Setting up Outlook on laptop or smartphone — step by step

Setting up Outlook sounds simple — and it is, if you have the right information at hand. But a mistyped server setting or a missing password can quickly turn into an hour of frustration. Here’s what you need and how it works.

What you need before you start

• Your email address (e.g. name@yourbusiness.com)
• Your password
• Optionally: your email provider’s settings (IMAP/SMTP server and port numbers)

For Microsoft 365, Gmail and Outlook.com, Outlook detects settings automatically. For hosting email (Combell, Hostinger, etc.) you sometimes need to enter them manually.

Setting up Outlook on Windows

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Add Account
2. Enter your email address and click Connect
3. Enter your password
4. If automatic configuration works: done. If not: choose Manual setup

Manual settings (IMAP):

• Incoming server: mail.yourprovider.com — port 993, SSL
• Outgoing server: smtp.yourprovider.com — port 587, STARTTLS

The exact server addresses are in your hosting control panel.

Setting up Outlook on Mac

1. Open Outlook and choose Outlook > Preferences > Accounts
2. Click + and choose New Account
3. Enter your email address
4. Follow the steps — for Microsoft 365 and Gmail it works automatically

For manual configuration: same server addresses as Windows above.

Setting up Outlook on iPhone (iOS)

1. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account
2. Choose Outlook (for Microsoft 365) or Other (for hosting email)
3. Enter your details
4. Choose IMAP (not POP) and enter the server details

Or install the Outlook app from the App Store — it works more smoothly than the built-in Mail app.

Setting up Outlook on Android

1. Download the Microsoft Outlook app from the Play Store
2. Open the app and tap Add Account
3. Enter your email address and password
4. For Microsoft 365 and Gmail it works automatically; for other addresses choose IMAP and enter server details manually

IMAP vs POP — what’s the difference?

• IMAP: emails stay on the server and sync across all your devices. Read a mail on your phone, it’s read on your laptop too.
• POP: emails are downloaded to one device and removed from the server. Avoid if you use multiple devices.

Always use IMAP unless you have a specific reason for POP.

Most common mistakes

• Wrong port or encryption: port 993 with SSL (IMAP) and 587 with STARTTLS (SMTP) are standard. If you use 465 for SMTP, use SSL (not STARTTLS).
• Authentication disabled: some providers require you to separately enable SMTP authentication in their control panel.
• App password required: if you have two-factor authentication enabled with Gmail or Microsoft 365, your regular password no longer works in Outlook. You need an app password generated in your security settings.

Still not working?

There’s likely something wrong with the server settings or the account configuration at your provider. I fix this in a short remote session — typically 30 minutes and done.

Don’t have a business email address yet? Read how to set one up via your own domain name.