Category: MS Office 365

Microsoft office 365, configuration, backups, solutions.

How to Use Breaks in Word 365

This blog will explore how to use breaks in Word 365. Users who are not familiar often mistakenly make the mistake of creating new sections or pages by simply hitting their Enter key repeatedly until they have created the appearance of a new page or a new section in their document. It drives me crazy when I receive a document to work on and encounter this. It takes a lot of time and keystrokes. I am all about getting things done efficiently and quickly.

The issue with this technique is that if you or anybody else goes back and modifies a previous paragraph in the document, inserts an image, or resizes anything that occurs before all those carriage returns, all of that space just shifts to an unexpected location in the content.

You need to know that a break is different than just pressing the Enter key on your keyboard. In fact, if you open any Word document and enable the Show/Hide feature, you will see all of the hidden formatting marks (non-printing characters) in that document, including all spaces, pilcrows (paragraph markings), and section breaks.

All spaces will appear as tiny dots between each word if your formatting marks are visible. Section breaks, however, will appear in dotted lines with the words Section Break and then the kind of break following in parentheses.

You can create two basic types in Word: Page breaks and section breaks. Most people are familiar with page breaks and the most popular. However, there are also other types of page breaks: column and text wrapping. A column break stops the text in one column and repeats the text at the beginning of your next column. A text wrapping break will separate text from objects on web pages. Those three breaks are the type of page breaks you will find in Word. This leads us to create a page break and a section break.

Use Breaks in Word 365

Follow the steps below to learn how to use breaks in Microsoft Word 365.
Once your document is completed and you have decided which type of break will work for you, save your document.
Firstly, you must move your insertion point to where you would like your break to begin.
You must go to the layout tab and Breaks, which will open the Breaks menu.

Toward the top, you will see Page. Click on this to insert a page break.
That was easy. Now, we can move to the section breaks. There are different types of section breaks besides the one we discussed earlier, which starts a new section and keeps the text on the same page. These include the next page break, the even page section break, and the odd page section break.

What is the reason why all these breaks are necessary? The answer is that section breaks are useful when you want a portion of your document to look different and stand out more than the rest. Each section can have its own look, with its own page orientation, style, headers, and footers, and other ways of formatting.

Follow the instructions below to learn how to insert a section break.
Move your insertion point to where you would prefer your break to start.
In the Layout tab, click Breaks. It will open the Breaks menu.

In the middle of the menu, you will see Section Breaks.
Select Continuous to insert a continuous section break.

Read more about How To Disable Auto Bullets Numbering in Word 365

14/09/2024
How To Disable Auto Bullets Numbering in Word 365

This blog will explore how to disable auto bullets numbering in Microsoft Word 365. Having said that, many people find these automatic bullets and a lot of pain.

You can disable automatic bullets and numbering in Word 365 by changing AutoFormat settings in the AutoCorrect dialogue box. Automatic bullets and numbering are switched on by default, but you can turn these options off or on when needed. If Word appears to be automatically formatting your document, there are other AutoFormat as you type options that can be turned off.

I appreciate the software’s efforts to make things easier for me, but it is usually incorrect. Fortunately, this feature can be switched off. Disable the feature in Word that automatically begins to enter numbered or bulleted text for you.

How can I set a default bullet in Word?

The primary bullet in Word is the black pointed bullet, and the easiest way to add a bullet to your list is to click the bullet button on the Home tab in the Paragraph group. You can add other bullets to your list in the Bullet Library section. You can also change the list level or define New bullets where you can insert new bullets using pictures or symbols.

Disable Auto Bullets, Numbering in Word

In Microsoft Word 365, select the File menu and then select Options.

In the Word options page, select the Proofing tab from your left pane.
Select AutoCorrect Options….

Click on the “AutoFormat As You Type” tab.
Uncheck the box “Automatic bulleted lists” and “Automatic numbered lists”. Click ok

Some users may also want to look at the Advanced menu under Cut, copy, and paste.

“Pasting between documents”
“Pasting between documents when style definitions conflict”
“Pasting from other programs”
To “Keep Text Only”
Click ok.

Visit Microsoft to learn more about turning on or off automatic bullets or numbering.

