Short Answer
To connect a Microsoft account in BrandJet for outreach, first enable Authenticated SMTP and IMAP for the specific Microsoft 365 mailbox inside the Microsoft 365 admin center. Then wait about 30 minutes, go back to BrandJet, open brandjet.ai/accounts, click Add Account, choose Outlook, and press Connect with Microsoft.
The important detail is that the mailbox needs to allow the protocols BrandJet depends on. If Authenticated SMTP or IMAP is disabled for that user, the Microsoft login can look fine but the mailbox connection can still fail later. I would handle the admin center settings before trying to connect the account in BrandJet.
The Microsoft screenshots in this article are guide images created from the workflow, because the source doc did not include Microsoft admin screenshots. The BrandJet screenshots are from the provided source material.
Before You Start
This setup is usually a two-part job. The Microsoft 365 admin prepares the mailbox, then the BrandJet user connects it. The same person can do both if they have admin access.
| What You Need | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Admin Access | You need this to edit mailbox email app settings. |
| The Mailbox User | Only enable settings for the mailbox you plan to connect. |
| Authenticated SMTP Enabled | BrandJet needs this for authenticated outbound email behavior. |
| IMAP Enabled | BrandJet needs mailbox access for receiving and syncing replies. |
| 30 Minutes Of Propagation Time | Microsoft settings can take time before they work consistently. |
Enable The Mailbox Settings In Microsoft 365
Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center. Open Users, then Active users. This is where you choose the actual mailbox user that BrandJet will connect.
Select the user you want to connect. Be careful here if your workspace has shared mailboxes, aliases, and several similar names. BrandJet should connect to the actual mailbox that will send outreach.
Open the Mail tab for that user, then click Manage email apps. This is where Microsoft lets you enable or disable access methods like IMAP and Authenticated SMTP.
Enable Authenticated SMTP and IMAP. Then click Save changes. After saving, wait about 30 minutes before trying the BrandJet connection. That wait is annoying, but it avoids false failures caused by Microsoft settings that have not fully propagated yet.
Connect Microsoft In BrandJet
After the mailbox settings are ready, go to brandjet.ai/accounts, click Add Account, and choose Outlook from the Email Accounts section.
BrandJet will show the Microsoft connection panel. Review the listed admin steps, then click Connect with Microsoft.
Sign in to the Microsoft account like you normally would. If your organization uses multi-factor authentication, complete the MFA prompt. The account you sign into should match the mailbox that had IMAP and Authenticated SMTP enabled.
What To Check If Microsoft Blocks The Connection
If the connection fails, do not immediately assume BrandJet is the issue. Microsoft tenant settings, security policies, and mailbox-level toggles can block the connection even when the password and login are correct.
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Confirm Authenticated SMTP is enabled for the exact mailbox user.
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Confirm IMAP is enabled for the exact mailbox user.
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Wait the full 30 minutes after saving changes in Microsoft 365 admin center.
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Use the same Microsoft account in OAuth that you prepared in the admin center.
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Check whether tenant security policies block SMTP AUTH or legacy protocol access.
The most common practical mistake is enabling the setting for one user and then signing into a different account in the Microsoft login screen. The second most common mistake is testing too quickly after saving the mailbox settings.
How To Know The Microsoft Account Is Connected
Once the OAuth flow finishes, return to the BrandJet Accounts page. The Microsoft mailbox should appear in your connected accounts list. I would run a quick test send from BrandJet before adding it to a real outreach campaign, because it confirms the mailbox is connected, allowed to send, and matched to the right user.
Why Authenticated SMTP And IMAP Matter
Authenticated SMTP and IMAP are not random toggles. Authenticated SMTP lets the mailbox send through a secure, account-based mail flow. IMAP lets systems read mailbox folders and detect replies. For outreach, those two pieces are important because sending and reply handling are different jobs.
The confusing part is that Microsoft can allow the user to sign in while still blocking one of those protocols. That is why you can sometimes complete a normal Microsoft login and still not get the mailbox behavior you expect. The OAuth screen proves identity. The mailbox settings control whether the actual mail access path is allowed.
I would treat the Microsoft admin settings as the source of truth. If the user cannot connect after the settings are changed, wait the full propagation window and test again. If it still fails, check tenant-level security settings, because some Microsoft environments disable SMTP AUTH broadly even when a user-level setting looks enabled.
Useful Post-Connection Checks
After BrandJet shows the Microsoft account as connected, verify the connected email address, then run a small test. Send a test outreach email from that account and confirm it lands in the recipient inbox with the expected sender identity. If replies are part of your workflow, reply back and check that the mailbox activity behaves correctly inside BrandJet.
Do not add the account to a large campaign until this basic test works. It is much easier to fix a wrong Microsoft mailbox, blocked SMTP setting, or account mismatch before the account is attached to live outreach.
When To Retest After Changing Microsoft Settings
After you enable IMAP and Authenticated SMTP, do not treat the setting as instant. Microsoft can take time to apply mailbox changes across the tenant. That is why the 30-minute wait is part of the process, not just a cautious suggestion.
If you test too early, the result can be misleading. The user might sign in successfully, but the mailbox access BrandJet needs can still be blocked in the background. I would save the settings, wait the full window, then start a clean BrandJet connection flow from the Accounts page.
If it still fails after the wait, compare user-level settings with tenant-level security policy. In some Microsoft environments, SMTP AUTH is disabled globally. A user checkbox can look correct while a broader policy still blocks the connection.
Account Matching Matters In Microsoft 365
The Microsoft mailbox you prepare in the admin center should be the same mailbox you select in the login flow. This sounds obvious, but it is an easy mistake when your browser already remembers multiple Microsoft accounts.
Before authorizing, check the email address on the Microsoft login screen. If it is not the exact outreach mailbox, switch accounts before continuing. I would rather restart the flow once than connect the wrong mailbox and only notice it after a test send.