Exchange Online: answers to common questions

A UB student wearing a mask uses a laptop on UB's North Campus.

Published April 26, 2021

As part of UB’s move to Microsoft 365, UB employees and new students are moving to Microsoft 365’s cloud-based email service for UBmail, Exchange Online. These are the most common questions people have about this change.

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For UB’s faculty and staff, email migrations to Exchange Online are underway during the Spring 2021 semester. If you aren’t sure whether your email has been migrated to Exchange Online yet, talk to your departmental support staff for information about your department’s timeline.

UB’s previous email service for faculty and staff was also Exchange-based, which means that most aspects of the UBmail experience for employees will not change. You can keep up with new and changing features in your UBmail by visiting the UBIT website.

Does Exchange Online filter junk mail (spam) differently?

Yes, in addition to the UB Mail Management Tool, Exchange Online features an additional layer of predictive filtering in the background to reduce spam. To see which messages have been held in Microsoft quarantine, visit https://protection.office.com/quarantine.

The Outlook app also includes a separate level of filtering, although this is less reliable than the filtering UB provides on its end. It is recommended that you disable the Outlook app’s scanning feature on Windows by going to Home > Junk > Junk email options and selecting No automatic filtering.

I found a message in my Junk folder that shouldn’t have been sent there. What do I do?

If a message was improperly sent to the Junk folder, you can restore it by opening the message, clicking Report Junk and then selecting Not junk.

How do I report spam in Exchange Online?

You can report incoming messages as junk so the Exchange Online mail filter can learn to better filter your mail. 

To report a message as junk mail in the Outlook client, click the Report Message icon near the top of the window, then select Junk.

Can I still read my email in a web browser?

Yes, you can use Outlook on the web to check your email, calendars and more from a web browser. However, the old web address, exchowa.buffalo.edu, is no longer applicable. Instead, visit ubmail.buffalo.edu to access your Exchange Online-based mailbox.

How big is my mailbox?

Active faculty, staff and students at the University at Bufalo have a maximum mailbox size 100 GB. For alumni, retirees and volunteers, the maximum mailbox size is 50 GB. There is also a limit of 10,000 messages you can send per 24-hour period.

Visit the UBIT website for more information on mail size limits, including information about attachments and recipient caps.

I’m a UB employee but my UBmail mailbox is in Gmail. Will I be migrated to Exchange Online?

Yes, our goal is to eventually move everyone using Gmail for their UBmail to Exchange Online. Your departmental IT support staff will be contacting you soon with information about your mailbox migration.

I graduated from UB, and my UBmail mailbox is in Gmail. Will I be migrated to Exchange Online?

Yes, your mailbox migration to Exchange Online will be happening at a later date. Stay tuned!

I’m a current student with Gmail. Can I move to Exchange Online?

Not at this time. UB students currently using Gmail for their UBmail will keep Gmail (and corresponding apps, like Google Drive) while they are still students at UB.

However, these students also have access to Microsoft 365 services like OneDrive and Teams while they're an active student, even if their email is powered by Google.

I graduated more than six months ago and have recently opted into alumni email. Will my mailbox be Gmail or Exchange Online?

If you graduated more than six months ago, and are newly opting into alumni email, your alumni mailbox will be through Exchange Online.

I saw a “Mailbox does not exist” error when I tried to log in after migration. Is all my mail gone?

No! No need to worry. Clearing your cache and cookies should resolve this problem, allowing you to log in as usual.

How do I get help with UBmail?

The UBIT Help Center can help with questions and problems related to your UBmail. Students can also book the UB Tech Squad for a personal consultation with tech problems. Visit buffalo.edu/ubit/help or call 716-645-3542.