Trying to add an IMAP account to Outlook

Question

Trying to add an IMAP account to Outlook

Kevin Parkyn 0

When I'm on the screen to "Add Account" I enter my IMAP email address, touch the "?" and I only get two choices: Contact Support and Get Diagnostics. What do I do now and thank you in advance.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hin Vo 365 Independent Advisor

Hi @Kevin Parkyn

May I know whether you have been able to select the IMAP or POP option yet?

Based on my testing, after entering the email address, Outlook prompts for a password. At that point, you can press the Back button once, which brings up the option to manually configure the account using IMAP/POP settings.

Could you please try the same steps and let me know if you see the same behavior on your device? User's image

User's image

I hope this helps.

Kevin Parkyn 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T16:32:54.0533333+00:00

When I press the back button it takes me back to Add account. Just to check, if I add a fake email it will take me to an IMAP, not if I use my email.
Kevin Parkyn 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T16:34:53.2066667+00:00

By the way, thank you for answering.
Hin Vo 365 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-01T11:27:16.9966667+00:00

Hi @Kevin Parkyn

Thank you for the additional information.

Just to check, has this account ever been successfully added to Outlook on this device before? If possible, could you try adding the account again using the same steps on a different device and see whether the IMAP/POP option appears?

In the meantime, you could also try clearing the Outlook app cache and ensuring that Outlook is updated to the latest available version, as this may help resolve the issue.

Please let me know the results.

Warm thanks.
Hin Vo 365 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-03T13:40:39.8733333+00:00

Hi @Kevin Parkyn

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.

Answer 2

For Outlook for Android, add the IMAP account manually instead of using the help menu.

Open Outlook for Android.
Go to Settings > Add Account > Add Email Account.
Enter the email address and tap Continue.
When prompted to select an email provider, choose IMAP.
Turn on Advanced settings.
Enter the password and the incoming/outgoing mail server settings.
Tap the checkmark to finish.

If Outlook does not already know the server settings, those must come from the email provider or administrator.

For the Outlook mobile app flow, another supported path is:

Tap the avatar in the top left.
Tap the Gear icon.
Under Mail Accounts, tap Add Mail Account > Add Email Account.
Enter the email address and tap Sign In.
If Outlook does not detect IMAP automatically, tap Not a ___ account and then choose IMAP.
Enter the username and password.
If needed, open Advanced Settings and enter the incoming/outgoing server information. Port numbers can be added after the hostname with a colon, for example imap.server.com:993.

If the connection still fails after entering the correct server details, assistance is needed from the email provider or IT admin.