Outlook RT will not connect to our Exchange Server.  The W8 Mail app connects with no problem and have been using since the start.  It cannot resolve the username and will not connect even though it asks for and accepts my Exchange password.  I contacted Surface tech support and they were absolutely clueless.  No help at all.   Is there anything special that needs to be done on the MS Exchange side for Outlook for RT.  We connect with iDevices and W8 Phones using Activesync with no issues.  I realize this is a "Preview" release but you would think the tech support would at least propose some reasonable fix suggestions.  The support person seemed to be looking on blogs for help while I sat on the phone...dissapointing.

As you said, this is a preview version...You can't expect to work without issues. However, there is nothing you should do on Exchange side. Outlook RT should connect like any other Outlook, by using RPCoverHTTPs. Windows Mail client and mobile clients are using ActiveSync to connect.

And btw, don't use such large font. Thanks

Hi,

I would like to confirm if Outlook RT connection issue occurs for both internal and external. Please test your OutlookAnywere connectivity. For details how to Test Outlook Anywhere Connectivity:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee633453(v=exchg.141).aspx

Are you trying to connect your Outlook to your onPrem Exchange using ActiveSync? That is not supported. Outlook only allows connection to O365 using ActiveSync. The buildtin Windows Mail however support ActiveSync to Exchange OnPrem. There are 3:rd party software like PointSharp MobileGatway that will allow you to use Outlook to connect to your Exchange OnPrem using ActiveSync. 

\Mattias

So, I have the exact same issue. How do we get Outlook RT to connect to our exchange server? The answers above have not provided a solution. I don't know about OnPrem or 3rd party solutions. I know that the RT Windows Mail app connected easily, that my phone connects easily, that Android tablets seem to have no problem. I don't undrstand how a MS device cannot connect to exchange. Please offer a solution.

The solution for connecting your RT using Outlook to your onprem Exchange would be to use Outlook Anywhere RPC/HTTP(S)

Youll need to configure your Exchange for Outlook anywhere, you Wont be able to use ActiveSync with Outlook but it will give you the same experience.

\\Mattias

The solution for connecting your RT using Outlook to your onprem Exchange would be to use Outlook Anywhere RPC/HTTP(S)

Youll need to configure your Exchange for Outlook anywhere, you Wont be able to use ActiveSync with Outlook but it will give you the same experience.

\\Mattias

• Proposed as answer by Chris.Schaller 11 hours 26 minutes ago

outlook RT connects to exchange on internal network. external network results in certificate error. any suggestion what needs to be done.

Thanks

Are you trying to connect your Outlook to your onPrem Exchange using ActiveSync? That is not supported. Outlook only allows connection to O365 using ActiveSync. The buildtin Windows Mail however support ActiveSync to Exchange OnPrem. There are 3:rd party software like PointSharp MobileGatway that will allow you to use Outlook to connect to your Exchange OnPrem using ActiveSync. 

\Mattias

Why this is not supported? I thought one of the new feutures is to connect outlook via Active Sync. As said the mail app has no problem with that, the only thing you must do is to trust self signed certs. I can't understand why outlook 2013 only connect with office 365 over active sync. In our company we have many Smartphones that goes over active snyc, so why i should also open Outlook Anyware.

Can i count with an update that will make me use activesync over outlook 2013?

• Edited by RisoBP Monday, July 29, 2013 2:51 PM error

Hi

This exact problem continues with the latest and updated release of Windows RT 8.1 (dated 25 Oct 2013)! The Mail App in windows RT connects seamlessly to my exchange server (both within the LAN and externally), Outlook Web Access connects seamlessly to my exchange server(both within the LAN and externally), but Outlook RT will only connect when I am on the LAN. This is pretty useless as i have my laptop to connect to Outlook when i am within the LAN. From Home i get a disconnected message. I was on the phone to Microsoft for 1.5 hours!!! and they didnt have a clue, they just kept passing me from one person to another. At one stage they passed me to billing!

I've given up.

Same problem with Exchange server 2007.  I am using Outlook 8.1 on a Surface RT.  Version released 10/30/2013

Microsoft was clueless.

• Edited by Jake_Surface Thursday, November 07, 2013 2:50 AM

Same exact experience here with the exception that I am connecting to to Exchange 2007.  Interestingly enough, I have two exchange accounts (one is 2007 and the other is 2010).  Both are hosted.  Both have Autodiscover turned on.  I verified with the providers that my configs are correct.  The mail app works but the Exchange 2007 account will not connect.  Microsoft was clueless.  The 1.5 hours of bouncing around Microsoft support was a similar experience!!!

The same problem here..
Please don't tell me that those who decided to comply and bought micrsoft devices now have to manually install certificates. I could never sell that to our internal clients.

To my knowledge the Outlook Client can only do ActiveSync to O365 not to on-prem Exchange. This is because it uses a x-transaction header that is added when trying to do activesync with outlook and the on prem exchange doesn't handle that. The only option is to use another client like the windows mail or to use Outlook Anywhere or a VPN/Direct Access connection. I don't know anything about MS plans for this but my guess they won't support ActiveSync to on-prem exchange for Outlook.

