How to Set Up an Out-of-Office Automatic Reply (Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, Thexyz)

An out-of-office automatic reply (Gmail calls it a vacation responder, Yahoo a vacation response) sends a message back to people who email you while you are away. You choose the dates, the subject and the message, and the provider sends the reply for you. This guide covers the web versions of Gmail, Outlook.com and Yahoo Mail, plus Thexyz.

All the steps below were checked against each provider's own help pages on October 24, 2026. Providers rename menus from time to time, so if a label looks a little different, look for the nearest match.

Gmail

Google's help page for this feature is written for the Gmail web app on a computer. To set up a vacation responder:

• Step 1: On your computer, open Gmail.
• Step 2: At the top right, click Settings, then See all settings.
• Step 3: On the General tab, scroll to the Vacation responder section and select Vacation responder on.
• Step 4: Fill in the date range, the subject and the message.
• Step 5: Optional: to send the reply to your contacts only, check the box under the message.
• Step 6: At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.

How it behaves, according to Google:

• Start and end times: The reply starts at 12:00 AM on the start date and ends at 11:59 PM on the end date, unless you end it earlier.
• Who gets it: In most cases a person receives your reply only the first time they message you. They can get it again if they contact you after four days and the reply is still on, or if they email you after you edit the reply.
• No reply for some mail: Emails sent to your spam folder, or addressed to a mailing list you subscribe to, do not get your reply.
• Signature: If you have a signature, it shows below the reply.
• Turning it off early: While the responder is on, a banner shows across the top of your inbox. Click End now on the banner to turn it off.

Outlook.com

Microsoft calls this feature automatic replies. Its help page for Outlook.com and Outlook on the web gives these steps:

• Step 1: Sign in to Outlook.com and select Settings at the top of the page.
• Step 2: Go to Account, then Automatic replies. (Microsoft's pages spell this menu both Account and Accounts, so use whichever your Settings window shows.)
• Step 3: Turn the Automatic replies toggle on.
• Step 4: Tick Send replies only during a time period, then enter a start and end time. If you do not set a time period, the reply stays on until you switch the toggle off yourself.
• Step 5: Type the message you want people to receive. The formatting options above the box let you change the font, colour and more.
• Step 6: Tick Send replies only to contacts if you want the reply to go only to outside senders who are in your Contacts list.
• Step 7: Select Save.

Microsoft's separate Outlook.com page also lists optional extras you can choose while setting the dates: block my calendar for the period, automatically decline new invitations for events during the period, and decline and cancel my meetings during the period. It also mentions a second message for people outside your organization, which applies to work or school accounts. Microsoft says that sending replies outside your organization answers every email you receive, including newsletters, advertisements and possibly junk mail, and recommends choosing Send replies only to contacts.

To turn it off, go back to Settings, Account, Automatic replies and switch the toggle off. If you are using the Outlook app on Windows or another Outlook program, note that Microsoft says automatic replies are not supported for Gmail, Yahoo or other POP or IMAP accounts added to Outlook, so set those up in the provider's own webmail instead.

Yahoo Mail

Yahoo calls this a vacation response. Yahoo's help page for the new Yahoo Mail gives these steps:

• Step 1: Open Yahoo Mail in a desktop browser.
• Step 2: Click the More icon on the left side of the screen, below your mail folders, and select Settings.
• Step 3: Click Vacation response.
• Step 4: Turn on Turn on vacation response.
• Step 5: Under Show vacation response during these dates, choose a start and end date.
• Step 6: Type your vacation response in the Message field. Yahoo says your changes save automatically.

To use a different message for specific senders, make sure the vacation response is on, choose Send a different response to specific domains, enter up to 2 domains (such as yahoo.com or gmail.com), and enter the message for them. To turn the vacation response off, toggle Turn on vacation response off.

Yahoo's page does not mention a contacts-only option, so I am not describing one. The domain setting is the closest control it documents.

Thexyz

Thexyz has two knowledge base articles on automatic replies, depending on which webmail you use. Thexyz knowledge base: How to Set Up an Out-of-Office Reply in SOGo Webmail and Adding an auto-reply message to your incoming emails.

