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You can find the correct Outlook on the web (formerly OWA) address in Outlook desktop, Exchange admin center, or your organization’s documentation. The Exchange Web Services (EWS) address is different: it normally ends in /EWS/Exchange.asmx and is intended for applications, not for signing in through a browser.
The method depends on whether your mailbox is hosted in Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online) or on an Exchange Server managed by your organization.
Quick reference
| Service | Microsoft 365 / Exchange Online | Exchange Server on-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook on the web | https://outlook.office365.com |
Usually https://<host>/owa |
| Exchange Web Services | https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx |
Usually https://<host>/EWS/Exchange.asmx |
These are patterns, not interchangeable URLs. An organization can publish OWA and EWS under different hostnames, and internal and external addresses can also differ.
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Microsoft 365 or Exchange Online
For a normal Microsoft 365 mailbox, open:
You can also start at office.com, sign in, and select Outlook. Your administrator may provide a branded sign-in address, but the Microsoft-provided Outlook on the web entry point is https://outlook.office365.com.
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Exchange Server on-premises
An on-premises Exchange deployment commonly uses an address like:
https://mail.contoso.com/owaThe public hostname may instead be a dedicated name such as:
https://owa.contoso.com/owaInternally, Exchange makes OWA available after installation at a server-based address such as:
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https://mailbox01.contoso.com/owaThat internal address is not necessarily the correct URL for users outside the company network. The external address is configured by the Exchange administrator and must match the organization’s DNS, firewall, reverse proxy, and TLS certificate setup.
Find the OWA address in classic Outlook
Classic Outlook can display the Outlook on the web address supplied by the Exchange server.
- Open Outlook 2010 or a later classic Outlook desktop version.
- Select File.
- Open Info.
- Look on the Account Information page, usually in the Account Settings section, for the Outlook on the web link or address.
The exact display varies by Outlook version and account configuration. If no URL appears, that does not mean the mailbox has no web access. The server may not be publishing an OWA URL, Outlook on the web may be disabled for the mailbox, or the account type may not expose the field. In that case, ask your Exchange administrator or help desk.
Find the OWA URL in Exchange admin center
For Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019, and Exchange Server Subscription Edition, an administrator can inspect the configured virtual directory.
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- Go to Servers > Virtual directories.
- Select the internet-facing Mailbox server.
- Select owa (Default Web Site).
- Click Edit.
- Read the External URL and Internal URL fields.
The external value is normally the address users need when connecting from the internet. The internal value is used inside the organization and may use a different hostname.
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Configure a dedicated external OWA hostname
To publish OWA as https://owa.contoso.com/owa, edit owa (Default Web Site) and set its External URL to:
https://owa.contoso.com/owaClick Save. If the same hostname is used for the Exchange admin center, configure the ECP virtual directory consistently:
https://owa.contoso.com/ecpExchange also provides Servers > Virtual directories > Configure external access domain for setting a common external namespace across selected Mailbox servers. After changing the URL, the administrator must still ensure that DNS, the firewall or reverse proxy, and the certificate all support the hostname.
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Find the Exchange Web Services URL
EWS is a separate Exchange service. It is used by software to access mail, calendars, contacts, and other mailbox data. It is not the page you normally open to read email.
Microsoft 365 EWS endpoint
The standard Exchange Online EWS endpoint is:
https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmxUse this only when an application still requires EWS. Microsoft has deprecated EWS in Exchange Online: global disabling starts in October 2026, and EWS is scheduled to be fully disabled in Exchange Online in April 2027. New integrations should generally use Microsoft Graph instead, and existing EWS applications should be assessed for migration.
Exchange Server EWS endpoint
For on-premises Exchange, the usual pattern is:
https://<host>/EWS/Exchange.asmxExamples include:
https://mail.contoso.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx
https://computername.domain.contoso.com/EWS/Exchange.asmxDo not assume that the EWS hostname is automatically the OWA hostname. For example, an organization may configure:
| Virtual directory | External URL |
|---|---|
| OWA | https://owa.contoso.com/owa |
| EWS | https://mail.contoso.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx |
Find EWS in Exchange admin center
- Open the Exchange admin center.
- Go to Servers > Virtual directories.
- Select the relevant Mailbox server.
- Select the EWS virtual directory.
- Read the External URL and Internal URL fields.
This is the authoritative place to check a manually configured on-premises EWS endpoint. If internal and external namespaces differ, the two fields may contain different hosts, for example:
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External: https://mail.contoso.com/EWS/Exchange.asmxFind EWS with Exchange PowerShell
Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory is an on-premises Exchange cmdlet. It is not a method for discovering an Exchange Online EWS URL.
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To list EWS virtual directories on a particular server, run:
Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory -Server MBX01To display detailed properties for the EWS virtual directory on that server, run:
Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory -Identity "MBX01EWS*" | Format-ListTo list EWS virtual directories across Mailbox servers, run:
Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectoryLook for the InternalUrl and ExternalUrl properties. Be careful when using -Identity: it cannot be combined with -Server, and an incorrect or null identity can produce broader results than expected.
