How to Set Up Email in Outlook

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Last Updated: December 1, 2024

Microsoft Outlook is an email program that allows you to manage multiple different email accounts with the same software. You can set up each account using internal controls, allowing you to get all of your emails in one convenient place. However, you will need to set up your email, as well as Outlook, to make it possible. Luckily, doing so couldn't be easier.

Note: Due to the wide variety of email types, this article will explain the process using a Gmail account, the most common email server. However, the steps are identical for any type of email.

Things You Should Know

Log into your email account on your web browser. Find the "Forwarding" option in your settings. Enable "IMAP Access".
Open Outlook and go to "Tools" > "Accounts" > "Add". Log into your email address and set up the incoming and outgoing servers to be identical.
Check the "Use SSL to connect" if it is not already checked. Then, Click "More Options". Make sure "Authentication is set to "Use incoming server info".

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Setting up Your Email Account

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Head to your email website, such as Gmail, and log in.
" In Gmail, this is found in a little gear symbol in the top right corner. Many other clients simply have the word "Preference" or "Settings."

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Navigate to "Forwarding" in the preferences. This could have many names, but all of them should have something similar to "Forwarding." Other phrases to look out for include:
- "Forwarding and POP/IMAP"
- "IMAP Settings"
- "Mail Forwarding."
- "POP/IMAP"^{[1]
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Enable "IMAP Access" for your account. This tells your email that it is okay to send a copy of the mail to Outlook. Once you've done this, you're good to set up Outlook.
- If you cannot find IMAP Access on your unique email client, try looking it up. Simply search online for "(Your email client) + Enable IMAP."

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Setting up Outlook

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If this is the first time you've used Outlook, it will likely ask you to "Add an account." Click on this to add your email account.
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Select "Accounts" towards the bottom of the Tools drop-down menu. This allows you to log in to your email account, setting it up for Outlook.
- Troubleshooting: For Windows 8 or higher: If you are not getting this option, then get the “Charms bar” by pressing combined “Window + C” with the keyboard. At the Charms bar, click over “Settings,” then “Accounts,” and then “Add an account”.
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Click the "Add" button to add a new email address. There is a little "+" near the corner on some Macs.
- Troubleshooting: You may also need to click the padlock icon in the bottom to unlock your settings. This will require your administrative password, the one you used to log into the computer.
If asked what kind of account (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.) make sure you select the correct one.
It may take some time to access your email, but usually no more than a few minutes.^{[2]
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Select IMAP from the "type" box. This is by far the most common way to work things.
- Troubleshooting: If this fails, try POP.
This is what you used to log on.
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Set up the incoming and outgoing server identically. This looks complicated, but it is not. Simply write in mail, a period, then the end of your email handle. For example, if your email is Youperson@gmail.com, your servers would both be mail.gmail.com.
- Make sure "Use SSL to connect" is checked.
This helps keep Outlook running smoothly, and is not strictly necessary. It will, however, help avoid some common issues.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I set up a personal email account in Outlook so it looks and funtions like my company's Outlook email account?

Silver Lightning Gaming

Community Answer

You can set your business email account to forward all the emails it receives to your personal one. I strongly recommend using Google Apps for creating your custom branded email address.

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