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Outlook.com IMAP Server Settings

Use your favorite email client to access your Outlook mail

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on May 3, 2020 Tweet Share Email pxhere Tweet Share Email MS Office Outlook Word Excel Powerpoint The Internet Message Access Protocol (known more commonly by its acronym, IMAP) is an email protocol that is used to access email on a remote mail server. It's one of the most widely used mail frameworks for retrieving messages, and it's supported by Microsoft to access Outlook.com accounts. Information in this article applies to Outlook.com and Outlook Online.

Outlook com IMAP Server Settings

The Outlook.com IMAP server settings are: Server address: imap-mail.outlook.com User name: Your full Outlook.com email address (not an alias) Password: Your Outlook.com password (or an application password) Port: 993 TLS/SSL encryption required: Yes To send mail using an Outlook.com account from an email program, add the Outlook.com SMTP server settings. IMAP can only access messages; you must configure the Simple Mail Transport Protocol settings independently if you want your messages to go outbound.

Considerations

Before you commit to using IMAP to access your Outlook.com account, however, consider Exchange access for your Outlook.com account. It does everything IMAP can — send and receive email messages — and synchronizes your contacts, calendars, to-do items, and notes. Particularly with Microsoft Outlook (the desktop program) and mobile applications like Mail on iOS, adding an Outlook.com account through Exchange opens greater functionality than relying on IMAP. You can also access Outlook.com using POP as an alternative to IMAP. Post Office Protocol is a method of retrieving messages that downloads an email and then deletes it from the server. POP has a valid business case — for example, to retrieve messages for inclusion in a company's ticketing system — but most home users should use IMAP over POP. Because IMAP syncs your connected email programs with your mail provider's server, anything you do to an IMAP-enabled account synchronizes across all connected programs. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Outlook.com SMTP Settings Necessary to Send Email Here Are the IMAP Settings You Need to Set Up Gmail How to Use AOL Mail Through an Email Client How to Create Outlook Calendar Email Reminders What Are the Outlook.com POP Server Settings? How to Enable IMAP in Zoho Mail How to Add Your Outlook.com Email to Outlook for Windows How to Send a File Attachment With Outlook.com The 5 Best Secure Email Services for 2022 Here Are the SMTP Settings You Need to Set up Mail.com How to Create App Passwords for Outlook.com for Easier Sign-in The Top Free POP and IMAP Email Services What Is an Email Client? How to Access Outlook.com Email With Apple Mail Guide to Yahoo Mail IMAP Settings How to Create a New Outlook.com Email Account Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies