Cannot add my email account to outlook (even though it worked until 2 days ago)

[#1]

I would be grateful for any help, as I'm feeling quite upset now.

I had been unable to send emails for a few days.  I thought it would (stupidly) delete and re-add my account to outlook.  Outlook is now saying it cannot find the incoming POP or IMAP server (see dialog box 1)
The settings I am using are shown in dialog box 2

I am on a PC, Windows 10, Outlook 365 for desktop (ie not the web version)

I am at my wits end as I can no longer send or receive any emails

[#2]

Can’t see dialog box 1.

Should be plus.net not plus.com

[#3]

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@lucy9 wrote:

I thought it would (stupidly) delete and re-add my account to outlook.

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Oh dear, that could be frightfully grim!  Did you back up your emails BEFORE deleting the POP3 account in outlook?

With a POP3 configuration (never the ideal approach) ALL of your emails are stored locally, not on the server.  You might be lucky with some of the inbox, if "leave on server" was selected, but certainly not your sent items.  Unless one knows exactly what they are doing, POP3 is very unforgiving!

You might be lucky in the Outlook data file still being on your computer.

As mentioned above, the servers are...

• mail.plus.net
• relay.plus.net

If you are going to use port 995 for POP3 you also need to select TLS/SSL

[#4]

@lucy9 

Before you go any further, using the Windows File Explorer search your computer using the command *.pst. If there is, hopefully, a file or more appended .pst then you are saved, record where the file is located. If you can't find any then as @Townman writes, unless you have a backup or have set Outlook to leave emails on the server (I believe the default is delete on download), I fear that every sent and received email up until when you last downloaded your emails have gone for ever.

If you use IMAP then the Email hosting platform (Plusnet in this case), makes sure that it keeps back ups for emergencies. With POP3, you are on your own.

Personally I like POP3 but back up daily to a NAS with duplicate RAID drives and leave messages on the server for 2 months before deleting.  

[#5]

Hi @Townman 

I did back up all my emails first, so I have everything safe

I have tried staying on POP3, chaning the settings to:

• mail.plus.net |||| Port 995 |||| This server requireds and encrypted connection SSL/TLS
• relay.plus.net ||| Port 587 ||| Encryption method STARTTLS

This gives the the following error message:

The connection to the incoming (POP) server was dropped.  Please check the incoming (POP) server settings and try again.

I have switched to IMAP.  I have changed settings as you said to

• imap.plus.net |||| Port 995 |||| This server requireds and encrypted connection SSL/TLS
• relay.plus.net ||| Port 587 ||| Encryption method STARTTLS

I get the following error message:

The connection to the incoming (IMAP) server was dropped.  Please check the incoming (IMAP) server settings and try again.

Any and all further suggestions would be very gratefully received.

Lucy

[#6]

@lucy9 

You have made some errors in your port selections

IMAP: imap.plus.net port: 993 TLS/SS

POP3: mail.plus.net port: 995 TLS/SSL

SMTP: relay.plus.net port: 587 STARTTLS

[#7]

@Dan_the_Van 

thank you.  I have tried all of the below and I'm still getting the same error messages

[#8]

I had been unable to send emails for a few days.

Have you made any changes to your PC prior to your email stop sending?

There is a diagnostic which might help identify what is going wrong.

See Diagnosing email server connectivity issues 

Hopefully you're happy to give it a go?

[#9]

@lucy9 

There is something very odd happening here!

You definitely have the paid for Outlook from Microsoft 365 and not the free version of Outlook?

Are you on the Plusnet network?

Are you using accountname or you@accountname.plus.com as the log on credentials?

Is this the default email address or a secondary email address?

[#10]

Hello @Townman @Dan_the_Van 

Yes I defintiely have the paid for Outlook

No, I no longer have plusnet as my internet provider (but I haven't for a year and this problem has only just occurred)

Yes I'm using the correct logon creds

This is my default email address

I have tried windows powershell.  I've attached the results (I hope I've sanitised them correctly).  If I understand them correctly, imap isn't working.  With POP, it says my login failed (I have used the same password for as long as I've been at plusnet)

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Secure information removed from a public forum.

[#11]

Just to add further confusion, I am receiving and sending emails on ,my iPhone and iPad. 

[#12]

Sorry. Not true. I am receiving emails on my iPhone and iPad but cannot send on either

[#13]

This may be a red herring - but when I recently tried to put my email settings into Outlook (classic), I had repeated failures even though I (believed) I was using the correct settings. After restarting the PC and putting them in again it worked. I came to the conclusion that Outlook's initial incorrect guess at the settings had become "sticky" and the reboot cleared it. 

[#14]

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@IMM wrote:

...tried to put my email settings into Outlook (classic), I had repeated failures even though I (believed) I was using the correct settings. After restarting the PC and putting them in again it worked. I came to the conclusion that Outlook's initial incorrect guess at the settings had become "sticky" and the reboot cleared it. 

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The best way to set up an email account in Outlook is NOT to do it from within Outlook.  Instead, close Outlook then open ye olde worlde Control Panel (yes, the Control Panel is still there in Windows 11).  In there, use the Mail applet.  The settings you choose will stick and not be 'helpfully' changed by Outlook / MS.

[#15]

@Townman 

You sent me a private message to which I cannot find a way to reply.  If I could make said change I would but I do not know how to if I cannot access my account.  

I am at a complete loss and am really quite upset.  I have been a client of Plusnet for as long as I can remember.  I have had no information about changing the account to the new provider, which was my last hope.

I will lose a lot as a result of this.