topic Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook in Email

IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Raquel107 — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 11:40:32 GMT

Hello everyone

I am new to this forum but I'm tearing my hair out as I've just been forced to use the new Outlook on my Windows 10 laptop and I'm struggling to get my plusnet email to work. It keeps asking me for an IMAP password, which I have no idea what it is or what that means. I know my email password, but that doesn't work. I've tried reconfiguring the automatic setup to what others have suggested on this forum but nothing works. It keeps saying that I may need an App password but doesn't help me how to do this. Google is no help either! Can anybody help me please?

Thank you.

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 11:58:17 GMT

I haven't used Plusnet email for some time but I do use Outlook 365.

When you try to add an account you should select 'Let me set up my account manually'.

On the next page select IMAP.

The server details can be found here under 'What other settings do I need'.

If you are using the main email address as in the format yourname@accountname.plus.com then the password is the same as you use to log into your online portal.

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Raquel107 — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 13:23:14 GMT

Thanks for your reply but I have tried all those things. It's specifically asking for the IMAP password, which it seems isn't the email password to access the account. Then later asks for an SMTP password, if it's different to the IMAP password...?? My email is the secondary email address as the primary one is postmaster@domainname.plus.com I believe? It's the fact it suggests I may need an app password? No idea what that means. It's all so confusing!

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 13:28:06 GMT

@Raquel107

In that case I think you may need to try (as in your example above);

User name: domainname+'name of secondary email'

Password: The password for the secondary email

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Raquel107 — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:02:33 GMT

@Mav

Sorry, I don't understand the format you mean. Is that for the IMAP password? Whenever I've set up my email before, which I have done several times in the past on various devices, which is why this is sooo frustrating, my username has been myname@domainname.plus.com and the password as given for my email address. But never have I been asked for a IMAP password!

I really appreciate you trying to help me, thank you!

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Dan_the_Van — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:02:34 GMT

@Raquel107

I have just tried setting up my email, these are the settings you need

MAP configuration Hostname imap.plus.net Port 993 Secure connection type SSL / TLS (recommended) SMTP configuration Hostname relay.plus.net Port 587 Secure connection type StartTLS

IMAP and SMTP passwords are the same

HTH

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:08:32 GMT

@Dan_the_Van

Thanks.

That's what I was alluding to but you put it much more succinctly.

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:13:26 GMT

@Raquel107

As far as I am aware neither POP3 or SMTP have used the format postmaster@domainname.plus.com for the User name. It's always been in the format domainname+postmaster with the password being that of the Primary or Secondary email box that you set up.

If I am incorrect I'm sure someone will point it out.

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Raquel107 — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:14:34 GMT

@Dan_the_Van

Ah, that's exactly the screen I'm seeing, thank you! I think the only bit I don't have the same for is the SMTP username format - not sure I understand how you've written it (I'm a user with a very simple brain!). Is the accountname the username? And do I put the + in there? Sorry...!

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:18:37 GMT

@Raquel107

Yes, it's your user name from mailbox@yourdomain.plus.net - just the part in bold. You do need to use the "+" sign followed by whatever you set up instead of mailbox

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Raquel107 — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:31:30 GMT

@Mav

Sadly that doesn't work either 😞 I don't know whether it's because I need a so-called 'App password'.

I think I'm going to give up for now but thank you and @Dan_the_Van so much for trying to help.

I'll try again later 🙂

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Dan_the_Van — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:47:38 GMT

@Raquel107

You are not alone there is another thread mentioning an app password, see thread

A thought are you using a login account which does not have administrator rights?

Unless you have a desire for outlook you could try Thunderbird.

HTH

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:48:59 GMT

@Raquel107

Maybe if you were to take screenshots similar to @Dan_the_Van we might be able to see what is going wrong. Don't forget to erase your full email address.

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Raquel107 — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 13:54:09 GMT

@Dan_the_Van @Mav

With thanks for both of your help - I've gone down the Thunderbird route now, which was successful and relatively simple! Outlook seem to make it unnecessarily complicated? I don't find it as intuitive as Outlook, but I'll get used to it.

Thanks again 🙂

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:18:40 GMT

@Raquel107

I've used Thunderbird but do prefer Outlook.

Unfortunately, Outlook has a steep learning curve and it certainly isn't made to be easy to set up manually but it can be done.

Anyway, glad you got things sorted.

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Townman — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 09:58:31 GMT

@Raquel107

For clarification, when asked for the IMAP / SMTP or POP3 password, they are all the same as your email password. The email client connects to two different services one for sending (SMTP) and one for receiving (IMAP or POP3).

If you keep getting prompted for the password and you are certain that both the user name and password are correct, then the issue is something else. Email clients are frequently very unhelpful in discerning the real connection failure reason - they all appear to be password errors ... even when they are not.

The "Outlook" email program is a particularly difficult beast to configure.

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

HPsauce — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:09:19 GMT

I concur wholeheartedly with the above post by @Townman , especially as an otherwise devotee of Outlook in its various guises.

If in doubt it tells you the password is wrong, usually (almost invariably!) when it isn't, this has caused much chaos with SWMBO whose first reaction is to try and change the password!

My usual assumption is that there's a connection issue (router/WIFI whatever) then a server-end issue then an authentication issue of some unusual detailed type.

It is indeed most unhelpful at pointing you in the right direction. 🙄

PS I've also played with Thunderbird and various other email clients but unfortunately, once set up, Outlook is better. Especially if you've been a user in a corporate environment in an "earlier life". 🤣

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Raquel107 — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:57:53 GMT

@HPsauce

@Townman

Thank you both for making me feel better about this! It does seem to be unnecessarily complicated and misleading. As a non-technical person in many respects, I do pride myself in managing to set up most things with perseverance and perhaps a bit of trial and error, but this has defeated me! Perhaps Outlook needs to look at its setup and iron out anomalies like this so that lay people can get on with it too - surely they want to reach as wide an audience as possible. Hey ho!

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Townman — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:13:17 GMT

Outlook is far from being alone in this regard.

I have repeated issues with my iPhone and iPad email applications repeatedly asking for the 'correct' password for my Outlook.com email account ... when encountering a connectivity failure.

Connection to the Oulook.com servers does seem temperamental at times in general. "Proper" Outlook on my lap top simply reports a connection issue ... which sometime later will rectify it self.

Note that this reference to "outlook" is not the same as yours - it is a VERY confusing label!

Re: IMAP password needed for new Outlook

Mav — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:19:36 GMT

@Townman wrote:

Outlook is far from being alone in this regard.

It was a frequent issue years ago when using PN's Webmail.