In SOGo Webmail:

• Step 1: Log in to SOGo Webmail.
• Step 2: Open the preferences panel by clicking your user icon or going through the settings menu.
• Step 3: Choose Mail from the menu on the left, then choose Vacation at the top.
• Step 4: Check Enable vacation auto reply.
• Step 5: Fill in the form: the start and end dates, the subject and the message.
• Step 6: Click the green floppy disk icon in the right-hand corner of the page to save.

In Thexyz Webmail: Thexyz's auto-reply article says to log in to Webmail at webmail.thexyz.com and go to the settings tab on the right. There you can set the Status (auto-reply on or off), type the Auto-Reply Message, and tick Enable only during the following time frame to choose a start and end date and time.

The two articles use different names for the same job, and another Thexyz article, How to create email delivery rules in Webmail, says that for a general out-of-office message you should use Vacation Message in the Webmail settings sidebar. So look for Vacation Message in the Webmail settings, or Vacation in SOGo. Thexyz also has an Auto reply rule action for a single address such as sales@, but its article says to use the vacation setting for a general out-of-office message.

Tips for a Good Out-of-Office Message

• Do not announce your travel dates publicly: An automatic reply goes to anyone who emails you, including strangers and scammers. Say you are away and when you will reply, rather than where you are going, and consider sending it to contacts only where your provider offers that option (Gmail and Outlook.com do).
• Set an end date: A reply with an end date switches itself off. Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail and both Thexyz webmails all let you enter dates. Without one, Outlook.com keeps replying until you turn it off yourself.
• Give an alternate contact: If people need something urgently, name a colleague or another address they can use while you are away.
• Keep it short: Say you are away, when you plan to reply and who to contact. There is no need to explain more.
• Test it: Send a message to your account from a different email address to see the reply, and check the end date before you leave.
• Turn it off when you are back: If you ended up returning early, switch the reply off so people are not told you are still away.

Related: What is an Auto-Responder email? | How to filter incoming email to a folder | Forward Email from Outlook.com to Another Email Address | What is email forwarding? | Webmail Wiki Setup tool

Email Down? How to Check If Your Email Service Is Having an Outage

When your email stops loading, sending or receiving, the first question is whether the problem is with your email provider or with your own device, app, account or connection. A few quick checks usually answer it in a couple of minutes, and the provider's own status page can confirm a wider outage.

Is It You or Your Email Provider?

Work through these checks in order. If the problem follows you everywhere, it is probably the provider. If it only happens in one place, it is probably your side.

• Try another device: Open your email on a different phone or computer. If it works there, the problem is with the first device or app.
• Try another network: Switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or the other way round. If it works on one network and not the other, your router, internet provider, VPN or a firewall may be the cause.
• Compare webmail and your email app: Sign in to your provider's website in a browser. If webmail works but your app does not, check the app's account settings, password and server settings, and see the section below on when to suspect your own side. If webmail does not work either, the provider may be having an outage.
• Read the error message: Write down the exact wording. A message such as server unavailable, service temporarily unavailable or a timeout points to the provider or the network. Messages about an incorrect password, authentication failed or an account that is locked point to your account or sign-in details.
• Check one more way in: Some providers say an outage does not always block every way of reaching your mail. GMX, for example, says to try the browser login, its mobile app, or an email program using IMAP or POP3.

Check the Official Status Page

Providers publish different kinds of status information. These are the official pages, and every link below was opened on October 24, 2026. A green status does not rule out a problem that only affects some accounts, so use it together with the checks above.