\Mattias

If I get this right, Microsoft has decided to give us an outlook client to use on a Microsoft Device (Surface) that won't connect to an on premises Exchange Server with active sync that I can connect to using ANY Apple IOS Device, ANY Android Device from any manufacturer and even Any Windows Device as long as I used some client other than Outlook. Is that correct?

Yes..that's pretty much right. I had the same issue when I got the RT when it first came on the scene. Took it back and got a refund, totally useless to business when you cannot use a Microsoft OS, to connect from a Microsoft device to a Microsoft Exchange server but the competitors get it right.

After the recent discounts with the RT as the new Surface 2 came out I grabbed another RT hoping with 8.1 these issues would be resolved and sure enough they still exist. It works fine with the mail app (never did on 8) and wont work on Outlook 2013, how is that even possible, does anyone test these things?

I have many senior executives wanting to get Surface tablets and I keep saying we cant support them as I don't want the headache of Outlook not working when it works 100% on our iDevices or any Android tablet.

• Edited by John VM Saturday, January 04, 2014 12:20 PM
• Proposed as answer by Vtch Tuesday, January 14, 2014 4:03 PM
• Unproposed as answer by Vtch Tuesday, January 14, 2014 4:03 PM

www. lovemysurface.net/setup-exchange-outlook-surface.2.rt

try the above it worked for me

• Proposed as answer by Chris.Schaller Saturday, April 05, 2014 1:42 AM

www. lovemysurface.net/setup-exchange-outlook-surface.2.rt

try the above it worked for me

But not for me - as i have the exact same Problem then the poster from the beginning: i CAN connect with the build in mail app on my Windows RT (which is a great machine - no doubt) to my organization, but NOT with Outllook 2013 on the same machine. 
This is even worse, as you cant send directly from the Office-Desktop-Apps directly with the built-in Mail Metro App.

I am working for an organization with more then 100.000 empoyees, and MS should really rethink and test this Feature twice in the near future.

Could be a great machine instead all These iPads - and Outllok could be one of the killer-Features! It just Needs to work.

peace

• Edited by peace1603 Thursday, March 20, 2014 9:26 AM

Thankyou Vtch, exactly what I needed, I'm an exchange admin and just assumed that RT was using Active Sync, MS needs to do more to raise awareness on how Outlook for RT can be consumed in the current on-prem business environments

Better yet, Perhaps Microsoft should take a note from Apple... You can connect an iPad to MS exchange on prem, but not a Microsoft device, not without going to a 3rd party mail client??? Really.

What happens when you try? Can Outlook on a laptop connect? If they block Outlook when outside of the network, Outlook RT will be blocked as well - the very limited EAS protocol that the Mail client uses only works in Outlook with Outlook.com accounts. (I use my Outlook RT with my Exchange account.)

Outlook on any other domain joined device works fine.

What we expect as users and Exchange Admins is that when Outlook tries to connect it can get the apprioriate information from the autodiscover service, everything else can, even my custom apps you the Exchange WebService API which as you might guess, by default uses autodiscover to configure the connection.

It must be a simple implementation issue within outlook, but I think the desktop version of outlook had similar issues if you were not a domain joined user attempting to connect to the on prem server... ring any bells, that's the limitation with the RT, we are not a domain joined user so all the config must come from the autodiscover response.

It is mind boggling that this wasn't a higher priority for MS when they released. I guess we will only get to close this when everyone stops using on-prem exchange and moves to the cloud.

It has nothing to do with being joined to a network - my RT is not joined to the network. It does have 100% to do with the autodiscover records - if they are not published in DNS then outlook can't find the server information to use, it will have problems creating the account. If the server and DNS records are properly configured (and the server published on the internet), Outlook RT will connect to the account.

I get all that, and my RTs are configured. I've even got scripts to automate the process when a new user account is added to the device.

I think Mattias had the clearest response on the issue and since then we've all moved on.

What I'm saying is that why do we have to manually configure outlook on an RT for an on-prem connection even though every other device that we can throw at it (being the exchange server) just auto connects.

What I don't have are SRV records in the public DNS, and that probably might be a cause, but like others commenting in this thread I don't get the logic behind an MS device that is so far the only device that I can't get to automatically connect to my MS environment.

What really weirds me out is that I can even get the standard RT mail client to connect to my exchange via autodiscover, but not outlook.

So I'd like to skip as much of the usual diagnostic info as I can and reiterate that for my domain the Remote Connectivity Analyzer reports everything as configured correctly, if it didn't I'd be back on same noob forum and certainly not in here.

The problem is in the autodiscover  records. The mail app uses EAS, which is in autodiscover, but Outlook RT uses Exchange services, which is not configured correctly to use autodiscover when not logged into the network. See http://blogs.technet.com/b/kristinw/archive/2013/04/19/controlling-outlook-autodiscover-behavior.aspx for more information.