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 procedureOverview
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.comwith the client's Global Admin account - Users → Active Users → Add a user:
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:
- 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.comas 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
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