06/09/2024
How to Create a Microsoft 365 Group

In this blog, you will learn how to create a Microsoft 365 group with an admin center and PowerShell. Microsoft 365 groups are used to create resources such as teams, outlook inboxes, shared calendars, and access to Microsoft 365 resources. Groups allow your users to share and collaborate with files, emails, and other resources.

Types of Microsoft 365 Groups

There are different types of Groups in Microsoft 365. There are Microsoft 365, Security, Distribution, and Dynamic Distribution groups.

How to Create a Microsoft 365 Group Using the Admin Center

Log into the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Expand the Teams and groups, and click on Active Teams & groups.
Click on “Add a Microsoft 365 group”.

Type a name for the Microsoft 365 group and type in a detailed description in the Description field. In this example, I’m going to name this group the IT Team. Click Next

Now, we need to assign owners to the group. Owners have the right to add or remove members to the group, as well as permissions in the resources. Click on + Assign owners.

Search for the owner(s) you want to add to the group, then select the box to the left of the name. Once you have all the owners you want to add, click on Add bottom.

Click Next.

Now, you can add members. Each member of the group has the same rights. The owner of this group is the only member with elevated permissions.
Click on Add Members.
Search for the names of the members you wish to add to the group. Once you have all the members you would like to add, click on Add bottom. Click next

Next, we are going to modify the settings for the group.

Edit Settings Microsoft 365 Group

Group email address

You must select a unique and easily recognizable email address for your group. This will be used by anyone who is emailing this group, including individuals outside the organization.

Privacy

You must select the Privacy level of your group. If you select Public, anyone can join the group without obtaining approval from the owner of the group. If you select Private, only the owner can add members to the group.

Role assignment

Under Role Assignment, you can select to enable Admin roles to be assigned to this group. By selecting this option, you can automatically assign an admin role to members of this organization. In this case, I will not allow this, so I will leave the box unchecked.

Add Microsoft Teams to your group.

You can create a Microsoft Teams Team from this group. It is selected by default. I am not going to create a Team from this group, so I will not check the box. Click next

Review your settings. You can edit any settings you require on this page. If everything is what you want, click Create Group. Review and finish adding the group.
You can edit any settings you require on this page. If everything is what you want, click Create Group.

You will find the confirmation page. Click Close.

Create a Microsoft 365 Group with PowerShell

In this example, I will create a Microsoft 365 group using PowerShell. I
Please visit Microsoft to learn more about it.

01/09/2024
How to Enable Navigation Pane in Word 365

In this blog, we will learn how to enable navigation pane in Word 365. The Navigation pane is easy to access in a document from one place to the next. You can quickly move between headings, pages, or search results. The Navigation Pane is the most efficient and fastest way to move around a document. It is available in Word for Windows (Microsoft 365 and Office), while the Word for Mac version is similar but lacks variety.

The navigation pane is easy to locate from one location to the next in a document. You can quickly move between headings, pages, or search results. If you have already created section breaks in your Word document, you know that using the go-to command to navigate your long documents by section is a great feature and time-saving shortcut in Word.

Enable Navigation Pane in Word 365

Open a document in Word and click the view tab.
Tick the Navigation Pane box.

The pane appears on the left. It includes a search field to locate text in your document and three methods to browse: by heading page or search result.

Press the Ctrl + F key from the keyboard.

Use the Navigation Pane

Navigating your document by page or heading allows you to navigate it quickly.
Click on the Headings tab.
The Navigation pane is now displaying all the headings in the document.
Select a heading in the Navigation menu.
Word moves directly to that heading.

Click the Pages tab on the Navigation page.
A thumbnail displays each page in the document. You can scroll through this list for a quick overview of the document’s structure.
Select a page in the list. The word sends you directly to the selected page.

You can collapse a section by clicking the arrow next to a section that contains subheadings. You can modify sections in a document by clicking and dragging a heading up or down.

Read more: How To Change Page Orientation in Word 365

24/08/2024
How To Show Character Count in Word 365

This blog will explore how to show character count in Word 365. You may need to ensure that your document has a certain number of words. Microsoft Word allows you to keep track of your word count in two different ways: by the status bar at the bottom of the screen and in the Review tab of the ribbon. It’s less common to require the character count, but it’s just as easy to find through the Ribbon’s Review tab.

Microsoft Word makes it incredibly easy to count the number of characters in your documents. You can view that information by accessing the status bar or the dedicated Word Count option.

