Can You Use an Ampersand (&) in an Outlook Mailbox Address?
Question details
The user wants to know if it is possible to include an ampersand (&) character when creating or configuring an Outlook mailbox address.
- Product
- Microsoft Outlook
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Setting up a new email account or configuring an Outlook mailbox address for a user or business.
- Observed behavior
- Outlook rejects the ampersand character, preventing the creation or configuration of the mailbox address with this symbol, and there is no visible setting to override this restriction.
Ensure you have admin access to your email hosting provider or Microsoft 365 admin center before attempting to modify or create new mailbox addresses.
Use a Supported Mailbox Address Format
Since Outlook explicitly restricts the ampersand, you must use standard alphanumeric characters to successfully create the mailbox.
Microsoft Outlook adheres to strict email formatting protocols. The ampersand (&) is considered a special character that is unsupported in the local part (before the @ symbol) of an Outlook mailbox address. There are no registry keys or administrative policies that can bypass this limitation.
Reformat the desired email address using standard letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), periods (.), hyphens (-), or underscores (_). For example, instead of 'sales&marketing@domain.com', use 'sales-marketing@domain.com'.
Type the newly formatted, compliant email address into the account creation wizard in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center or your email provider's portal.
While the address cannot contain an ampersand, you can still use it in the 'Display Name' field (e.g., 'Sales & Marketing'). Users receiving your emails will see the ampersand in the sender name.
Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft
If having an ampersand in your mailbox address is critical for your business naming convention, you can request this feature directly from Microsoft.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What special characters are not allowed in an Outlook email address?
Outlook and most standard mail servers prohibit characters such as ampersands (&), commas (,), spaces, brackets ([]), quotation marks ("), and asterisks (*) in the local part of an email address.
Can I use an ampersand in an Outlook contact display name?
Yes. While you cannot use an ampersand in the actual email address routing string, you can freely use it in the display name field (e.g., 'Smith & Co' will display correctly to recipients).
Does Microsoft plan to support the ampersand in Outlook addresses in the future?
There are currently no official plans or settings in Outlook to support the ampersand in mailbox addresses. Users are encouraged to submit feature requests via the Microsoft feedback portal if this functionality is required.
