I am using and have been using "Postbox", a desktop email client, to send and receive all my emails through my Live account on "Outlook.com" using IMAP. Everything has worked perfectly between "Postbox" and "Outlook.com" for several years and I haven't changed anything on my end. About two weeks ago, I started having problems. Now, when I put a single name or a group list into the Bcc field on my "Postbox" desktop email client and send that email through my outgoing SMTP server at "Outlook.com", the email goes through "Outlook.com" and "Outlook.com" moves all the names from the Bcc field to the TO field. I am assuming this has something to do with the new changes associated with the updated "Outlook.com/Outlook Mail" web mail process. Notes: When I do the same thing using "Gmail" for my outgoing SMTP server, my names stay in the Bcc field as they should. My Outlook.com web page now shows Outlook Mail in the top left corner. I am using imap-mail.outlook.com Port 993 and smtp-mail.outlook.com Port 587 for my servers. I tried switching to imap-mail.live.com and smtp-mail.live.com as one MS web site suggested regarding the new changes to Outlook Mail but those new setting would not connect. I tried using Mozilla Thunderbird instead of Postbox as my desktop email client and the same problem occurred in that the name in my outgoing Bcc field was put into the To field after the email was processed through Outlook.com. Based on all of the above, I believe the problem has something to do with the way the new Outlook Mail is trying to process names from the Bcc field in emails sent from my desktop email clients. I hope someone from MS can look into this problem and get back to us.

The bcc failure in outlook when used with client email applications is welI known and haven't seen a sensible reaction from Microsoft in any chat line or forum. We can only think they are deliberately ignoring it or collectively incompetent. In contrast I find that Mac user support is improving. They clearly have their longer term commercial mind well in order. Challenge to Microsoft. Look after your customers actively. It matters. Many "users" wear other hats as executives in large corporation. Experiencing difficulties like this in their private lives influences their future buying decisions and approvals for their corporations. Time someone approached Bill Gates and got him to ask whether someone's decision to ignore this problem was wise?

OK, I've got a non-optimal workaround that at least allows the bcc function to work. In short, I use another outgoing server (in this case, Gmail) for my client's Outlook account, and set the reply to address to his outlook.com address. The only downside is that messages show his Gmail address in the From line, but at least replies are properly sent to his Outlook.com address. Anyone know if there's a way to spoof the from address in Thunderbird?

Thanks, LV. Looks like Thunderbird will either have to implement Exchange support or wait on MS to fix the problem. I'll be testing a Thunderbird solution that uses another outgoing server (e.g. Gmail). If it works I'll post it here.

Stephen: The eM Client solution can't be applied to Thunderbird because Thunderbird does not have an option to use the Microsoft Exchange server. Thunderbird automatically defaults to using the Outlook.com server and that is the server that has the problems. If you go into eM Client and use the automatic account setup, it also defaults to using the problem server at Outlook.com. That is why you have to make the new account in eM Client using the manual method so you can specify that you want to use the Exchange server. Here is the link to the Mozilla bug report - https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1279558 .

Outlook.com Moving Addresses From Bcc Field to the TO Field When Email is Sent via Desktop Email Client

Anonymous

I am using and have been using "Postbox", a desktop email client, to send and receive all my emails through my Live account on "Outlook.com" using IMAP. Everything has worked perfectly between "Postbox" and "Outlook.com" for several years and I haven't changed anything on my end. About two weeks ago, I started having problems. Now, when I put a single name or a group list into the Bcc field on my "Postbox" desktop email client and send that email through my outgoing SMTP server at "Outlook.com", the email goes through "Outlook.com" and "Outlook.com" moves all the names from the Bcc field to the TO field. I am assuming this has something to do with the new changes associated with the updated "Outlook.com/Outlook Mail" web mail process.

Notes:

When I do the same thing using "Gmail" for my outgoing SMTP server, my names stay in the Bcc field as they should.
My Outlook.com web page now shows Outlook Mail in the top left corner.
I am using imap-mail.outlook.com Port 993 and smtp-mail.outlook.com Port 587 for my servers. I tried switching to imap-mail.live.com and smtp-mail.live.com as one MS web site suggested regarding the new changes to Outlook Mail but those new setting would not connect.
I tried using Mozilla Thunderbird instead of Postbox as my desktop email client and the same problem occurred in that the name in my outgoing Bcc field was put into the To field after the email was processed through Outlook.com.
Based on all of the above, I believe the problem has something to do with the way the new Outlook Mail is trying to process names from the Bcc field in emails sent from my desktop email clients.

I hope someone from MS can look into this problem and get back to us.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Thank you for the thorough feedback Laurel. The post-mortem investigation (as we call it) into the support escalation is underway.

Glad that the fix has reached you. For John and everyone else, the fix has reached about 75% of servers now. There will be a long tail of stragglers but we are working to reach 100% by the end of next week.

Regards,

Sean

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50 additional answers

Anonymous

2016-10-02T07:50:29+00:00

The bcc failure in outlook when used with client email applications is welI known and haven't seen a sensible reaction from Microsoft in any chat line or forum. We can only think they are deliberately ignoring it or collectively incompetent.

In contrast I find that Mac user support is improving. They clearly have their longer term commercial mind well in order.

Challenge to Microsoft. Look after your customers actively. It matters. Many "users" wear other hats as executives in large corporation. Experiencing difficulties like this in their private lives influences their future buying decisions and approvals for their corporations.

Time someone approached Bill Gates and got him to ask whether someone's decision to ignore this problem was wise?
Was this answer helpful?

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Anonymous

2016-09-14T18:17:00+00:00

OK, I've got a non-optimal workaround that at least allows the bcc function to work. In short, I use another outgoing server (in this case, Gmail) for my client's Outlook account, and set the reply to address to his outlook.com address. The only downside is that messages show his Gmail address in the From line, but at least replies are properly sent to his Outlook.com address.

Anyone know if there's a way to spoof the from address in Thunderbird?
Was this answer helpful?

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Anonymous

2016-09-06T22:46:24+00:00

Thanks, LV. Looks like Thunderbird will either have to implement Exchange support or wait on MS to fix the problem.

I'll be testing a Thunderbird solution that uses another outgoing server (e.g. Gmail). If it works I'll post it here.
Was this answer helpful?

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Anonymous

2016-09-06T22:38:46+00:00

Stephen:

The eM Client solution can't be applied to Thunderbird because Thunderbird does not have an option to use the Microsoft Exchange server. Thunderbird automatically defaults to using the Outlook.com server and that is the server that has the problems.

If you go into eM Client and use the automatic account setup, it also defaults to using the problem server at Outlook.com. That is why you have to make the new account in eM Client using the manual method so you can specify that you want to use the Exchange server.

Here is the link to the Mozilla bug report - https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1279558.
Was this answer helpful?

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