New User Onboarding — M365 Account + Mac / Windows Setup

Section: New User & Onboarding Tags: new-user, onboarding, m365, office365, mac, windows, setup, starter, account Source tickets: #22925, #28946 Confidence: High — standard Purple Computing new-starter procedure

Overview

This checklist covers the standard process for setting up a new starter's account and device. Gather client information first using the checklist below before beginning any configuration. Typical time: 2–3 hours for a standard setup (M365 account + configured device + email + apps)

Pre-Start Checklist — Information to Collect from Client

Before booking the setup session, confirm the following with the client contact:

Basic Information
Full name of new starter
Job title
Start date
Line manager / primary contact at client

Account Setup
Email address to create (firstname.lastname@domain.com?)
Should they have an M365 licence? Which tier? (Business Basic / Standard / Premium)
Any shared mailboxes they need access to (e.g., accounts@, sales@)
Groups / distribution lists to add them to
Phone number (for MFA setup)

Device
Is there an existing device, or is a new machine being ordered?
If existing: is it being transferred from a departing staff member? Any data to preserve?
Mac or Windows? Model and specs if known.
Any software beyond Office? (Dropbox, Slack, industry-specific apps, VPN client)
Printer(s) they need access to

Departing Staff Member (if replacing someone)
Which accounts to disable / delete for the departing person?
Is email from the old address to be forwarded to the new person?
Is the departing person's home folder / desktop data needed by the new person?
Any cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive) accounts to transfer or remove access from?

Phase 1 — M365 Account Creation

Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com with the client's Global Admin account
Users → Active Users → Add a user:

- Display name: Firstname Lastname - Username: firstname.lastname@clientdomain.com - Auto-generate password or set a temporary one (must be changed on first login) - Assign licence: tick the appropriate M365 licence

After creation: open the new user → Mail → Manage email forwarding — confirm no unwanted forwards
Add to shared mailboxes: Groups → Shared mailboxes → [mailbox] → Members → Edit → Add
Add to distribution groups: Groups → [group] → Members → Add
Enable MFA: Users → Multi-factor authentication → [user] → Enable (if not enforced by policy)

Phase 2 — Device Setup (Mac)

New Mac (out of box)

Power on and complete the macOS Setup Assistant:

- Region: United Kingdom - Apple ID: do NOT sign in with a personal Apple ID — use the client's Apple Business Manager ABM account if MDM-enrolled, or skip - Do not enable Siri unless client requests it

Connect to the office Wi-Fi
Run all macOS Software Updates: System Settings → General → Software Update — install all, reboot

Existing Mac (transferring from departed staff)

Create a new admin user account for the new starter: System Settings → Users & Groups → Add Account
Make the new account an Admin
Log out of the old account; log in as the new starter
Delete the old user's home folder once data preservation is confirmed with the client (see departing staff checklist above)
Remove the old user account: System Settings → Users & Groups → [old account] → Delete

Both scenarios — install standard apps:

Microsoft Office: sign in to https://portal.office.com as the new user → Install apps → Microsoft 365 apps → Download and install
Sophos Endpoint: download from the client's Sophos Central or the NAS installer share → install, no reboot needed
Crashplan / Backblaze (if client uses): install and sign in with the client's account
Dropbox / OneDrive: install and sign in with the user's account — configure selective sync to keep only necessary folders local
Printers: add each network printer by IP (see Network Printer Install article)
Synology Drive: if applicable — install and configure sync tasks (check file count < 200k first)
TeamViewer / remote access agent: install for Purple Computing remote support

Configure Outlook:

Open Outlook → Add Account → enter the user's M365 email address
Autodiscover will configure Exchange settings automatically
Enter the M365 password when prompted
Wait for initial mailbox sync (can take 5–30 minutes for large mailboxes)
Add any shared mailboxes: Outlook → File → Open & Export → Other User's Folder → enter the shared mailbox address

Phase 3 — Device Setup (Windows)

Complete Windows Setup; create a local admin account
Connect to office Wi-Fi or ethernet
Run Windows Update — install all pending updates; reboot until no further updates pending
Install Microsoft 365 apps from portal.office.com
Open Outlook → add M365 account
Install Sophos Endpoint from client's Sophos Central portal
Install Crashplan / backup client
Add printers via Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add device
Install TeamViewer for remote support

Phase 4 — Final Checks

[ ] User can log in to Outlook, send and receive email
[ ] Calendar shows existing company meetings / shared calendars
[ ] OneDrive / Dropbox syncing correctly
[ ] All required printers visible and a test page printed
[ ] MFA set up on the user's phone (direct them to https://aka.ms/mfasetup)
[ ] Sophos showing as protected and up to date
[ ] Backup client running (first backup may take hours — confirm it starts)
[ ] Departing staff member's account disabled (not deleted — keep for 90 days)
[ ] Any forwarding rule in place for the old email address

If Something Fails

IssueFix ------------ Outlook won't activateSee article: Office 365 Licence Activation Failure Outlook password promptsSee article: Outlook Password Prompts on Mac MFA setup failsConfirm the phone number is entered correctly in admin.microsoft.com; resend MFA setup email Sophos won't installEnsure old AV is fully removed first; restart and retry Printer not addingSee article: Network Printer Not Installing on Mac