Service	Where to check	Notes
Gmail	Google Workspace Status Dashboard	Find Gmail in the list of products. The dashboard also covers other Google Workspace services.
Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live and MSN	Microsoft service health status	Personal accounts are listed under Microsoft consumer products. Microsoft 365 work or school accounts are shown in the admin center, so ask your administrator. Microsoft also points to its @MSFT365Status account on X for widespread incidents.
Yahoo Mail	Yahoo Help (help.yahoo.com)	I did not find a dedicated Yahoo Mail status page. During past outages Yahoo has shown a notice on its Help pages and posted on the Yahoo Customer Care account (@YahooCare) on X.
iCloud Mail	Apple System Status	Look for iCloud Mail in the list of services.
AOL Mail	AOL Help (help.aol.com)	I did not find an AOL status page that AOL itself points to. The AOL Help article on problems reading or receiving mail covers the usual fixes.
Proton Mail	Proton Services Status	Also lists maintenance and incident updates. The old address protonstatus.com redirects here.
Fastmail	Fastmail Status	Shows web client, mobile app and general availability. The old www.fastmailstatus.com address redirects here.
GMX	GMX Help Center (gmx.com) or Störungen bei GMX (gmx.net, in German)	GMX shows a server status message at the top of its help pages, and a blue "Keine Störungen" banner on hilfe.gmx.net means no known disruption.
Zoho Mail	Zoho status (US)	status.zoho.com redirects to the US page, and status.zoho.eu redirects to eu.zohostatus.com. Check the page for your data center.
Thexyz	Thexyz Network Status	Live uptime for Thexyz products.

Third-Party Outage Trackers

Sites such as Downdetector and Down for Everyone or Just Me collect problem reports from users and show whether reports have jumped above the usual level. They are useful when a provider has no status page, or when its status page has not caught up yet. They are not official, so a spike in reports confirms that others are affected but does not tell you the cause. Downdetector's own pages warn about scammers who advertise fake support phone numbers in the comments, so never call a number you find there.

What to Do While Your Email Is Down

• Wait and retry: Many outages clear up on their own. Keep checking the status page instead of repeatedly resetting your password, which can lock you out.
• Use another way in: Try webmail in a browser, the provider's mobile app, or an email program over IMAP or POP, as GMX suggests.
• Do not make account changes: Avoid deleting accounts from your app or changing settings until the service is back, so you do not create a second problem.
• Tell people: For urgent messages, send a note from another address or another channel, and tell important contacts that you may reply late.
• Check for missed mail afterward: Delayed messages usually arrive once service returns. If something is still missing after a day, ask the sender to send it again.

When to Suspect Your Own Side

If the status page shows no problem and other people can use the service, look at your own setup:

• You changed or reset your password: Apps that stay signed in may keep failing until you sign in again. Some providers also ask for a separate app password for email programs, such as AOL, Fastmail and Outlook.com when two-step verification is on. See the settings posts for each provider.
• POP or IMAP is turned off: GMX and Outlook.com keep POP and IMAP switched off until you turn them on, and GMX turns them off again after long non-use. Webmail would work while your email program fails.
• The app does not support the sign-in method: Outlook.com stopped accepting basic password-only sign-in, so older apps must support modern authentication.
• Wrong server settings, port or encryption: Check the server name, port and SSL/TLS or STARTTLS setting against your provider's settings.
• Fastmail Basic plan: Fastmail says its Basic plans do not include IMAP or SMTP access, so email programs will not connect.
• Your network or DNS: If other devices on your network also cannot reach your provider, restart your router. On Windows you can clear the DNS cache by opening a Command Prompt and running ipconfig /flushdns. A VPN, firewall or antivirus can also block mail connections.
• Browser or app problems: Clear the browser cache, try a private window, or update the app. Yahoo lists browser issues and using several browsers or devices at once as causes of Temporary Error 15.

Related: Status pages for various email services | Gmail Password Incorrect Error | Gmail SMTP Settings | Yahoo SMTP Settings | iCloud SMTP Settings | Webmail Wiki Setup tool

Proton Mail Bridge IMAP and SMTP Settings

Proton Mail does not offer direct IMAP, SMTP or POP3 access. To use your Proton Mail account in a desktop email program such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird or Apple Mail, you install Proton Mail Bridge. Bridge runs on your own computer (Windows, macOS or Linux, not mobile), encrypts and decrypts your mail as it enters and leaves your computer, and gives your email program a local IMAP and SMTP server to connect to.

