Outlook Keeps Asking for Password
Outlook repeatedly shows a login prompt asking for the account password, even immediately after entering it correctly, sometimes in a loop.
Quick answer: Repeated password prompts are usually an authentication or saved-credential issue rather than the password actually being wrong. This often follows a password change elsewhere, or an account setting like two-factor authentication that Outlook needs to be reconfigured for.
Likely causes
- The password was recently changed elsewhere (webmail, phone) and Outlook still has the old one cached
- Two-factor or modern authentication settings requiring a different sign-in method than a typed password
- Corrupted saved credentials in Windows' Credential Manager
- A temporary server-side authentication issue
What you can safely check yourself
- Confirm you're using the current password by logging into webmail directly first
- Open Windows Credential Manager and remove any saved entries for the email account, then let Outlook prompt fresh
- Check whether the account requires an app-specific password or modern authentication sign-in rather than the regular password
When it needs a proper look
If the password is confirmed correct via webmail but Outlook still won't accept it after clearing saved credentials, the account's authentication method likely needs reconfiguring.