Getting started with Email: Catmail and Microsoft Outlook

Table of Contents

If you have not yet setup your email, please review the setup instructions article.

Accessing your email

If you have already setup your OHIO email account but are still having trouble logging in to your email confirm the following:

If you are using the Outlook web application (OWA), click your profile picture icon in the top right of the window and select Sign out. If you have not set a profile picture, the icon will be your initials.To be sure that you are safely logged out, OIT recommends closing your browser completely, especially if you are in a computer lab or kiosk. 

Logging in to Catmail

You must use your full OhioID@ohio.edu email address instead of just your Ohio ID when signing into a Microsoft service like Catmail. 

Safari on Mac OS 

If you repeatedly get sent back to the log in page when using Safari on Mac OS to access Catmail, try using a different browser like Chrome or Firefox. 

Sending emails and mass emails

Maximum recipients and messages per day

To help deter spamming, the following limitations are placed on: 

  • The combined number of To, Cc, and Bcc recipients a single email can have. If you send an email to a large number of people, you may receive an error message indicating that your email was not delivered. 

    • If you need to send a one-time message to a large number of people, please use our Mass Mailings service. (Please allow up to five days for your request to be processed). 

    • If you have a regular need to send emails to predefined groups of people, distribution groups and listservs allow you to send a message to a single email address that then distributes the message to the entire group: 

  • The number of messages your account can send in 24 hours. 

    • If your account is flagged as having sent a suspiciously high number of emails, Microsoft will block your account from sending additional emails for 24 hours, but you will still be able to receive email. We do not have any way to override this block, and you will need to wait for Microsoft to re-enable your access. 

Message and attachment size limits

Maximum message size is 25 MB, including attachments. 

  • If you try to send something larger, the message will be rejected. 

  • If you are sending to someone outside the University, we recommend staying under 15 MB.

  • If you need to send something larger than this, upload the file to OneDrive for Business and send your recipient a link to that file. 

Restricted attachment file types

Catmail will not accept executable file types as an attachment.This restriction also applies to executable items stored inside zip files and other compressed archives. 

  • If you need to share an executable file, use a cloud storage service like OneDrive. 

Managing folders

Search folders

If you have any Search Folders configured for your account, you will need to use Outlook to access those folders. 

  • Microsoft does not support Search Folders in Outlook web application.  

Junk folder

We recommend checking and emptying your Junk folder every 30 days.  

Import PST/OLM files into Outlook

If you have archived messages stored in PST or OLM files, you can import those into Catmail. 

Account settings and privacy

Keeping your account after you leave the University

Students and alumni
If you graduate from the university, you may keep your Catmail account indefinitely. If you leave the university for another reason, your access may be terminated once you are no longer eligible to register for classes.

Current employees
You will have access to your employee Catmail account as long as you are employed by the university.  Once you stop working for the university, your access will be disabled.  Exceptions include:

  • Adjuncts who only are under contract during portions of each year can arrange for access to persist between contracts. 

  • Employees who also are taking classes have two separate Catmail accounts.  Their student account will be covered by the "students" policy. 

  • Employees who are also alumni of the university will have both an employee account and an alumni account.  The alumni account will remain active regardless of employment status. 

Retirees and Emeriti

You will have access to your Catmail account indefinitely. 

Sponsored guests

You will have access as long as your sponsor approves your account. 

Confidentiality 

Ohio University does not sell email address lists, and our contract with Microsoft does not allow them to sell your address or information or to advertise their services to you; however, we are required by Ohio public records law to provide directory information to those who request it.  

Students may choose to have their directory information withheld. Students that know their OHIO ID and password may:

  1. Log into the MyOHIO Student Center to change their privacy settings.

  2. In the MyOHIO Student Center click on My Personal Information.

  3. Using the drop-down box select Privacy Settings and click the double arrows.

  4. Click on Edit FERPA/Directory Restrictions, click on Restrict All Fields, and click Save. 

Students that do not know their Ohio ID and password may choose to have directory information withheld by completing a Confidentiality Status Request Form. Once completed, signed, and dated, return the form to the address or fax number provided at the bottom of the form. 

Notice: Please keep in mind that a Confidentiality Request will completely hide your presence at the University. When you send emails, the “from” address will not include your name and no one will be able to look you up using Catmail’s built-in address search. 

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