Show Character Count in Word 365

I will provide this using the Microsoft 365 Word desktop app and the online version.
Open Word on your computer and click it to open the program.

Once Word is open, search for the document you want to use or create a new document. Click to open the document.

Now that we are in the document and you have filled out all you want look at the bottom. You will see a status bar likely to have the word count already on it. Right-click the bar.

The menu called Customize Status Bar will be displayed. Look for the Character Count in Word Count. Click it.

Look at the bottom status bar and see the character count displayed along with the word count.

That is the way you do this in the Desktop version. It’s time to show you where to find this in the Online app.

Show Character Count in Word Online

The online version of Word does not allow you to display it at the bottom like the desktop version. I will show you where you can locate the count.
Once you open your document in the Online Word app, look to the top menu bar. Click the Review option and click it.

You should now have another menu ribbon below that one. Find the Word Count and click the arrow to the left of it.

A drop-down menu will appear, and you must click the Word Count option.

This will display the word count window that shows the Character Counts. I wish they could add this to the bottom status bar as in the desktop version. At least now you are aware of where the count is hiding.

You now know how to locate those counts in the Desktop App and the Online one.

17/08/2024
How To Change Page Orientation in Word 365

This article explains how to change page orientation in Microsoft Word 365. We included inserting a section break in a previous post, and I promised to follow up by changing the page orientation. There are different reasons why one might need to change the orientation in your documents, and I believe you will be happy to have learned about this.

Once you have inserted your section breaks into your document, you can now modify the page orientation of any of your sections without affecting the layout of the other sections. You can now move your insertion point to a part and change page orientation for one page in Word.

Change Page Orientation in Microsoft Word

Follow the steps below to learn how to change the page to portrait and landscape:
Select the Layout tab and click on Orientation in the page section, which will open a menu with two options: “Portrait and Landscape”.

Select Landscape
The section you selected earlier should show landscape now, and the rest of your document should remain in portrait format.
That is how you modify the layout of your documents. This is a simple example of how you can accomplish sections.

You will discover that sometimes the Word inserts section breaks automatically, without you even knowing it, which happens when you insert columns in your documents. If you select any text in your document and then go to Layout > Columns > Two, Word will automatically create continuous section breaks before and after the selected area. Occasionally, when adding certain formatting features in Word, you may not always be aware that Word is inserting sections for you.

Is it a big deal? If you use section numbers and start to notice randomly that your numbering appears to be a bit off, this could be why. You may have encountered a feature in Word that has added a section break. I always suggest having your Show/Hide enabled so that you can see all formatting marks.

Click on the File tab and then Options.

Click on display options.

Changing the orientation of pages in Word is very beneficial, especially when you are using charts or tables that do not fit in portrait mode.
However, you will likely not be using this formatting as frequently as you are numbering sections and pages.

14/08/2024
How To Modify Table of Contents in Word 365

In this article, Let’s explore how to modify table of contents in Microsoft Word 365. You can modify how it appears once you have created and saved a Table of Contents in Word. If you have created an automatic or custom TOC using heading styles, you can modify the table of contents layout using table of contents styles. The TOC styles are created automatically based on heading levels. For example, if you have included 3 heading styles when you created your TOC, Word will create 3 TOC styles that you can modify to alter the format of your table quickly.

Customizing your table of contents will apply your preferences to your current table. If you enjoy what you see, select ok. If not, simply choose Cancel, and all your changes will be forgotten. Your table of contents will remain there.

Modify Table of Contents in Word

Modify a table of contents by modifying or removing tab leaders.
Tables of contents are usually displayed with tab leaders (such as dots or periods).
To easily modify or remove tab leaders for the whole table of contents:
Click the automatic or custom table of contents.
Go to the References tab on the Ribbon.

Choose Table of Contents from the Table of Contents group. A drop-down window appears.
Select the Custom Table of Contents. A dialog box is shown.

Select a distinct leader or None from the tab leader drop-down menu and click ok.

Tab leader options are displayed in the Table of Contents dialogue box as follows:

Modify TOC styles to modify the format of table of contents entries.
To modify a table of contents style:
Click on the automatic or custom table of contents.
Select the References tab in the Ribbon.

Choose Table of Contents from the Table of Contents group. A drop-down window appears.
Choose Custom Table of Contents. A dialog box is shown.
Ensure From Template is selected alongside Formats and click Modify.

