Just like other email services, Outlook which was launched in 2012, is a crucial webmail service. Outlook is a part of the Microsoft 365 product family that lets you access all your email accounts and calendars under one spot. This personal information manager is not only good at organizing emails, calendars, and files in one place but it also covers the latest news, business news, analysis, and stories on different topics. Indeed, it is safe to say that it is a perfect platform for an all-in-one experience. Outlook has many versions available including 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. In case you are using these versions, you can encounter your Microsoft Exchange administrator has blocked error alert that pops up on your screen. If you have already received the error and are wondering about it, then we are here to help you with our guide on your administrator has blocked this version of Outlook issue. In today’s guide, we will discuss the reasons why your admin is blocking the respective Outlook version on your system. Along with that, we will uncover solutions that can help you fix Microsoft Exchange administrator has blocked the version of Outlook issue with ease. So, let us begin with our much-awaited guide on this pop-up alert.
How to Fix Your Microsoft Exchange Administrator Has Blocked This Version of Outlook
Continue reading to solve Microsoft Exchange administrator has blocked the version of Outlook issue in detail.
What does Your Administrator Has Blocked this Version of Outlook Error mean by?
Microsoft has changed the minimum version requirements for connecting Outlook applications to Office 365 and Microsoft 365 services. Microsoft no longer supports the following versions:
- Outlook 2007
- Outlook 2010
- Office 2013 version earlier than 15.0.4971.1000
- Office 2016 version earlier than 16.0.4600.1000
Older outlook versions are not compatible with the latest security and modern authentication protocols and thus, you can encounter the pop-up error stating that the admin has blocked your Outlook version.
List of Supported Office Versions to Connect to Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Services
Microsoft only supports the following Office versions:
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Business which was formerly known as Office 365 Business.
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise which was formerly known as Office 365 ProPlus.
- Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021 and Office LTSC 2021.
- Office Professional Plus 2019 and Office 2019.
- Office Standard 2016 and Microsoft Office 2016.
Reasons for Microsoft Exchange Administrator Has Blocked the Version of Outlook
As you know already by now, older versions of Outlook including Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 are incompatible with a couple of service changes, let us have a look at some of these reasons that prompt the said error on your screen:
- To increase the security of Microsoft 365, support for basic authentication is ending by relying on modern authentication protocols. These are more secure, provide compliance, and policy controls to help manage the data. Therefore, for older versions, you might encounter the error.
- Another reason is the new support added for HTTP/2 in Microsoft 365. The full duplex protocol of HTTP/2 decreases latency by requesting multiplexing and header compression. This will help to prioritize requests and transfer data to clients fast. Therefore, the error pops up and there is need to update the Outlook version.
- Another main reason behind the blocked error is security fixes that are essential to protect your device against vulnerabilities, which is not possible with the older versions.
- Also, updated versions of the application have amazing features and a smaller number of crashes which prompts the error, forcing you to install the update.
- At last, the issue has also been seen to get triggered by Exchange 2010 not having a default Public Folder Database.
Ways to Resolve Your Microsoft Exchange Administrator Has Blocked Error
Compatibility issues of Outlook can be resolved using Microsoft Office with minimum build versions. This will help you to continue using your Outlook account. Along with it, you can also try having a default Public Folder Database. To know more about how to attempt these fixes, let us have a look at the following methods:
Method 1: Run Latest Office Version
The first method that you can opt in order to resolve Microsoft Exchange administrator has blocked the version of Outlook error is to run the latest office version on your system. You can switch to Office 365 or a higher version of Office like Office 2019 or Office 2021 from the older versions that you are using. To do so, you would need to download Microsoft 365, to know more about how to do it, follow the steps below:
1. Navigate to the Microsoft account dashboard and Sign In, if you are not already signed in.
Note: You can sign in with the account that you associated with this version of Microsoft 365.
2. Now, at the top of the page, click on Services and subscriptions.
3. On the next page, locate the Microsoft 365 product (Office 2019) that you want to install and select Install.
4. In your Chrome browser, click on Setup to install the product on your PC.
5. Once the installation is finished and the product is activated, you can launch the product, and start using your Outlook account again.
In case you are running Office version 2007 or 2010 and are unable to run the latest office version, you can consider switching to Office 2019. If you are already running office 2013, you can switch to version 15.0.4971.1000 (October 2017 update with Service Pack 1). In case you are using Office 2016, you can install version 16.0.4600.1000 (November 2017 update, KB4051890).
Also Read: Fix Outlook Trying to Connect to Server on Windows 10
Method 2: Create Public Folder Database in Exchange 2010
Another method that can help you resolve your Microsoft Exchange administrator has blocked error is by creating a public folder database in Exchange 2010. While Exchange 2010 supports Public Folders, Microsoft is phasing out and discontinuing this feature in the next version of Exchange.
1. Launch your Exchange Management Console window and expand the Organization Configuration node in it to open the Mailbox node.
2. Now, open the Database Management tab and select New Public Folder Database from the actions pane.
3. Enter a name for the database under the Public folder database name.
4. Now, select Browse under the Server name and then select the Exchange server that will host the public folder database.
5. Now, click on Next.
6. Now, click on Next if the default Database file path and log folder path are OK.
7. Next, click on New to begin creating a new public folder database.
8. Finally, click on Finish to close the wizard.
Now, your old Outlook version will be able to connect to Exchange 2010 mailboxes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How can I unblock the Outlook version by Microsoft Exchange administrator on my PC easily?
Ans. The easiest way to resolve the issue of Microsoft exchange blocking the Outlook version on your PC is by upgrading to the latest Office version.
Q2. How can I unlock my Microsoft account administrator?
Ans. You can unlock your Microsoft account administrator by first signing into Microsoft 365 portal as admin and then in Settings, deselecting the Block this user from signing in option.
Q3. Why has my Outlook account been blocked?
Ans. In case your Outlook account has been blocked, it can be due to unusual sign-in activity. It is to protect users from any fraud or abuse.
Q4. What is a Microsoft Exchange administrator?
Ans. Microsoft Exchange administrator manages the mail server for a company and provides support to users.
Q5. How long can my Microsoft account be blocked?
Ans. If any unusual activity on your Microsoft account is noticed or due to multiple failed attempts while signing in, your account gets blocked. This block remains until an administrator unlocks it manually. It is usually advised to set the account lockout time to 15 minutes.
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We hope that our doc on, resolve your Microsoft Exchange administrator has blocked this version of Outlook, helped you in answering doubts on what the error is about, the reasons behind it, and different ways in which you can unlock & use your Outlook account again. If you have more doubts or queries to ask, you can leave them in the comments section below.