The -ShowMailboxVirtualDirectories switch displays backend virtual directories. Normal clients connect to Client Access services, which proxy requests to backend services, so Microsoft recommends using that switch only when directed by Microsoft Support.
Use Autodiscover for applications
If you are developing or maintaining an EWS application, do not hard-code an on-premises EWS URL unless you have a specific operational reason. The mailbox’s best endpoint can change when mailboxes move between databases, servers, or environments.
With the EWS Managed API, an application can discover the endpoint from the mailbox address:
ExchangeService service = new ExchangeService();
service.Credentials = new WebCredentials("user1@contoso.com", "password");
service.AutodiscoverUrl("user1@contoso.com");In production code, do not store passwords in source code. Use an appropriate authentication and secret-management approach for the application.
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If you deliberately know the endpoint, assign it directly instead:
ExchangeService service = new ExchangeService();
service.Url = new Uri("https://mail.contoso.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx");Set service.Url explicitly or call AutodiscoverUrl; Microsoft’s EWS guidance says not to use both for the same service instance.
Autodiscover can return redirects. An application must validate a redirect before following it. Depending on the failure, the EWS Managed API can report an AutodiscoverLocalException, AutodiscoverRemoteException, certificate validation errors, an empty-email-address validation error, or an excessive-redirect error. Do not solve a redirect or certificate problem by blindly accepting every destination.
Test whether an EWS URL actually works
A URL that looks correct can still fail because of DNS, TLS, authentication, firewall rules, reverse-proxy settings, or EWS permissions. For an external integration, the endpoint must be reachable over the internet from the service making the connection.
Microsoft’s Remote Connectivity Analyzer provides an EWS test at:
https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com/tests/O365EwsAccess/input
The test can either discover the endpoint or use a manually entered address.
- Enter the Target mailbox email address.
- Choose the required Authentication type.
- Choose Use Autodiscover to detect server settings, or clear it and enter the value under Specify Exchange Web Services URL.
- If required, select a predefined folder or configure Exchange impersonation fields.
- Click Perform Test.
A manual value would look like:
https://contoso.yourdomain.com/EWS/Exchange.asmxFor OWA, a browser test is useful but limited. A certificate warning means the server certificate is incorrect or untrusted; it is not confirmation that the address is safe or correctly configured. Report the warning to the network administrator rather than bypassing it.
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Check DNS for published Exchange names
The public hostname must resolve to the internet-facing Exchange service or its reverse proxy. In a typical deployment, DNS records such as owa.contoso.com and autodiscover.contoso.com may point to mail.contoso.com.
From Windows, an administrator can check resolution with:
nslookup owa.contoso.com
nslookup autodiscover.contoso.comDNS resolution alone does not prove that HTTPS, authentication, the certificate, or the requested virtual directory is configured correctly. Test the complete connection from the same network or external service that will use it.
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- Using OWA as an EWS endpoint:
/owais for Outlook on the web; EWS uses/EWS/Exchange.asmx. - Appending the EWS path without checking configuration: the hostname may differ between OWA and EWS.
- Using an internal server name externally: names such as
mailbox01.contoso.commay not exist in public DNS or may not be covered by the public certificate. - Treating a certificate warning as harmless: it indicates a trust or name problem that needs administrator attention.
- Running the on-premises PowerShell cmdlet in Exchange Online:
Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectorydoes not discover Microsoft 365 endpoints. - Building a new Exchange Online integration with EWS: EWS is being retired in Exchange Online, so Microsoft Graph is the more appropriate modern API.
FAQ
What is the Outlook Web Access URL for Microsoft 365?
The standard Microsoft 365 Outlook on the web address is https://outlook.office365.com. Microsoft now calls the service Outlook on the web; Outlook Web Access and Outlook Web App are former names.
What is the normal OWA URL for on-premises Exchange?
It is usually https://<host>/owa, such as https://mail.contoso.com/owa. Your administrator may publish a dedicated hostname such as https://owa.contoso.com/owa.
Is the EWS URL the same as the OWA URL?
No. OWA normally ends in /owa, while EWS ends in /EWS/Exchange.asmx. The services can share a hostname, but Exchange allows them to use different internal and external hostnames.
Can I find the EWS URL in Outlook settings?
Usually not. Classic Outlook may show the OWA URL under File > Info, but EWS is normally found through Exchange admin center, on-premises Exchange PowerShell, or Autodiscover.
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Does Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory work with Microsoft 365?
No. It is an on-premises Exchange administration cmdlet. The standard Exchange Online EWS endpoint is https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx, although EWS is being retired in Exchange Online.
Why does the URL work internally but not from the internet?
The external URL may not be published, public DNS may be missing or incorrect, the firewall or reverse proxy may block the request, or the TLS certificate may not match the public hostname. Check the external virtual-directory URL and test from outside the corporate network.
The Bottom Line
For Microsoft 365, use https://outlook.office365.com for Outlook on the web and, for legacy EWS applications, https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx. For on-premises Exchange, check Servers > Virtual directories: inspect owa (Default Web Site) for OWA and EWS for EWS. Use Autodiscover in applications whenever possible, verify DNS and TLS for external access, and avoid starting new Exchange Online work on EWS because the service is being retired.
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