Unable to set up 2nd mailbox in MS Outlook 2016

[CSG]

I have been using Plusnet for about 12 years and, as a very old aged pensioner, it fully satisfies my modest requirements for email and internet access via my desktop computer. (MS Windows & Outlook 2016)

Today, with help from Community Members I successfully opened a Plusnet mailbox for my wife in place of the Plusnet “alias” setting which had allowed her to receive emails

I have tried unsuccessfully to open a new account for her in my Microsoft Outlook  page and, because the solution may prove to be simple, I am setting out my steps in some detail below: ~

• Outlook ~ FILE ~ Set up new Account
• Enter email address ------------------------ my wife’s address as acknowledged today by Plusnet
• Set up manually ----------------- as the automatic set up didn’t work
• Chose POP
• Enter Password -------------------- tried my old MS password, my Plusnet password, and my wife’s email password, during each attempt below!
• Connect
• Internet Security Warning --- “The server you are connected to is using a security certificate that cannot be verified. The target principal name is incorrect. Do you wish to continue using this server” ------------------ I chose NO
• Next page options ----- Not correct email address or Change settings – I Chose change
• Settings shown ~ Incoming  pop3.plus.net port 995; Outgoing   smtp.plus.net   port 445
• I changed these to ~ Incoming mail.plus.net port 110; Outgoing relay.plus.net port 25 ~ in order to match the setting for my account
• Next page options ----- not correct email address or change settings

 I am aware that the new Plusnet mailbox has a unique user name but didn't get this far!

I also can see that Outlook provides a facility to open profiles but this don't appear to be the same as a separate mail box.

Can anyone help please?

[MisterW]

Basically you need to get to the screen which allows you to enter username & password.

The username will be <accountname>+<mailboxname> and the password will be the one you set for the mailbox when you created it. I'm afraid I dont use Outlook so dont know exactly how you get to the screen in question but I'm sure @Townman ( who does!) will be along soon...

[Townman · Accepted solution]

Hi @CSG 

Just to be sure when you say "Outlook page" I trust you do mean outlook.exe (an application) running on your PC?

"Outlook" comes in many forms, including an on-line version which is accessed via web pages.

Outlook the application guesses at the server names and invariably gets them wrong, so full manual set up with the correct details is essential.

First POP3 or IMAP - is your wife only EVER likely to need to access her emails SOLEY on YOUR PC?  Personally I would never recommend a POP3 set-up, especially if you do not have a comprehensive back-up regime for the ONE PC where everything is stored.  IMAP offers more flexibility, in that the mailbox can be accessed from the main PC, a smart phone, a tablet ... or even over the internet when away on holiday.

IMAP does though need the user to have a good practice of deleting garbage and from time to time, archiving off the server content that really does need to be kept for ever.

If you want to switch to IMAP, then delete the account set up you have started with in Outlook (only) and start again - the settings are similar.

• If you want to DELETE the existing account
  1. In Outlook - FILE menu
  2. -> Account Settings
  3. -> Account Settings
  4. Highlight the wife's account
  5. Click REMOVE
  6. Click CLOSE
• If you want to MODIFY the existing account
  1. In Outlook - FILE menu
  2. Select the wife's mail account in the top drop-down
  3. -> Account Settings
  4. -> Server Settings
  5. Incoming mail
     • User name: accountname+wifesmailboxname (the bit before the @ in the email address)
     • Password: the one created in the other topic
     • Server: mail.plus.net
     • Port: 995
     • Encryption: SSL/TLS
  6. Outgoing mail
     • Server: relay.plus.net
     • Port: 587
     • Encryption: STARTTLS
  7. Click NEXT
  8. That should send and receive a test email
  9. Click DONE
• If you want to CREATE a NEW account as IMAP
  1. In Outlook - FILE menu
  2. + Add Account
  3. Email: wife@accountname.plus.com
  4. IMPERATIVE - Advanced options - tick "Let me set up my account manually"
  5. Click CONNECT
  6. Choose IMAP
  7. Incoming mail
     • User name: accountname+wifesmailboxname (the bit before the @ in the email address)
     • Password: the one created in the other topic
     • Server: imap.plus.net
     • Port: 993
     • Encryption: SSL/TLS
  8. Outgoing mail
     • Server: relay.plus.net
     • Port: 587
     • Encryption: STARTTLS
  9. Click NEXT
  10. That should send and receive a test email
  11. Click DONE

Some things to note - with IMAP when accessing the mailbox from different devices, everything is in the same place (on the server).  If a mailbox is access from the same device using POP3 there is a real risk that no one device will see all mail which has been sent to the email address and (for sure) each device will only see emails it sent.

Having got the account set up and working, you might make it "pretty" for her...

• Outlook -> File menu
• Select her account in the drop down
• -> Account Settings
• -> Account Name and Sync Settings
  • Your Name: The DISPLAY name used in the address of out-going emails
  • Account Name: The name to appear at the top of the mail folders in Outlook
  • Leave the rest as is (**)
  • Click NEXT
• Click DONE

** Sometimes there is some confusion with the Plusnet server and I have needed to put inbox into the root folder to get IMAP folder structures to display correctly.

Hope that helps!

[CSG]

The MS Outlook used by me is part of a set of programmes (Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc) within MS Office 2016.

In my previous post I described the methodology which didn’t work but late yesterday afternoon, after trying 2 further directions of approach, I finally secured a successful connection

Method 2 (unsuccessful)

• FILE –Account Settings –New
• This produced a Page with an Outlook insignia prompting the entry of an email address as per Method 1 described by me yesterday
• Subsequent entries led to a similar unsuccessful result

Method 3 (successful)

• CONTROL PANEL –Mail – Mail Setup--- Setup new accounts
• Add ----------yes.
• This produced a page inviting me to enter a name + the mailbox account name as advised by Plusnet, and the email password adopted when setting up the mailbox
• From there on the connection was as smooth as I had originally expected with a confirmatory email from Plusnet
• Just to be sure, I sent a test email from my wife’s new mailbox to an outside address from which it was confirmed that the sender was identified as her ---- not me!

In conclusion I must thank ~ but apologise to the two respondents for taking up your valuable time.

I will stick with the current settings as we only use email on my home desktop computer ~ or mini laptop when on holiday

Thanks again.

[MisterW]

In conclusion I must thank ~ but apologise to the two respondents for taking up your valuable time.

Thanks are appreciated but apologies are not necessary! If we weren't prepared to spend time helping, we wouldn't be here.

We don't expect everyone to be IT experts and TBH Outlook is not the worlds most simple mail client to configure...

[Townman]

What he said above!

Personally I find Thunderbird far more complicated than Outlook.

Like many things in life, it is often what one is or is not familiar with.

@CSG - delighted that you have a working solution.  Now that you and the wife have separate mailboxes ... all that you now have to "fight" over is access to the PC!