A window box appears. You can customize the TOC styles in the table of contents. If you have created the table of contents from three heading levels, 3 TOC styles can be modified. These styles are in a hierarchy (TOC is the top level).
Click the TOC style you wish to modify and click Modify.

Modify Styles Dialogue Box

The Modify Styles dialogue box appears. Turn off Automatically Update Styles (so users cannot modify the table of contents in the document and alter the formatting throughout the table of contents). It is also advisable to ensure New Documents Based on This Template is not selected so that you don’t alter TOC formatting in the template (typically the Normal template).

You can modify it, such as changing the font size and color. Click Format at the bottom of the dialog box and select Font or Paragraph from the dropdown menu.
Continue to click ok to close the dialog boxes.
The template is selected in the Table of Contents dialog box below. Formats:

After you click Modify in the Table of Contents dialog box (notice that Format appears on the bottom left and gives Font, Paragraph, and other options), the Style dialog box with TOC styles appears:

After you click Modify in the Style dialog box, the Modify Style dialog box appears:

Change Fonts in a Table of Contents

You can modify the font for each TOC level using the method above. However, if you have used themes in the Word 365 document, the table of content styles should select the font based on the font theme.

The Design tab in the Ribbon is used for Font themes.
Apply a font theme in a Word document:
Click the Design tab on the Ribbon.
Click the Fonts in the Document Formatting group. A drop-down window appears.
Select a Font theme.

When you first create a Word document, it’s advisable to select a font theme or document theme with the font theme you desire. If users manually alter the font, this overturns the theme.

Change Indents and Spacing in Table of Contents

You can modify the indents and spacing in TOC styles. Indents and spacing (above and below) are a paragraph.
To modify the indents and spacing in a table of content style:
Click the automatic or custom table of contents.
Select the References tab in the Ribbon.
Select Table of Contents from the Table of Contents group. A drop-down window appears.

Select a Custom Table of Contents. A dialog box is shown.
Ensure From Template is included in the Formats.
Click Modify. A dialog box is shown.
Click the TOC style you wish to modify.
Click Modify. The Modify Styles dialog box displays. Ensure Automatically Update is not checked.

Click Format at the top of the dialog box. A drop-down window appears.
Select Paragraph. The Paragraph dialogue box appears.

Enter the desired indents (usually inches or centimeters, based on your measurement system). It is shared here to alter the left indent.
Enter values in the Prior and After areas below Spacing (in points).
Continue to click OK to close the dialog boxes.

The Paragraph dialog box opens up when you click Format and choose Paragraph in the Modify Styles dialog box as follows:

Several other options, such as tabs and borders, are worth exploring in the Format menu in the Modify Styles dialog box.

Visit Microsoft to learn more about the table of contents.

10/08/2024
How to Export PST from Microsoft 365 Admin Center

This blog discusses the ways to export PST from Microsoft 365 admin center and attachments. I will explain different solutions to export the Office 365 mailbox to PST from the admin portal. All procedures have been tested and verified by IT administrators. Read this guide and find the solution you have been looking for.

Why Backing up Email Boxes from Microsoft 365?

Exporting PST files from Microsoft 365 mailboxes offers several advantages, such as.

Security: Protect your data from cybersecurity threats or other potential problems by keeping it on a local drive.
Storage Space: Providing storage space by backing up your mailboxes to compact PST files, freeing up space in your Exchange Online account and saving costs.
Email Migration: Enhancing email migration when switching to a new email client or device, ensuring data continuity.
Legal Compliance: Archive emails and critical data, which is essential for regulatory and legal disputes, to ensure compliance with legal and compliance requirements.

Below are the steps to export your Microsoft 365 or Exchange Online mailboxes to PST files.

How to Export Microsoft 365 Mailbox to PST for Backup

eDiscovery offers the ability to search for content across various platforms such as Exchange Online, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 Groups, and Yammer Teams. This includes the ability to locate both mailboxes and sites in a single eDiscovery search and then export the results. To download PST from Microsoft 365 admin, follow these instructions.

Assign eDiscovery permissions

Go to the Microsoft 365 compliance portal and sign in with an account that can provide permissions.
In the left pane, select Roles & scopes and choose Permissions.
On the Permissions window, under Microsoft Purview Solutions, choose Roles.

