How to configure Internet e-mail accounts in Outlook

To do this, you must have the following specific information about your e-mail account to manually configure it in Outlook. Contact your ISP if needed to obtain the following information:

• Your full e-mail address.
• The type of e-mail account: POP3, IMAP or HTTP.
• Your user name.
• Your password.
• The SMTP server name or address.
• The POP3 server name or address.
• Is Secure Password Authentication (SPA) required?
• The port number that is used for SMTP. (Most ISPs use port 25.)
  • Is encryption (SSL is most common) required for the port?
• The port number that is used for POP3. (Most ISPs use port 110.)
  • Do you require encryption (SSL is most common) for the port?
• Does the outgoing e-mail server (SMTP) require authentication?
  • If so, do you use my normal e-mail name and password?

Use one of the following methods to configure the Internet E-mail information service, as appropriate for the version of Outlook that you are running.

Method 1: Microsoft Office Outlook 2010

1. Start Outlook.
2. On the File menu, click Info, and then click Account Settings.
3. Select Account Settings from the drop-down list.
4. On the Email tab, click New, select Email Account, and then click Next.
5. Click to select the Manually configure server settings or additional server types check box, and then click Next.
6. Click Internet E-Mail, and then click Next.
7. In the Add New E-mail Account dialog box, click Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP, and then click Next.
8. Configure the new email account. You can configure the new email account automatically or manually.
   • To configure the new email account automatically, in the Add New E-mail Account dialog box under Auto Account Setup, follow these steps:
     1. In the Your Name box, type your full name.
     2. In the E-mail Address box, type your email address.
        
        Your ISP provides this information. Your email address usually takes the form of a combination of your first and last name and the name of your ISP, separated by the at sign (@) and periods.
        
        For example, Sachin Karnik uses an ISP that is named Contoso.com. The ISP may assign an email address of skarnik@contoso.com.
     3. In the Password box, type the password that your ISP provided.
     4. In the Retype Password box, retype the password, and then click Next to begin the Auto Account Setup process.
        
        Outlook 2010 will try to automatically configure your account settings and server settings. If your account is successfully configured, the Add New E-mail Account dialog box indicates that the account was created successfully. This dialog box also indicates the type of email server to which you are successfully connected.  
     5. Click Finish, and then click Close to complete the account setup.
        
        Note If automatic configuration fails, the account must be configured manually.
   • To configure the new email account manually, follow these steps in the Add New E-mail Account dialog box:
     1. Click to select the Manually configure server settings or additional server types check box, and then click Next.
     2. Click Internet E-mail, and then click Next.
     3. Under User Information, follow these steps:
        1. In the Your Name box, type your full name.
        2. In the E-mail Address box, type your full email address.
           
           Your ISP provides this information. Your email address usually takes the form of a combination of your first and last name and the name of your ISP, separated by the at sign (@) and periods.
           
           For example, Sachin Karnik uses an ISP that is named Contoso.com. The ISP may assign an email address of skarnik@contoso.com.
     4. In the Account Type box under Server Information, click to select the type of email account that you have.
        • If you clicked POP3 or IMAP in the Account Type box, follow these steps:
          1. In the Incoming mail server box, type the name of the server. This is the server that holds your messages before you download them to the computer. Type the server name in lowercase letters. The name may be in the form of "mail.contoso.com." Or, the name may be in the form of an IP address, such as 172.16.0.0.
          2. In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, type the name of the outgoing email server. Type the server name in lowercase letters. The name may be in the form of "mail.contoso.com." Or, the name may be in the form of an IP address, such as 172.16.0.0.
        • If you clicked HTTP in the Account Type box, follow these steps:
          1. In the HTTP Service Provider box, click the appropriate service provider for this account. For example, click one of the following:
             • Hotmail
             • MSN
             • Other
          2. If you clicked Other in the HTTP Service Provider box, type the URL to the mailbox in the Server URL box.
     5. Under Logon Information, follow these steps:
        1. In the User Name box, type your user name. The user name is usually the part of your email address that is to the left of the at sign (@).  
        2. In the Password box, type the password that your ISP provided.
        3. If you want Outlook to remember your email account password, click to select the Remember password check box.
     6. If your ISP requires it, click to select the Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) check box to log on by using Secure Password Authentication.
     7. Click Test Account Settings. This feature calls a dialog box that shows in a step-by-step manner each testing phase of the configuration that you entered. When you click Test Account Settings, the following process occurs:
        • The connectivity of the system to the Internet is confirmed.
        • You are logged on to the SMTP server.
        • You are logged on to the POP3 server.
        • It is determined whether the POP3 server must be logged on to first. If it is required, Outlook automatically sets the Log on to incoming mail server before sending mail option.
        • A test message is sent. This message explains any changes that Outlook made to the initial setup.
     8. To make additional changes to your email account, click More Settings to open the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box.
     9. Click Next, and then click Finish.

