How to recreate Outlook profile after the migration?

Problem:

After you migrate to the target Exchange server or Office 365 tenant and complete the domain name transfer, Outlook is unable to connect to the new server. You receive the following error message:

Outlook cannot log on. Verify you are connected to the network and are using the proper server and mailbox name. The Microsoft Exchange information service in your profile is missing required information. Modify your profile to ensure that you are using the correct Microsoft Exchange information service.

Solution:

The preceding issue occurs when the registry for the active Outlook profile still contains the pre-migration settings of the Autodiscover service, which connects Outlook with Exchange. To fix this issue, create a new Outlook profile and make it the default one. You can do this activity manually for each individual user or enable Outlook to do it automatically by using Group Policy or Microsoft Intune for every user on your domain. Find out how to create a new Outlook profile by navigating to the corresponding section from the following links.

• Create a new Outlook profile for individual user
• Create a new Outlook profile for all users

Steps to create an Outlook profile for individual user

1. Exit from Outlook
2. Open Windows Control Panel and select 'Mail'

   

3. Click Show Profiles...

   

4. Click 'Add' and the name for the new Outlook profile and click 'OK'

   

5. Follow the wizard and add your email account. Click 'Finish'
6. Choose 'Always use this profile' and select the new profile from the dropdown

   

7. Click 'OK'
8. Now, Outlook should be opened without any issues and connect to the appropriate Exchange server.

  Steps to create a new Outlook profile for all users

With a simple script, you can create a new Outlook profile and set it as default. To create new Outlook profiles for all the users, run this script on multiple computers using Group Policy.

In this case, the script will be run as a user logon script. You can set a Group Policy Object (GPO) to execute user logoff if required.

Generate a script file to create new Outlook profile

1. Open Notepad and paste the following code as per your Outlook version:

   Outlook 2010

   reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\<name>"
   reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles" /v DefaultProfile /t REG_SZ /d "<name>" /F
   reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Options" /v PickLogonProfile /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f

   Outlook 2013

   reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Profiles\<name>
   reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook" /v DefaultProfile /t REG_SZ /d "<name>" /F

   Outlook 2016

   reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Profiles\<name>
   reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook" /v DefaultProfile /t REG_SZ /d "<name>" /F

2. Save the file as a BAT file.
3. Give permission for the BAT file in the network location accessible for all users.
   Note: Replace <name> with a new Outlook profile.

Create a GPO logon script

1. Log in to your Windows Server domain controller (DC).
2. Open 'Server Manager' and navigate to 'Tools' > 'Group Policy Management'

   Note: Install this feature in case if you are not able to find it. To install, follow the below steps.

   1. In the Server Manager, choose 'Manage' > 'Add Roles and Features' and follow the wizard instructions.
   2. Choose the 'Group Policy Management' feature in the 'Features' tab
   3. Click 'Next' to proceed to the confirmation page.
   4. Click 'Install' to enable Group Policy Management.

      

3. In the 'Group Policy Management' window, right-click on your domain on the left side panel, and choose 'Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here…'

   

4. Enter the name of the new GPO and click 'OK'.
5. Choose the 'Group Policy Objects' container on the menu, find the newly created GPO, right click on it and choose 'Edit'. The 'Group Policy Management Editor' will be displayed.
6. Navigate to 'User Configuration' > 'Policies' > 'Windows Settings' > 'Scripts (Logon/Logoff)' and double-click the 'Logon'

   

7. Click 'Add' and then click 'Browse'. Select the BAT file you created previously

   

8. Click 'OK' subsequently

Close the GPO window. The script will be executed for every user when they login to their workstations. The Outlook startup wizard will appear when they open Outlook.

After you finish all the preceding steps successfully, there should no longer be an issue with the Autodiscover feature connecting to the proper on-premises Exchange server or Office 365.