On the Role groups for Microsoft Purview solutions window, select the eDiscovery Manager.

Do one of the following actions on the eDiscovery Manager flyout pane based on the eDiscovery permissions that you want to assign.
Select Edit.

On the Manage eDiscovery Manager window, select Choose Users.

Search and select the user (or users) you want to add as an eDiscovery Manager, and then select, Select.

Select Next.

To assign a user (or users) to the eDiscovery Administrator role group, select the Users.
Select Next.

Examine the role group changes on the Review, the role group, and Finish pages. Select Save to save the modifications to the eDiscovery role groups.

Create Content Search in Microsoft Office 365

In the same portal, go to the Solutions section and select Content Search.

Turn on the switch to Exchange mailboxes in the Locations wizard. Select the Choose users, groups, or teams to select your mailbox.

You will find a wizard to define search conditions.

Export Office 365 to PST File Format

In the Content searches list, locate and select the name of the search you performed in the previous step. When you do this, you will see that the search status indicates that it has been completed.
Click on the action menu and select return search.

Click on the Action button and select Export results.

From the options provided, select Export Exchange content (one PST file for each user), and then click on the Export button to proceed.

Microsoft 365 compliance jo has been created.

Go back to the list of content searches and select the Export button again.

Exporting PST from Office 365 is in progress.

Then, select Download Report. Keep a copy of the export key for future reference.

Click open.

Following this, the method to install the Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export Tool.
Paste the export key that you copied in the previous step. Additionally, select a location where you want to save the PST file.
Finally, click the Start button to initiate the process of exporting PST from the Office 365 admin center.

eDiscovery export tool, exporting PST from Microsoft 365.

05/08/2024
How to Select Text in Word 365

Let’s look at this article on how to select text in Word 365 and any other version of Microsoft Word. There are different ways to select Word text. It is clear that many people are aware of different ways to select text in Word. Select all text in your document (Ctr +A) or specific text or items in a table using your mouse or keyboard. You can also select text or items that are in different locations. You can select a paragraph on one page and a sentence on another. I believe most people do not know how to select text in the way I am going to introduce you.

Select Text in Word 365

Ctrl + A

Pressing Ctrl + a select the whole document.

Double-Click

To select the current word, just double-click it. Microsoft Word will select the right and left of the cursor until it encounters a space character.

Shift + Arrow

Hold the Shift key while pressing the right and left arrow keys and the up and down arrow keys to move one character or line at a time.

Click and Drag

It is likely the most intuitive and straightforward way to select text is to click and drag the mouse in any direction.

Shift + Home + End

Pressing Shift + Home selects all components from the current line’s insertion point to the left margin. Shift + End selects everything from the insert point to the last character to the left.

Triple-Click

A mouse triple-click selects the current paragraph.

Margin + Click

To select an entire line, drag the cursor into the left margin. When the insertion pointer turns into an arrow pointer, click. The current line will be selected. You can also press Home + Shift + End, which is a bit awkward.

Margin + Click and Drag

This selection process is similar to the previous one. If you hold down the mouse, Word will select multiple lines, even paragraphs. Word will not be selected when you stop dragging.

Ctrl + Click

To select a sentence (not just a line), hold down Ctrl and click on any location within the sentence.

Selection + Ctrl + Selection

To select two non-contiguous blocks of text, select the first one. Hold down Ctrl when you select the next, and the next, and the next use it to select two or several non-contiguous areas. I probably use this one more than any other; besides clicking and dragging, it is great for applying the same format to several spots.

Click + Shift + Click

To select a text block, click at one end. Next, click at the other end of the block twice while holding down the Shift key.

Alt + Drag

This combination chooses a vertical block. Click and drag up or down while keeping the Alt key depressed. (First, you have to hit Alt.)

Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow | Left Arrow

Use this combination to select between the current position and the right or left of the current word, depending on whether you hold the right or left arrow, respectively.

Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow | Down Arrow

This combination selects from the current position to the beginning or end of the current paragraph, depending on whether you press the up or down arrow.

Alt + Ctrl + Shift + Page Up | Page Down

This is yet another tricky keyboard combination that moves the cursor from the current insertion point to either the start or the end of the window, now visible on the screen. Since this one is so awkward, I would probably just click and drag it.

Sign up to Use Microsoft 365 apps for free on the web.

