So you finally got your head around Exchange AutoDiscover but when a new user with a new Windows profile starts Outlook for the first time, they still get the following wizard? What the heck? Not really truly “silent” and user friendly… Keep on reading to make it really user friendly and silent.
Make sure the following registry key is set before the user starts Outlook for the first time (for example, using GPP).
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover
DWORD: ZeroConfigExchange
Values:
0 (or missing) = default autoconfiguration functionality
1 = no interaction except for credentials prompt (if required)
With that set, and of course if AutoDiscover is correctly configured in your Exchange environment, you just get the following and nothing more.
What if, for some reason, it can’t automatically configure everything using AutoDiscover? Will it completely fail? No – it will revert back to the normal “manual” model:
You probably also noticed two more annoying questions you would like to supress for the user.
Please enter your full name and initials below.
Set the following two registry keys (for example using GPP):
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\UserInfo
REG_SZ: UserInitials
Value: User initials
REG_SZ: UserName
Value: User name
And also the annoying
Welcome to Microsoft Office 2010
Help Protect and Improve Microsoft Office
…where you usually want to check “Don’t make changes” and control that using GPO instead.
Using the Office 2010 Administrative Template (.admx), configure the following:
User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Office 2010\Miscellaneous
Suppress recommended setting dialog -> Enabled
If you are using DNS SRV record for AutoDiscover you might get the following popup after a few seconds after starting Outlook:
Allow this website to configure name@domain.com server settings?
Set the following registry key (for example using GPP):
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover\RedirectServers
REG_SZ: The hostname/FQDN showed in the address, for example mail.domain.com
Value:
<blank>
Hopefully this will give your users a better user experience when using Outlook 2010.
Hi,
OK I have read many threads and posts about the solution “ZeroConfigExchange”. But it does’nt work for my Windows 10 clients.
Windows 10 x64
Office 2016
Office 365 / Azure AD accounts
Client computer is join with Azure AD so the users login with Office 365 accounts
No On-promise AD, only Azure AD
AutoDiscover and modern authentication works with sharepoint and Outlook 2016
Dword “ZeroConfigExchange” = 1 is created in both regkeys for all users
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover
Problem
When I start Outlook 2016 for first time users it still prompts the “Welcome to Outlook 2016” setup wizard where I have to create a profile.
What am I doing wrong?
Best regards
@Fredrick,
This article glossed over it in the fist sentence (“So you finally got your head around Exchange AutoDiscover…”), but you must setup a CNAME alias DNS record for your domain. If your e-mail address is “fredrick@mydomain.com”, then you have to add a CNAME alias for “autodiscover.mydomain.com” that resolves to “autodiscover.outlook.com”. Here is Office 365’s support page on DNS records needed: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Create-DNS-records-for-Office-365-using-Windows-based-DNS-9eec911d-5773-422c-9593-40e1147ffbde
do we have the same thing for Outlook for Mac?