Why Outlook Sends Emails from a Generic @outlook.com Address Instead of Your Email
When using Mailmeteor with an Outlook or Microsoft 365 account, you may notice that emails are sent from a generic Outlook address (for example, [email protected]) instead of your own email address.
Why this happens
Outlook and Microsoft 365 require explicit authorization for third-party apps like Mailmeteor to send emails as your mailbox.
If Outlook cannot confirm that Mailmeteor is allowed to send emails from your address, it automatically falls back to a system-generated Outlook sender address. This is a security mechanism designed to prevent email spoofing.
This situation usually occurs when one of the following applies:
- Required Microsoft permissions were not fully approved during setup
- The email address used is an alias, not the primary Outlook mailbox
- The account is a work or school (Microsoft 365) account with restricted “Send As” permissions
- Third-party app access is limited by organizational or admin policies
How to fix the issue
1. Reconnect your Outlook account to Mailmeteor
- Disconnect your Outlook sender from Mailmeteor
- Reconnect it and accept all Microsoft permission requests during authentication
Missing or declined permissions are the most common cause of this issue.
2. Make sure you are using your primary Outlook email address
- Outlook does not always allow third-party apps to send emails from aliases
- Verify that the address configured in Mailmeteor is your primary mailbox, not an alias
3. Check Microsoft 365 / Exchange permissions (work or school accounts)
If you are using a Microsoft 365 account managed by an organization:
Ask your admin to confirm that:
- “Send As” permission is enabled for your mailbox
- Third-party applications are allowed to send emails on your behalf
Without these permissions, Outlook will force a generic sender address.
4. Test sending directly from Outlook
Try sending an email directly from Outlook using the same address in the From field.
- If Outlook itself cannot send from that address, Mailmeteor will not be able to either
- This usually indicates an alias or permission issue at the Outlook / Exchange level