02/08/2024
How To Add Page Numbers to Footers in Word 365

In this blog, we will teach you how to add page numbers to footers in Word 365. If you are working with a table of contents in Word and decide to modify something like page numbers, the header and footer areas are the last places that most people will look. If you do not use them, it will be very easy to get confused.

The automatic table of contents feature in Word is not always intuitive, especially if you are unfamiliar with Word features and documents. I suppose you have used Word’s automatic table of contents, as I have. In that case, you know that contents such as the names of chapters and page numbers are removed from your document headings and are automatically updated when you click Update Table.

It is clear that changing the appearance of page numbers is not intuitive at first. In conclusion, you want to insert page numbers, which is your little helper, so you will remember where to go to customize your page numbers in the Table of Contents or the header or footer. You go to the Insert tab.

Add Page Numbers to Footers in Word

Let’s get to it, shall we? We will begin by adding page numbers to your footer.
Follow the steps below to learn how to add page numbers to footers in Word.

Click on the Insert tab and look for the Header & Footer group section. There, click on Page Number.
This should open a menu with various options to insert page numbers into your document.
Click the bottom of the page.
Now, choose Plain Number 2 to insert a page number in the center of your footer area.

Your Word page numbers may still not be formatted the way you desire. They may appear as different format numbers. To customize the number by section, you must go to each section and explain how to format your page numbers.

Let us assume that you have already created section breaks in your document. If necessary, you can use the navigation to command your documents by section.
Go to the Editing group in your Home tab, click Find, then Go To, or use the shortcut CTRL + G.

This will open the “Find and Replace” window.

Once in the Go to What pane, click on Section and then click Next to navigate your document by section.
Finally, we are ready to format your page numbers.

Format Page Numbers in Word 365

In the Header & Footer group section, click on Page Number. Click on Format Page Numbers from the menu to open the “Page Number Format” window.

Select Roman numeral format.
Select Start at and click ok.

Return to your table of contents, choose Update Table | Update page numbers only, and click OK.
I hope this has cleared up some of the issues with page numbering for you.

Read more: Modern Authentication with Veeam Backup for Office 365

29/07/2024
How To Change Auto Recover Files Location Word 365

Let’s have a look at this article on how to change auto recover files location in Microsoft Word 365. This guide is for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: Microsoft Word 365, 2021, 2019, 2016, 2010, and 2007 versions. If you are using the earlier version (Microsoft Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not suit you.

Learn how to recover deleted and unsaved Word documents from recycle bins or other folders. You can choose where to save your AutoRecovery files in Word if you want to.

Change Auto Recover Files Location

You can easily locate Word AutoSave in the top pane of Word, just above the ‘File’ tab. It is difficult to ignore, as it is the only toggle switch in that area.

Follow the steps below to learn how to change the auto-recover file location in Word.

Word has a feature that allows you to save temporary files in case of a computer problem. (You know that the routine power goes out, whatever.). This feature is called AutoRecover. When an AutoRecover file is saved to a disk, it is usually placed in a directory that is related to your Windows profile. If you would like Word to place the AutoRecover files in a different location, you can specify the location by following these steps:

Display the Microsoft Word options dialog box. In Word 2010 and later versions, the File tab of the ribbon appears, and then click Options. In Word 2007, click the Office button and then select Word Options.

On the left side of the dialog box, select Save.

Click on the Browse button to the right of the AutoRecover file location field. Word shows the Modify Location dialog box.

Go through your drives until you locate the directory you want to use, and click on ok.

The AutoRecover File Location field is located in the AutoRecover File Location field.
Click on ok.

The Word Options dialog box has the Save options.

Visit Microsoft to learn more.

13/07/2024

Gmail Suspected Message is Spam and Rejected it

In this article, we will teach you how to fix Gmail suspected message issue or Gmail marking email as spam. Status code: 550 5.7.350 Gmail has detected that this message is likely suspicious due to the very low reputation of the sending domain.

550 5.7.350 Gmail has detected that this message is likely suspicious due to the very low reputation of the sending domain. Gmail marking email as spam.

You have a Microsoft 365 tenant, and all the emails sent from Exchange online protection (EOP) are being marked as Spam by Gmail, or the senders of your organization are getting NDR (Non-Delivery Report) saying 550 5.7.350 Gmail has detected that this message is likely suspicious due to the very low reputation of the sending domain.

