Set up email in the Mail app

Add a new email account

1. Select Start , enter Mail, and choose the app from the results.

2. If this is the first time you've opened the Mail app, you’ll see a Welcome page. Select Add account to get started.

   If you've used the Mail app before, at the bottom of the left navigation pane, select Settings  , and then choose Manage Accounts.

   : On a phone or tablet, tap the three dots at the bottom of the page to access Settings.

3. Select Add account.

4. Choose the type of the account you want to add.

   : 

   • You may need to scroll down in the Add an account dialog box to view all options.

   • If you choose Google, you’ll need to sign in to your Google account, enter your 2-step verification code if you’ve enabled that security feature, and give Windows permission to access your information. Select Allow and your account will be created.

   • If you choose another email account, you'll need to follow the special instructions under Special instructions for other accounts below.

5. Enter the required information and select Sign in. For most accounts, this is your email address, password, and the account name. The account name is what you'll see in both the left pane of the Mail app and in the Manage Accounts pane.

   : If you receive the message “We couldn’t find info for that account. Make sure that the email address is correct and then try again,” you’ll need to select Try again three times before the button changes to Advanced. Select Advanced and follow the steps in the next section to add your account.

6. Select Done. Your data will start syncing as soon as your account is set up.

Add an account using advanced setup

There are two ways you can access the Advanced setup options for your email account.

• Select Advanced setup if your automatic email setup fails in Step 3 above.

• Select Advanced setup from the Choose an account window in Step 2 above. The Advanced setup option is the last option on the list, and you may have to scroll to see it.

  You can choose an Exchange ActiveSync account or an Internet email account. Unless your administrator has instructed you to use Exchange ActiveSync, select Internet email.

Enter the following information in the Advanced setup window.

• Email address This is the name you'll see in the left pane of the Mail app.

• User name This is your full email address.

• Password Enter your email account password.

• Account name This is the name you'll see in the left pane of the Mail app and in the Manage Accounts pane. You can choose any name you want.

• Send your messages using this name Enter the name you want recipients to see when they receive your message.

• Incoming email server You can get this information from your ISP or administrator. Usually, an incoming mail server address is in the format of mail.contoso.com or imap.google.com. For many email accounts, you can find this information in our POP and IMAP server name reference.

• Account type Choose POP3 or IMAP4. Most email accounts use IMAP4. If you don't know which one to choose, contact your ISP.

• Outgoing (SMTP) email server You can get this information from your ISP or administrator. Usually, an outgoing email server address is in the format of mail.contoso.com or smtp.contoso.com.

• By default, all four checkboxes at the bottom of the window will be selected. Most email accounts don't require any changes to these options.

Your email provider can give you the settings you need to fill in the Advanced setup but you can also go to the POP and IMAP server name reference we've provided for the most popular email providers.

After you've entered the required information, select Sign in > Done.

Troubleshooting

If you're having problems setting up your account, try the following.

• If you upgraded to Windows 10 or a later version, you'll need to re-add your accounts to the Mail app.

• Make sure your email address and password are correct. Passwords are case-sensitive.

• If you see your most recent messages but no older messages, you probably need to change your email sync duration.

• If you see a message that your account is out-of-date, you probably need to either update your password, your incoming or outgoing servers, or your SSL settings. See Fixing an out-of-date account for more information.

If you want to remove an account, see Delete an email account from Mail and Calendar apps.

Special instructions for other accounts

Still need help?

Related Topics

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