Proton Mail Bridge is currently available only with a paid Proton Mail plan. Use these settings in your email program, and always copy the exact values from Mailbox details in the Bridge app:

Inbound Server:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
IMAP Server (local Bridge)	127.0.0.1	1143 (default)	STARTTLS or SSL, as set in Bridge

Outbound Server:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
SMTP Server (local Bridge)	127.0.0.1	1025 (default)	STARTTLS or SSL, as set in Bridge

Other Settings

• Username: the Proton Mail email address shown under Username in Bridge Mailbox details.
• Password: the password generated by Bridge, shown under Password in Mailbox details. Do not use your Proton account password. If your email program asks for separate IMAP and SMTP passwords, enter the same Bridge password in both.
• Server: 127.0.0.1 for both incoming and outgoing. Bridge talks to your email program on your own computer and this connection does not leave your device.
• Ports: Bridge uses 1143 for IMAP and 1025 for SMTP by default. If Bridge uses different ports on your computer, use the ones it shows.
• Encryption: Bridge adds STARTTLS or SSL between itself and your email program, using a self-signed certificate it creates when you first set it up. In Bridge, Settings > Advanced settings > Connection mode lets you switch between STARTTLS and SSL, so match your email program to what Bridge shows.
• POP3: Proton does not offer POP3. Bridge can download all your mail into your email client, and you can export it from there.

Set Up Proton Mail Bridge

There is no IMAP or SMTP switch to turn on in Proton Mail. Bridge itself is the server. To get started:

• Step 1: Make sure you have a paid Proton Mail plan, then download and install Proton Mail Bridge for your computer.
• Step 2: Open Bridge, enter your Proton account details and click Sign in.
• Step 3: Select your account in Bridge and open Mailbox details to see the username, password, server and ports.
• Step 4: Add the account to your email program, using the Configure email client button in Bridge for step-by-step help, or enter the details manually. Keep Bridge running and signed in whenever you use the email program.

Troubleshooting

• Invalid password or login failed: Your email program must use the password generated by Bridge, not your Proton account password. Check that Bridge is running and you are signed in, and replace any saved password with the current one from Mailbox details. If you removed and re-added your account in Bridge, the password may have changed.
• IMAP Login failed: This appears when your email program connects to Bridge but you are signed out of the app. Click Sign in in Bridge, then enter the IMAP password from Mailbox details > IMAP > Password if asked.
• Certificate warning: Because Bridge uses a certificate on your own device, it is not signed by a certificate authority and you have to confirm it in your email program. In Thunderbird, confirm the exception for both IMAP and SMTP. In Outlook on Windows, choose View Certificate > Install if you do not want to be asked every time.
• Port is already occupied: Bridge uses ports 1143 and 1025 by default. If another app is using one, go to Settings > Advanced settings > Default ports > Change, raise the number by one (1144 for IMAP or 1026 for SMTP) and save. Then update the ports in your email program if you already set it up.
• Bridge failed to connect to your email client: Proton suggests removing your Proton account from the email program, deleting the account in Bridge (trash icon) to reset its message cache, signing in again and repeating the setup.
• New Outlook: Proton says the new Outlook for Mac has known sync issues that only Microsoft can fix and does not recommend it. Use a recommended client such as Legacy Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird, or the Proton Mail Desktop app.

Related: Keyboard shortcuts for Protonmail | List of privacy focused email providers | Hushmail SMTP Settings | Gmail SMTP Settings | Webmail Wiki Setup tool

GMX Mail SMTP, IMAP and POP Settings

You can use your GMX Mail account in other email programs, such as Thunderbird, Outlook or Apple Mail, using IMAP or POP3 to receive mail and SMTP to send it. GMX publishes separate server data for gmx.com and for gmx.net, so use the table that matches your GMX account. The free GMX Mail app is GMX's own suggestion for phones and tablets.

