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2-Step Verification will soon be required to access Office 365, which includes email, calendar and OneDrive, among many other applications. School of Medicine faculty and staff will be required to use 2-Step in early November. The mandatory 2-Step for Office 365 will be a phased rollout from November 1st – 8th. In preparation for this, several dedicated 2-Step Help Clinics will be available throughout the School of Medicine.


We strongly encourage you to take time as soon as possible to go through the 2-Step enrollment process. While 2-Step is easy to use once you’ve configured it, the initial enrollment can be challenging. Please don‘t wait until the last minute! Please follow the instructions below carefully.

How to Enroll in 2-Step for O365

The easiest way to use 2-Step is by downloading “Microsoft Authenticator” from your phone’s app store. 2-Step does work without it, but most users find that this is the easiest method. Once you have the app downloaded (or decide not to use it), follow these steps:

  1. Visit onyen.unc.edu and click on “2-Step Verification for Office 365 (Heelmail)”
  2. Follow the on-screen prompts to opt in to 2-Step
  3. Visit office.unc.edu to finish your 2-step enrollment. This is the step during which you will set up one or more devices with 2-Step.

Need Help?

The IT Service Desk is here to help. They are available through live chat at help.unc.edu or by phone at 919-962-HELP. You can also reference all of the 2-Step for Office 365 documentation, including step-by-step photo instructions, by visiting: https://help.unc.edu/help/mfa/. Please stop by one of our 2-step clinics scheduled within School of Medicine and we would be happy to assist with your 2-step enrollment.

2-Step Clinic Schedule

Date

Time

Location

24-Oct

2pm – 4pm

POB Lobby & Ground floor entrance to sky bridge

26-Oct

8am – 12pm

Bondurant Lobby

29-Oct

8am – 12pm

Marsico Lobby

31-Oct

2pm – 4pm

Bondurant Lobby

1-Nov

8am – 12pm

POB Lobby & Ground floor entrance to sky bridge

5-Nov

8am – 12pm

Bondurant Lobby

6-Nov

8am – 12pm

Marsico Lobby

7-Nov

8am – 12pm

Bioinformatics Lobby

8-Nov

8am – 11am

Bondurant Lobby

A Few Very Important Notes

  • We strongly suggest enrolling a back-up device, such as a landline or tablet, in case you leave your mobile phone at home.
  • One of the most challenging aspects of 2-Step enrollment has to do with “app passwords.” These are special codes that you get during the initial sign up that allow you to use a third-party mail apps (Apple Mail, for example) once 2-Step is turned on. If you miss grabbing these passwords during the enrollment process, you can get them from your Heelmail account. For extensive documentation on this topic, visit: https://help.unc.edu/help/mfa/ and click on the “Set up your non-Microsoft email clients” tab.
    • Please note, if you use Microsoft Outlook on desktop or mobile you do not need to utilize app passwords.
  • The first time you log in to Heelmail, you should notice a checkbox that says “Keep me signed in.” This will allow you to go longer between 2-Step requests while using the same device. It adds a convenience factor for trusted devices, like a primary work laptop or desktop.
  • Do not accept/approve any 2-Step push notifications that you yourself did not request. If you receive a request on your phone and haven’t just made a request within the last few seconds, it is possible the request is fraudulent. While not common, this is how phishers will attempt to bypass 2-Step to access accounts – they assume people will accept any request that comes in.