Method 2: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

1. Start Outlook.
2. On the Tools menu, click Account Settings.
3. On the E-mail tab, click New.
4. In the Add New E-mail Account dialog box, click Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP, and then click Next.
5. Configure the new e-mail account. You can configure the new e-mail account automatically or manually.
   • To configure the new e-mail account automatically, follow these steps under Auto Account Setup in the Add New E-mail Account dialog box:
     1. In the Your Name box, type your full name.
     2. In the E-mail Address box, type your e-mail address.
        
        Your ISP provides this information. Your e-mail address usually takes the form of a combination of your first and last name and the name of your ISP, separated by the at sign (@) and periods.
        
        For example, Sachin Karnik uses an ISP that is named Contoso.com. The ISP may assign an e-mail address of skarnik@contoso.com. 
     3. In the Password box, type the password that your ISP provided.
     4. In the Retype Password box, retype the password, and then click Next to begin the Auto Account Setup process.
        
        Outlook 2007 will try to automatically configure your account settings and server settings. If your account is successfully configured, the Add New E-mail Account dialog box indicates that the account was created successfully. This dialog box also indicates the type of e-mail server to which you successfully connected.
     5. Click Finish, and then click Close to complete the account setup.
        
        Note If automatic configuration fails, the account must be configured manually.
   • To configure the new e-mail account manually, follow these steps in the Add New E-mail Account dialog box:
     1. Click to select the Manually configure server settings or additional server types check box, and then click Next.
     2. Click Internet E-mail, and then click Next.
     3. Under User Information, follow these steps:
        1. In the Your Name box, type your full name.
        2. In the E-mail Address box, type your full e-mail address.
           
           Your ISP provides this information. Your e-mail address usually takes the form of a combination of your first and last name and the name of your ISP, separated by the at sign (@) and periods.
           
           For example, Sachin Karnik uses an ISP that is named Contoso.com. The ISP may assign an e-mail address of skarnik@contoso.com.
     4. Under Server Information, click the type of e-mail account that you have in the Account Type box.
        • If you clicked POP3 or IMAP in the Account Type box, follow these steps:
          1. In the Incoming mail server box, type the name of the server. This is the server that holds your messages before you download them to the computer. Type the server name in lowercase letters. The name may be in the form of "mail.contoso.com." Or the name may be in the form of an IP address, such as 172.12.0.0.
          2. In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, type the name of the outgoing e-mail server. Type the server name in lowercase letters. The name may be in the form of "mail.contoso.com." Or, the name may be in the form of an IP address, such as 172.12.0.0.
        • If you clicked HTTP in the Account Type box, follow these steps:
          1. In the HTTP Service Provider box, click the appropriate service provider for this account. For example, click one of the following:
             • Hotmail
             • MSN
             • Other
          2. If you clicked Other in the HTTP Service Provider box, type the URL to the mailbox in the Server URL box.
     5. Under Logon Information, follow these steps:
        1. In the User Name box, type your user name. The user name is usually the part of your e-mail address to the left of the at sign (@).
        2. In the Password box, type the password that your ISP provided.
        3. If you want Outlook to remember your e-mail account password, click to select the Remember password check box.
     6. If your ISP requires it, click to select the Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) check box to log on by using Secure Password Authentication.
     7. Click Test Account Settings. This feature calls a dialog box that displays, in a step-by-step manner, each phase of the testing of the configuration that you entered. When you click Test Account Settings, the following process occurs:
        • The connectivity of the system to the Internet is confirmed.
        • You are logged on to the SMTP server.
        • You are logged on to the POP3 server.
        • It is determined whether the POP3 server must be logged on to first. If it is required, Outlook automatically sets the Log on to incoming mail server before sending mail option.
        • A test message is sent. This message explains any changes that Outlook made to the initial setup.
     8. If you want to modify your e-mail account any more, click More Settings to open the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box.
     9. Click Next, and then click Finish.

Method 3: Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and earlier versions of Outlook

1. Start Outlook.
2. On the Tools menu, click to select E-mail Accounts.
3. In the E-mail Accounts dialog box, click to select the Add a new E-mail Account option, and then click Next.
4. In the Server Type dialog box, click POP3, and then click Next
5. In the E-mail Accounts dialog box, enter the required information by using the following guidelines:
   1. User Information
      • Your Name: This should be your full name.
      • E-mail Address: Your ISP provides this information. Your e-mail address usually takes the form of a combination of your first and last name and the name of your ISP, separated by the at sign (@) and periods. For example, Patricia Doyle uses an ISP by the name of Adatum.net. The ISP may assign an e-mail address of PatriciaD@adatum.net.
   2. Logon Information
      • User Name: This is usually the part of your e-mail address to the left of the at sign (@).
      • Password: Enter the password that your ISP provided.
      • You may click to select the check box to have Outlook remember your e-mail account password.
   3. Server Information
      • Incoming Mail Server (POP3): This is the name of the POP3 server that holds your messages before you download it to your computer.
      • Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP): This is the name of the Outgoing e-mail server. Enter the server names in lower case in both the Incoming e-mail server and the Outgoing e-mail server. The names may be in the form of mail.adatum.net, or they could be in the form of an IP address such as 168.192.10.1.
6. Click Test Account Settings. This is a new capability in Outlook. This feature calls a dialog box that displays, in a step-by-step manner, each phase of testing the configuration that you have just input. The following occurs when you click Test Account Settings:
   • The connectivity of your system to the Internet is confirmed.
   • You are logged on to the SMTP server.
   • You are logged on to the POP3 server.
   • It is determined if the POP3 server needs to be logged on to first. If necessary, Outlook automatically sets Log on to incoming mail server before sending mail.
   • A test message is sent. This message explains any changes that Outlook made to your initial setup.
7. Click More Settings. This takes you to the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box, where you may further modify your Internet e-mail account.

