Disabling external mail forwarding in Outlook

External mail forwarding allows emails from a CSU mailbox to be automatically sent to an external (non-CSU) address. While convenient in some cases, this feature can create a security risk by potentially exposing sensitive information. To help protect university data, the CSU System recommends disabling this setting unless explicitly authorized.

Applicable to: Fort Collins, Pueblo, Spur, System

Affiliation: Students, Faculty, Staff, Guests

Prerequisites

You must have access to your CSU Microsoft 365 Outlook account through either Outlook on the Web (OWA), the Outlook desktop app for Windows or Mac, or the new Outlook interface.

Instructions

Using Outlook on the web (OWA)

Sign in to Outlook on the Web at https://outlook.office.com
Click the Settings gear icon in the top right
Select View all Outlook settings
Navigate to Mail → Forwarding
If forwarding is enabled:
- Uncheck Enable forwarding
- Remove any listed external email address
Click Save

Using Outlook for Windows

Classic Outlook (pre-2023 UI)

Open the Outlook desktop app
Go to File → Manage Rules & Alerts
Look for any rules that include "forward to" or "redirect to" external addresses
Select and Delete those rules
Click Apply and then OK

New Outlook (2023 and newer)

Open the new Outlook app
Click the Settings gear icon
Navigate to Mail → Rules
Review and Delete any rules that forward mail to external addresses
Save your changes

Using Outlook for Mac

Classic Outlook for Mac

Open the Outlook app
Go to Tools → Rules
Select your account under Client Rules or Server Rules
Look for any rules that forward mail externally
Select and Delete them

New Outlook for Mac

Open the new Outlook app
Click Settings → Rules
Review and Remove any external forwarding rules
Save your changes

Outcome

After completing these steps, your CSU email will no longer forward messages to an external address. This helps secure sensitive information and ensures compliance with university data policies.

Suggested Tags

email,security,outlook