Add Old IMAP email account to outlook

Phil Cunningham 0 Reputation points
2026-08-22T15:07:48.23+00:00

Old IMAP email account that I had in outlook would not sync. I removed that account and need to add it back. Outlook will not accept it now

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. Hendrix-V 17,965 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-23T02:28:20.8166667+00:00

    Hi Phil Cunningham,

    Since the account was previously working and only became unavailable after it was removed, it would be helpful to narrow down whether the issue is related to the email provider, account authentication, or Outlook's account setup process. The original post does not mention the email provider or the exact error message shown when adding the account back.

    Could you please share more information on:

    1. Which email provider the IMAP account belongs to (for example, your ISP, a business domain, Gmail, etc.)?
    2. What error message appears when Outlook refuses the account?
    3. Can you still sign in to the mailbox through the provider's webmail page?

    As a quick check, try adding the account in a new Outlook profile or Outlook installation on another device. If the account adds successfully there, that can help determine whether the issue is specific to the current Outlook configuration rather than the mailbox itself.

    Once you share the provider and the exact error, the community can offer more targeted guidance. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-22T15:08:03.5033333+00:00

    For new Outlook for Windows, remove and re-add the account from the account settings page:

    1. Open View tab > View settings.
      • Or go to File > Account info > Accounts > Your accounts.
    2. In Email accounts, find the IMAP account.
    3. Select Manage next to it.
    4. Under Account details, select Remove.
      • This removes the account from Outlook only. Any offline cached content for that account is deleted when the account is removed.
    5. Close settings, then add the account again.

    If Outlook still does not accept the account after re-adding it, the supported causes in the documentation are:

    • An app password may be required instead of the normal password for some account types.
    • If the account is an Outlook.com account being added as IMAP, make sure IMAP is enabled in Outlook.com:
      1. Go to Settings > Mail > Forwarding and IMAP.
      2. Under POP and IMAP, turn Let devices and apps use IMAP to ON.
      3. Select Save.
    • If the Outlook.com IMAP account was configured in multiple email clients, a connection error can occur. In that case, check the account’s Recent activity page and approve the sign-in by selecting This was me, then try connecting again.

    If the account is being added in classic Outlook instead of new Outlook, and automatic setup fails, use manual setup:

    1. Go to File > Add Account.
    2. Enter the email address.
    3. Select Advanced options > Let me set up my account manually.
    4. Choose POP or IMAP.
    5. Enter the password and select Connect.
    6. If setup fails, select Change Account Settings and enter the server settings from the email provider.

    For an Outlook.com/Hotmail.com account configured as IMAP in desktop Outlook, the documented IMAP settings are:

    • Incoming mail server: imap-mail.outlook.com
    • Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp-mail.outlook.com
    • Incoming server (IMAP): 993
    • Encryption: SSL
    • Outgoing server (SMTP): 587
    • Encryption: TLS
    • My outgoing server requires authentication: enabled
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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