external users who are already in your Office 365 user directory. It may include users who have accepted sharing invitations earlier or have been imported from Office 365.

  • Sharing with authenticated external users

You can share content with external users who already have a Microsoft account subscription. These users are not required to log in using a Microsoft account instead they are sent a one-time code, which can be used to verify their identity.

  • Sharing with anonymous users

Content can be shared using anonymous links that do not require sign-in. Anyone with access to the link can view or edit the files and folders. The links are valid until the company disables them, or they expire (if an expiration date was set).

Content sharing members inclusive without a Microsoft account.

To allow company members, employees or directors to share content with external users, you need to enable the correct sharing permissions in the Sharepoint admin center.

  • Click on the navigation menu icon if you can’t see the menu.
  • With the menu open, click on “Show all” to view the admin centers.
  • Scroll down the menu to view the admin centers and select “Sharepoint” from the list.
  • Open the “Policies” menu on the left side of your SharePoint admin center.
  • Select “Sharing” from the dropdown list.
  • Click on “More external sharing settings” and ensure no limitations are placed on guest sharing.
  • Ensure anyone with the link can access the shared file or folder.
  • Set the sharing permissions to View or Edit as required.
  • Finally, click the “Save” button to save your changes.

Share a file or folder with an authenticated user without a Microsoft Account:

  • An email containing a link to the file or folder is sent
  • In order to verify their identity, a time-sensitive code is sent via email each time they access the file or folder.
  • To access the file or folder, guest user must enter the code
  • To discontinue sharing content with the external user, delete the sharing link that was sent to them.

Share a file or folder with an anonymous user without a Microsoft Account:

  • Separate view and edit links are created and sent to them
  • The links are set to expire at a specified time
  • The same links can be reused and passed around
  • Anonymous users are not added to the user list in Office 365
  • To discontinue sharing, go to the document or folder that you shared and delete the anonymous link

How to attain a share link to send across to external users:

  • Hover over any file or folder that you want to share and click the share icon.
  • Choose the option “Anyone with the link can edit” if it’s not already selected.
  • Then click the “Copy” button to get the link and distribute to guests.

That’s all! Thank you for reading.