Can't Add Email Account to Outlook
Attempting to add an email account to Outlook fails with an error, gets stuck on a loading or verification screen, or silently doesn't complete.
Quick answer: Failures adding a new account are usually either an incorrectly typed password, an account that requires additional verification (like two-factor authentication) before Outlook can connect, or server settings that need entering manually for less common providers.
Likely causes
- An incorrectly entered password or username
- The account has two-factor authentication enabled and needs an app-specific password or an additional verification step
- Outlook's automatic setup can't detect the correct server settings for a less common provider
- A temporary connectivity issue during setup
What you can safely check yourself
- Confirm the password works by logging into webmail directly first
- Check whether the provider requires an app-specific password for third-party apps like Outlook when two-factor authentication is enabled
- If automatic setup fails, look up the provider's manual server settings (IMAP/SMTP addresses and ports) and enter them directly
When it needs a proper look
If the password is confirmed correct and two-factor authentication isn't the issue, and manual server settings still won't connect, that's worth getting help with rather than continuing to guess at settings.