Exchange ActiveSync not working on Apple Mail

Problem reported by Dennis A. - 4/22/2015 at 5:01 AM

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I use SmarterMail Enterprise with the ActiveSync add-on. ActiveSync is working well on Android phones, iPhones, iPads and Outlook 2013, but now I have one customer who just started using Apple Mail.

When adding an account, we click on "Exchange" (just like on iPads) and then enter the email address and password. Autodiscover works well, since Apple Mail succesfully recognizes my SmarterMail server. However, Apple Mail throws an error "cannot connect to Exchange server". The same account is working on Outlook 2013, Android and iOS devices.

Does anyone have an idea what could be wrong and how we could fix this?

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Employee Replied

4/22/2015 at 8:07 AM

Employee Post

Hi, Dennis,

Exchange ActiveSync will only work on mobile devices, tablets and Outlook 2013. To use an Exchange account with Mac Mail, you'll actually need Exchange Web Services. When you have EWS enabled, you can follow these steps to configure it with Mac Mail: Configure Apple Mail for Exchange Web Services. If you don't already have EWS and would like to try it out before purchasing, you can do so by following these steps: Activate a Free Trial for Microsoft Exchange Web Services.

Alternatively, you can use IMAP with Mac Mail as well. This isn't the recommended method, as it doesn't use push technology to deliver to the client in real time, but it does include a two-way sync of all mail folders. More info on this can be found here: Set up Mac Mail with IMAP.

I hope this helps!

Dennis A. Replied

4/22/2015 at 8:47 AM

Hi Robert,

Thank you for your reply. I also have EWS, forgot to mention that. EWS is enabled for the domain and it works in Outlook 2013. What do you think could be the problem? All settings are automatically picked up from the autodiscover, so that does not seem to be the problem. We've tested it on 2 MacBooks, and both of them can't connect.

Employee Replied

4/22/2015 at 9:09 AM

Employee Post

Can you verify the server and account settings under Mac Mail | Preferences? Please check both the Account Information and Advanced tabs for correctness. Ensure that User Name also includes the domain name.

Dennis A. Replied

4/22/2015 at 4:18 PM

I will do so when I get another chance to try it on my customer's MacBook. Thank you for your reply.

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