Why Gmail Marking Email as Spam

When you are sending emails from Microsoft 365 tenants to Gmail servers, these emails are marked as Spam by Gmail servers and are located in the Spam folder of your Gmail mailbox.

Your message to [email protected] couldn’t be delivered.

Gmail.com suspects your message is spam and has rejected it.

User Office 365 gmail.com

Sender Action Required

Messages suspected as spam

How to Fix It

Try to modify your message or change how you’re sending the message using the guidance in this article: Bulk E-mailing Best Practices for Senders Using Forefront Online Protection for Exchange. Then, resend your message.

If you continue to experience the problem, contact the recipient by some other means (by phone, for example) and ask them to ask their email admin to add your email address or your domain name to their allowed senders list.

More Info for Email Admins

Status code: 550 5.7.350

When Office 365 tried to send the message to the recipient (outside Office 365), the recipient’s email server (or email filtering service) suspected the sender’s message is spam.

If the sender can’t fix the problem by modifying their message, contact the recipient’s email admin and ask them to add your domain name or the sender’s email address to their list of allowed senders.

Although the sender may be able to alter the message contents to fix this issue, only the recipient’s email admin can likely fix this problem. Unfortunately, Office 365 Support is unlikely to be able to help fix these kinds of externally reported errors.

Error Details

Error: 550 5.7.350 Remote server returned message detected as spam -> 550 5.7.1 [2a01:111:f403:260d::700 19] Gmail has detected that this message;is likely suspicious due to the very low reputation of the sending;domain. To best protect our users from spam, the message has been;blocked. For more information, go to; https://support.google.com/mail/answer/188131 d75a77b69052e-4464219f335si7077651cf.525 – gsmtp

Message rejected by: mx.google.com

When we analyzed the email header (on the recipient side), we found the email was legitimate with SCL value 1 and SFV (spam filtering verdict) with NSPM (Not spam).

When we checked the hops within the email header that was marked as Spam, we discovered that Exchange Online Protection is sending those emails using IPv6 addresses.

Message Hops
HOP	TIME (UTC)	FROM	TO	WITH	RELAY TIME
1	6/27/2024 7:45:41 AM	VI1PR04MB5533.eurprd04.prod.outlook.com	VI1PR04MB5533.eurprd04.prod.outlook.com	mapi	*
2	6/27/2024 7:45:41 AM	VI1PR04MB5533.eurprd04.prod.outlook.com	DB8PR04MB6874.eurprd04.prod.outlook.com	Microsoft SMTP Server (version=TLS1_2, cipher=TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384)	*

For some reason, Gmail servers cannot process these emails and mark legitimate emails as Spam.

The Microsoft 365 Support team just updated your DKIM in Microsoft 365. (This means disabling DKIM and enabling it.).

How to Update DKIM in Microsoft 365

Expand the Email & collaboration on the Microsoft portal and select Policies & rules.
Select Threat Policies and click on Email authentication settings.
Select the DKIM tab and choose the custom domain you want to disable or enable DKIM signing.

Email from Microsoft 365 Support Team after Disable and Enable DKIM

Thank you for speaking with me to update your DKIM and mark your emails as safe senders for Gmail.

As discussed, it will take some time to update and begin working (up to 24 hours). As mentioned, I will be able to call you on Monday to check if all is well.

In the meantime, if it is not working by this time tomorrow, please create a support ticket in your Admin center, as discussed, and an agent will be able to assist you further.
Thank you for choosing Microsoft 365.
Kind Regards

Note: After waiting 24 hours with no luck, I got the same error: “Gmail suspected message is spam” and “Gmail marking as spam.”

How to fix Gmail Suspected Message as Spam or Gmail Marking Email as Spam

To fix this issue, “this message is likely suspicious due to its very low reputation”. We need to create a connector (outbound connector) in EOP (Exchange Online Protection).

Connector type: From Microsoft 365 to Partner organization.
Use of connector: Only when email messages are sent to these domains: *.gmail.com, gmail.com, *.googlemail.com, googlemail.com.
Routing: Use the MX record associated with the partner’s domain.
Security restrictions: always use TLS.
Validation email: Add one Gmail email address to validate the connector.

To create an outbound connector in Microsoft Exchange Online.

Click on + Add a connector.