Overview

The UMass Amherst Directory (LDAP) includes the names and email addresses of students, faculty, and staff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. These instructions describe how you can configure Outlook 2016 on a Windows computer to access the directory. You can access the same directory information using People Finder.

Note: These instructions are for Outlook 2016 on Windows only. For other versions, there may be some variation, but the information below should serve as a guide to get you started. To identify the version of your software, look for the About link in the software's main menu or Help menu.

Configure the UMass Amherst Directory

1. Connect to the Internet, then start Outlook 2016:
   • Note: If you are not connected to the Internet, you will still be able to configure the UMass Amherst Directory (LDAP) address book on Outlook using these instructions. You will be unable to verify that the process has completed until you go online. 
2. Go to File > Info, and click on Account Settings. The Account Settings window will open.
3. In the Account Settings window, click the Address Books tab and click New... . The Add Account window will open.
4. In the Add Account window, select the radio button next to Internet Directory Service (LDAP) and click Next. The Directory Service (LDAP) Settings screen will appear.

5. On the Directory Service (LDAP) Settings screen:

   • In the Server Name: field, enter ldap.oit.umass.edu.
   • Click More Settings... The Microsoft LDAP Directory window will appear.
     Note: You may see an alert message which reads "You must restart Outlook for these changes to take effect." Click OK.
6. In the Microsoft LDAP Directory window, on the Connection tab, in the field under Display Name, enter a name for your directory (e.g., UMass Amherst Directory).

7. Click the Search tab, then:

   • Under Search Base, select the radio button next to Custom and in the adjacent text field, enter ou=people,dc=umass,dc=edu .
     Note: To avoid errors, we recommend that you copy and paste the search base information from this screen into the field in your email software.
   • Click Apply, then OK. You will return to the Add Account window.
8. In the Add Account window, click Next and then click Finish.
9. In the Account Settings window, click Close.
10. Restart Outlook to search the UMass Amherst Directory.

Back to Top

Search the UMass Amherst Directory

1. In Outlook, go to Home > Address Book (top, right). The Address Book: Contacts window will open.
2. In the Address Book: Contacts window, go to Tools > Options... The Addressing window will open.
3. In the Addressing window:
   • Under When sending email, check address lists in this order, select the radio button next to Custom.
   • Under Custom, select your UMass Amherst directory and click the Up Arrow (at right) to move your directory to the top of the list.
   • Click Apply, then click OK.
4. Back in Outlook, go to Home > New E-mail (top, left) to compose a message. The Untitled - Message (HTML) window will open.
5. Click the To... button. The Select Names: window will open.
6. In the Select Names: window, under Address Book, select your UMass Amherst directory, then enter the name or part of the name of the person you are searching for in the text field at left and click Go.
7. If the search is successful, a maximum of thirty (30) results will appear below the search fields.

   Note: Depending upon your search criteria, you may receive an error message stating "The LDAP Directory Server found more entries for this search than your specified size limit." Click OK to view the first 30 entries.

Back to Top