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Outlook.com / Hotmail Email: Settings, Sign-In & Fixes

Microsoft runs Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live and MSN addresses on one system. Apps that only ask for a password stopped working in 2024; you now need an app that opens the Microsoft sign-in window.

Covers @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, @msn.com. Run by Microsoft. Checked against Outlook.com / Hotmail's own help pages, November 2026.

Open Outlook.com / Hotmail webmail ↗Reset password ↗

Outlook.com / Hotmail email server settings

ServerAddressPortSecurity
Incoming (IMAP)outlook.office365.com993SSL/TLS
Incoming (POP)outlook.office365.com995SSL/TLS
Outgoing (SMTP)smtp-mail.outlook.com587STARTTLS
  • Username: Your full email address (for example name@hotmail.com)
  • Password: Your mail app must sign in through the Microsoft sign-in window. Microsoft says an app password is only needed if your password is not accepted or for some smart devices, and it requires two-step verification.
  • Use IMAP if you read mail on more than one device; POP downloads mail to one device only.

Official page: Outlook.com / Hotmail email settings

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Common Outlook.com / Hotmail email problems

Outlook keeps asking for my Hotmail password after years of working

Microsoft stopped accepting plain passwords from mail apps. Remove the account and add it again in an app that opens the Microsoft sign-in window. In classic Outlook for Windows, add it as an Outlook.com account, not POP or IMAP.

My app says the POP or IMAP connection was refused

POP is off by default. In Outlook.com, go to Settings, Mail, Forwarding and IMAP, turn on the option you need, and save.

Microsoft blocked my app for "unusual activity"

Sign in at account.live.com/activity and confirm that the sign-in was you, then try the app again.

My old Hotmail account seems to be gone

Microsoft may close accounts that have not been signed in to for more than 2 years. Try the Microsoft account sign-in helper; a closed account may not be recoverable.

The verification code never arrives

Codes only go to your recovery email or phone. Check the junk folder there for mail from @accountprotection.microsoft.com.

Tell us what you see (the exact error helps), which app or device you use, and what you've tried.

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Problems that look the same on every provider

Can't sign in, or the password stopped working
  1. Sign in on the provider's own webmail page first. If that works, the problem is your mail app, not the account.
  2. If webmail rejects the password, use the provider's "Forgot password" page. Never use a reset link from an email you did not ask for.
  3. Many providers now need a separate app password (or their own sign-in screen) for Outlook, Apple Mail and phone apps. Your normal password will not work there.
Not receiving emails
  1. Check Spam, Junk and any filters or "blocked senders" in webmail.
  2. Check whether the mailbox is full; most providers stop accepting mail at the storage limit.
  3. If your app shows nothing new but webmail does, remove and re-add the account in the app using IMAP.
Can't send, or emails are stuck in the Outbox
  1. Check the outgoing (SMTP) server, port and security on this page against your app; old guides often list ports that no longer work.
  2. Turn on "My outgoing server requires authentication" and use the same username and password as incoming.
  3. Large attachments are a common cause. Remove the attachment and try again.
Contacts are getting spam from my address
  1. Change the password from webmail, then sign out of all other sessions if the provider offers it.
  2. Check forwarding rules, filters and the reply-to address in settings; attackers often add a hidden forward.
  3. Turn on two-step verification, and update the password anywhere else you used the same one.
Setting it up on a new phone or computer
  1. Use IMAP rather than POP so mail stays in sync across your phone, computer and webmail.
  2. Enter your full email address as the username unless the provider says otherwise.
  3. If the app offers the provider by name (Yahoo, Google, Outlook), choose that instead of "Other".

Sources: Microsoft: POP, IMAP and SMTP settings for Outlook.com · Microsoft: modern sign-in now needed to sync Outlook email in other apps · Microsoft: apps unable to connect to Outlook.com with a plain password · Microsoft account sign-in helper · Microsoft: how to get and use app passwords. Providers change settings from time to time; their own page is the final word.

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