The Internet E-mail Settings dialog box

The information that you entered in the "How to Configure the Internet E-mail Information Service" section is added to various tabs in the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box. This is where you make modifications and changes to your Internet E-mail account.

General tab

The General tab is the location that you use to rename your e-mail account.

• Mail Account: Type a name for this account.
• Organization: The name of your company; not a required entry.
• Reply E-mail: This is optional and only used if you want replies to your messages sent to another e-mail address.

Outgoing Server tab

The Outgoing Server tab is new for Outlook. The Test Account Settings button sets all required fields on this tab.

Note This button is not available on this tab in Outlook 2007. This feature is available in the Account Settings dialog box. To locate this feature, click the account, and then click Change.

• The My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication check box: Click to select this check box to turn this setting on, and to select the type of log on authentication the server requires.
• The Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) check box. Click to select this check box only if your ISP instructs you to. Very few providers use this setting.
• The Log on to incoming mail server before sending mail check box. Many ISPs require that you receive messages first. It implies that you are an authenticated user, and are not using the ISP to send unwanted commercial messages (SPAM) to unsuspecting recipients.

Connection tab

1. Connection Section
   
   The Connection tab contains information about how to connect to your e-mail server. There are three ways to connect to your ISP's e-mail server. Select one of the appropriate connection type listed in this section.
   1. Connect using my local area network (LAN): This connection allows you to log on to your e-mail server through your existing network connection. Your network configuration must support access to the Internet. Please see your network administrator for more details.
   2. Connect using my phone line: The Internet Mail Service looks for a Dialup Networking connection to establish a log on with your ISP. Once you are logged on to your ISP, it attempts to connect to your ISP's e-mail server. If this section is not available (grayed out), it may indicate that the Microsoft Windows Dialup Networking feature is not installed on your computer. Please refer to the "If Dialup Networking Is Not installed" section of this article for more information.
   3. Connect Using Internet Explorer's or a 3rd Party Dialer: If you click to select this option, Outlook uses a default connection method that has already been configured.
2. Modem Section
   1. After you click Connect using my phone line, you must define a Dialup Networking connection to use. You can select an existing connection from the list, or you can click Add to create a new connection.
   2. To edit the properties of a connection, use the drop-down list box to select the desired connection, and then click Properties. This takes you to the existing connection's Properties page.

Advanced tab

The Advanced tab allows you to set the POP3 and SMTP server ports, define whether the server requires secure connection, and define server timeout settings and delivery settings. The delivery settings allow you to read a message, but leave the message on the server for a specified time. This feature is especially helpful if you use the same e-mail account from more than one computer.

How to transfer Internet e-mail

The following information is the four ways to send and receive Internet e-mail.

• Press F9 on the keyboard: If you press F9, your connection type is verified and then uploads the messages from your Outbox and downloads your messages from the server. If you are connected through a LAN connection, messages flow without any other dialog boxes. If you connect to your ISP with a modem, the Dial Up Networking connection starts and establishes the connection. Messages upload from your Outbox and download from the e-mail server.
• On the Tools menu, point to Send/Receive, and then click Send/Receive All or click the e-mail account name: You can select to send messages only. On the Tools menu, point to Send/Receive, and then click Send All. This option does not download any messages from the server. If you click Send/Receive on the Tools menu and you have multiple e-mail accounts, you have the option to select the e-mail account that you want to use.
• On the Standard toolbar click Send/Receive: If you click the Send/Receive button on the Standard toolbar, it is the same as when you press F9 on the keyboard.
• For Microsoft Outlook 2002, connect with the Work With Headers menu selection. To work with headers rather than full messages, use the commands listed under Work With Headers that is a submenu of Send/Receive on the Tools menu. For Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2003, connect with the head-related commands. To work with headers rather than full messages, use the head-related commands listed under Send/Receive on the Tools menu. With Remote Mail, you can scan the headers, and then mark the messages that you want to receive, copy, or delete. While using Remote Mail, you can compose messages and send them to your Outbox at any time, and send and receive messages when you connect to your mailbox. This feature allows you to keep your messages on the server.

What to do if dialup networking is not installed

To use a modem connection, you must install and configure the Dialup Networking feature that included with Microsoft Windows. Your ISP provides the following information:

1. User name
2. Password
3. Local access phone number
4. Your host and domain name
5. DNS server IP address
6. Authentication technique (whether or not a terminal window is used)

Your ISP may also provide you with an IP address and an IP subnet mask. You need these optional items only if your provider gives you a dedicated IP address to use every time you dial in.