Do you want to send and receive email using classic Outlook on a Windows PC? This guide explains how to manually add a new IMAP email account. You will also learn how to reset an existing IMAP account if you experience problems with Outlook.
Add a new email account in Outlook
Before you start, make sure you have the full email address and password for your email account.
Open Outlook.
Select File in the upper-left corner and then select Add Account.
Enter your email address. Select Advanced options and check 'Let me set up my account manually'. Then select Connect.
Select IMAP as the account type.
Outlook will try to detect the incoming and outgoing mail server settings automatically. If the correct settings are not detected, enter them manually as shown in the image below and select Next.
Enter the password for your email account and select Connect.
Outlook adds the account and starts loading your mailbox. Once synchronization is complete, your email will appear in your inbox.
Reset an IMAP account in Outlook
In some situations, you may need to reset an existing IMAP account. For example, this may be necessary if Outlook experiences problems after the mailbox has been thoroughly cleaned up.
Before you continue, make sure the account is configured using IMAP and that all important email is available through webmail. If necessary, check this with your IT administrator before making any changes.
Open Outlook (classic) and select File.
Select Account Settings and then select Account Settings again.
Open the Data Files tab.
Select the data file associated with the relevant email account and remove it. If this data file is currently set as the default:
Select Add to create a new Outlook data file.
Give the new data file a recognizable name and save it.
Select the new data file and choose Set as Default.
Select the old data file and choose Remove.
Set up the IMAP account again by following the steps in the first section of this guide.
Please note: Only remove an Outlook data file if you are certain that the email account uses IMAP and that all important email is stored on the mail server and available through webmail. If you are unsure, contact your IT administrator before continuing.