Use these settings to set up the incoming mail server information for a gmx.com account (GMX help center for gmx.com):

Inbound Servers (gmx.com):

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
IMAP Server (SSL/TLS)	imap.gmx.com	993	SSL/TLS
POP Server (SSL/TLS)	pop.gmx.com	995	SSL/TLS

Outbound Servers (gmx.com):

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
SMTP Server (STARTTLS)	mail.gmx.com	587	STARTTLS
SMTP Server (SSL/TLS)	mail.gmx.com	465	SSL/TLS

Inbound Servers (gmx.net):

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
IMAP Server (SSL/TLS)	imap.gmx.net	993	SSL/TLS
POP Server (SSL/TLS)	pop.gmx.net	995	SSL/TLS

Outbound Servers (gmx.net):

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
SMTP Server (STARTTLS)	mail.gmx.net	587	STARTTLS
SMTP Server (SSL/TLS)	mail.gmx.net	465	SSL/TLS

Other Settings

• Username: your full GMX email address.
• Password: your GMX password. If you use GMX two-factor authentication, use an application-specific password instead (see below).
• Encryption: GMX lists SSL or encryption for IMAP (993) and POP3 (995), and STARTTLS (or TLS) for SMTP on 587. If your program has no STARTTLS option, choose TLS, or just enable encryption. You can also send with port 465 and SSL.
• TLS versions: your email program must support TLS 1.2 or 1.3. GMX no longer supports TLS 1.0 and 1.1.
• Sending: GMX does not support the old SMTP-after-POP sending method, so your email program must log in to the outgoing server with your username and password.

Turn On POP3 and IMAP in GMX

POP3 and IMAP access is switched off by default. To turn it on for a gmx.com account:

• Step 1: In your GMX mailbox, open the Email tab and click Settings.
• Step 2: Click POP3 & IMAP.
• Step 3: Tick Enable access to this account via POP3 and IMAP.
• Step 4: Click Save.

Troubleshooting

• On gmx.net the menu looks different: GMX's gmx.net help (in German) says to click the icon with your initials, choose E-Mail-Einstellungen (email settings), then POP3/IMAP under receiving email. Set the slider to allow POP3 and IMAP access and solve the security question by sliding the two shown symbols on top of each other.
• POP3 and IMAP turned themselves off: GMX turns POP3 and IMAP access off automatically for security reasons if you do not use it for a longer period of time. Switch it on again in your email settings.
• You use two-factor authentication: Create an application-specific password and use it in your email program instead of your normal GMX password. On gmx.com, log in to GMX, click the profile icon, then Security Options > Manage application-specific passwords > Create new application-specific password. GMX shows the password only once, so copy it straight away. After you turn on two-factor authentication, you must also turn POP3 and IMAP access on again.
• Setup fails or you get an error: Log in to GMX in a browser on a computer and check for an error message. Some messages, such as temporary blocks, may not show up properly in a third-party email app. Also check your password, your security software and that your email program is up to date. If the program set up the account automatically, delete it and set it up manually.
• IMAP port 993 does not work: GMX says you can try port 143 for IMAP. It is not encrypted by default, so turn on STARTTLS in your email program.
• Outgoing mail is rejected: GMX's gmx.net help says to enter only email addresses that belong to your mailbox as the sender address, because other sender addresses can be rejected by other providers.

Related: Gmail SMTP Settings | Yahoo SMTP Settings | iCloud SMTP Settings | Best free email providers | List of Webmail Domains | Webmail Wiki Setup tool

Fastmail SMTP, IMAP and POP Settings

You can use your Fastmail account in a desktop or mobile email app by connecting it with IMAP or POP and sending mail through Fastmail's SMTP server. Fastmail recommends IMAP over POP, and requires SSL/TLS for every protocol. It does not support insecure access.

Use these settings to set up the incoming mail server information for your Fastmail account:

Inbound Servers:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
IMAP Server (SSL/TLS)	imap.fastmail.com	993	SSL/TLS (not STARTTLS)
POP Server (SSL/TLS)	pop.fastmail.com	995	SSL/TLS (not STARTTLS)

Outbound Servers:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
SMTP Server (SSL/TLS)	smtp.fastmail.com	465	SSL/TLS (not STARTTLS)
SMTP Server (STARTTLS)	smtp.fastmail.com	587	STARTTLS

Other Settings

• Username: your full Fastmail email address, including the domain. If your software has trouble with the @ symbol, Fastmail says you can try username#your.domain, username/your.domain or username=your.domain instead.
• Password: a Fastmail app password. You cannot use your regular Fastmail password for third-party apps.
• SMTP authentication: PLAIN. Use port 465 with SSL/TLS. Fastmail says to use port 587 with STARTTLS only if your client supports STARTTLS only.
• IMAP folders: leave the root folder (IMAP path prefix) blank and use / (forward slash) as the folder separator.
• Secure password authentication: do not turn on secure password authentication (SPA). Fastmail says it is not needed with SSL/TLS and will not work.
• Plan: Basic plans do not include access to IMAP or SMTP, so they cannot use third-party mail apps.

Create a Fastmail App Password

Every third-party app needs its own app password. There is no separate POP or IMAP switch to turn on. To create one:

• Step 1: Log in to Fastmail on the web and go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
• Step 2: Under Connected apps & API tokens, click Manage app passwords and access, then click New app password.
• Step 3: Choose a name for the app, then choose what it can access. Mail, Contacts & Calendars is the default and covers IMAP, POP and SMTP.
• Step 4: Click Generate password and copy it into the password field of your email app. Make sure the account works in the app before you click Done in Fastmail.

Troubleshooting

• Password error: If you use your normal Fastmail password or your two-step verification password in a third-party app, syncing will not work and you will see a password error. Create an app password instead.
• You are on a Basic plan: Basic plans cannot create app passwords or use IMAP, SMTP, CalDAV or CardDAV. You can use Fastmail in a desktop web browser or in the Fastmail mobile app instead.
• Server names: Use imap.fastmail.com, pop.fastmail.com and smtp.fastmail.com exactly as shown in the tables above.
• Ports are blocked by a firewall: Fastmail has proxy servers that work on any port number, all with SSL/TLS: imaps-proxy.fastmail.com for IMAP, pops-proxy.fastmail.com for POP and smtps-proxy.fastmail.com for SMTP. Commonly open ports include 80, 21, 25 and 443.
• Reading a folder with POP: POP pulls mail from your Inbox. To use another folder, add the folder name to your username, for example yourusername+foldername@fastmail.com. Folder names are case-sensitive and this will not work if the name has special characters.
• Wrong port or encryption: Check that IMAP uses port 993 and POP uses port 995 with SSL/TLS (not STARTTLS), and that SMTP uses 465 with SSL/TLS or 587 with STARTTLS.

Related: Gmail SMTP Settings | Yahoo SMTP Settings | iCloud SMTP Settings | Hushmail SMTP Settings | Best paid email hosting providers | Webmail Wiki Setup tool

AOL Mail SMTP, IMAP and POP Settings

You can use your AOL Mail account in a third-party email app, such as Thunderbird, Outlook or the mail app on your phone, to send and receive mail or to download a copy of your email. AOL supports both IMAP and POP, and mail is sent through AOL's SMTP server.

Use these settings to set up the incoming mail server information for your AOL Mail account:

Inbound Servers:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
IMAP Server (SSL/TLS)	imap.aol.com	993	SSL/TLS
POP Server (SSL/TLS)	pop.aol.com	995	SSL/TLS

Outbound Servers:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
SMTP Server (SSL/TLS)	smtp.aol.com	465	SSL/TLS

Other Settings

• Username: your full AOL email address, including @aol.com.
• Password: an AOL app password. Third-party email apps that do not use AOL's own sign-in page need a generated app password, not your normal AOL password.
• Encryption: SSL/TLS must be turned on for both incoming and outgoing mail: IMAP 993, POP3 995 and SMTP 465.
• IMAP or POP: IMAP keeps the app and your account in sync, so changes you make in either place appear in both. POP downloads a copy of your mail, and only from the Inbox, not your own folders.

Create an AOL App Password

AOL does not have a separate switch for IMAP or POP. If you use AOL two-step verification or an older email app, you may need an app password. To create one:

• Step 1: Sign in to your AOL Account Security page.
• Step 2: Click Generate app password or Generate and manage app passwords, then click Get Started.
• Step 3: Enter your app's name in the text field and click Generate password.
• Step 4: Use the one-time password to sign in to your third-party app, then click Done.

Troubleshooting

• Use a browser you normally use for AOL: AOL says to create an app password in a browser you have used to sign in to AOL Mail for several days in a row, and not in Incognito mode. If that does not work, use AOL Mail on the web or the official AOL app. AOL customer care cannot override this check.
• Your app is blocked or cannot sign in: By default AOL Mail blocks access from outdated apps. Remove your AOL account from the app and add it again, looking for the AOL logo or provider option so the app uses AOL's secure sign-in. If that does not work, generate an app password.
• Outlook, Windows Mail and the Gmail app: AOL says that, as of May 2020, Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, Windows Mail and the Gmail app do not support its OAuth2 sign-in for AOL accounts, so use an app password with them.
• The app keeps asking for your password: Re-enter your AOL password in the app's account settings. If you use an app password, you may need to delete it, create a new one and use that instead. Deleting an app password is the only way to cancel it. Changing your main AOL password does not.
• Wrong port or encryption: Check that IMAP uses port 993, POP uses port 995 and SMTP uses port 465, each with SSL/TLS, and that the username is your full address with @aol.com.

Related: Gmail SMTP Settings | Yahoo SMTP Settings | iCloud SMTP Settings | Status pages for various email services | Webmail Wiki Setup tool

Outlook.com and Hotmail SMTP, IMAP and POP Settings

You can use your Outlook.com email account on devices like phones and computers to connect with the native email app. These settings are for Microsoft personal email addresses, including those ending in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com and @msn.com. Hotmail is now Outlook.com.

Use these settings to set up the incoming mail server information for your Outlook.com or Hotmail account:

Inbound Servers:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
IMAP Server (SSL/TLS)	outlook.office365.com	993	SSL/TLS
POP Server (SSL/TLS)	outlook.office365.com	995	SSL/TLS

Outbound Servers:

Type	Server Address	Port	Encryption
SMTP Server (STARTTLS)	smtp-mail.outlook.com	587	STARTTLS

Other Settings

• Username: your full email address, for example you@outlook.com or you@hotmail.com.
• Password: your Microsoft account password. If it is not recognized, or you are adding the account to a smart device such as a home security camera, you may need an app password.
• Authentication: OAuth2 / Modern Auth. Outlook.com requires modern authentication, so the app should open a Microsoft sign-in window instead of asking you to type a password into the server settings. Basic password-only sign-in stopped working on September 16, 2024.
• Encryption: SSL/TLS for IMAP (993) and POP (995), STARTTLS for SMTP (587).

Turn On POP or IMAP in Outlook.com

POP and IMAP access is turned off by default. Before you add your account to another app, turn it on:

• Step 1: In Outlook.com, select Settings > Mail > Forwarding and IMAP.
• Step 2: Under POP and IMAP, switch on Let devices and apps use POP or Let devices and apps use IMAP, depending on which one you plan to use.
• Step 3: Select Save.

Troubleshooting

• The app does not support modern authentication: Because Outlook.com requires OAuth2 / Modern Auth, an app that can only send a plain username and password will fail to connect. Check whether the app offers an Outlook.com (or Outlook, Hotmail and Live) account option and use that instead of a manual setup. In Mozilla Thunderbird, set the authentication method for both the server and the outgoing server (SMTP) to OAuth2. If the app cannot do modern authentication, Microsoft recommends using the free Outlook app instead.
• You use 2-step verification: Approve the sign-in request when the app asks you to sign in with Microsoft. If a device cannot use security codes or approval prompts, create an app password in the Advanced security options of your Microsoft account and enter it in place of your normal password. Microsoft says you only need an app password if two-step verification is on and the device does not support it.
• Wrong port or encryption: Double-check that IMAP uses port 993 with SSL/TLS, POP uses port 995 with SSL/TLS, and SMTP uses port 587 with STARTTLS. Use the server names exactly as shown in the tables above.
• Connection error with IMAP in several apps: Microsoft notes that you can get a connection error if you set up the same account with IMAP in more than one email app. Sign in at account.live.com/activity, open the most recent Session Type entry under Recent activity, and select This was me, then try your app again.

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