---
title: "Set up an email account in Outlook"
url: https://lookeen.com/blog/set-up-an-email-account-in-outlook
lang: en
description: "In Outlook, you can manage multiple email accounts at the same time. We show you how to set up a new email account in Outlook."
author: "Ben Golling"
published: 2016-04-04T09:34:47+00:00
modified: 2026-11-11T06:03:18+00:00
---

# Set up an email account in Outlook

Do you want to use Outlook as your primary email program? To do so, you must first add an email account to Outlook. This can usually be done automatically with ease. However, you may need or prefer to add your email account manually. In this article, you will learn how to set up Outlook both automatically and manually.

![Add Email Account in Outlook](https://lookeen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Outlook-E-Mail-Konto-einrichten-1.jpg)

[Are you having trouble finding data in Outlook? Here’s how to optimize your search experience!](https://lookeen.com/solutions/outlook-search/email-search)

## Outlook: Set up Email Account Automatically

Setting up an email account automatically in Outlook is quite simple. Just follow the next steps and your email account will be set up shortly:

1.Start Outlook.

2.  If you have not set up an account yet, a welcome window will appear upon first opening, where you must click **“Next”**. If you want to add another account to Outlook, click the “File” ribbon. Under “Info”, you can select “Add Account”.

3.  To add your email account, click **“Yes”** and **“Next”**.

4.  Enter your name, your already created online email address (e.g., your Microsoft account [mustermann@outlook.de](mailto:mustermann@outlook.de)), and the corresponding password, then complete the process.

## Set up Email Account Manually

If you set up your email account manually, you will need to follow more steps. But don’t worry, this process is not an insurmountable task. However, you will need to gather some information beforehand. Have the following data ready: email address, password, whether it is a service compatible with Outlook or Exchange ActiveSync (outlook.de, hotmail.com, etc.) or an account whose emails are retrieved via POP or IMAP procedures (most webmail providers like gmail.com, web.de, gmx.de, etc.). Many providers offer their own guide with this data that can be easily Googled. If your provider supports both protocols, IMAP is generally preferred over POP3, as it leaves the emails on the mail server, whereas POP3 deletes them directly from the server upon retrieval.

As before when setting up your email account automatically, start the setup wizard via **“Add Account”** under the **“File”** ribbon, in the **“Info”** subsection.

1.  First, select the **“Manual setup or additional server types”** option and click **“Next”**.

2.  Depending on your email account, you must now select what kind of service it is. Confirm your selection by clicking **“Next”** again.

![POP and IMAP Account Settings](https://lookeen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Outlook-E-Mail-Konto-einrichten-manuell-1.jpg)

4.  Under **“Server Information”**, you must first select the type of your service. Regardless of whether your provider supports POP3 or IMAP, you must enter the corresponding information into the **“Incoming mail server”** and **“Outgoing mail server (SMTP)”** fields.

5.  Under **“Logon Information”**, you still need to enter your **“User name”** and **“Password”**. It is simpler, but slightly less secure, to check the box for “Save password” so you do not have to re-enter this information every time you log in. Additionally, for some email providers, “Secure Password Authentication (SPA) login required” is necessary, which you can activate by clicking it.

6.  Under **“Test Account Settings”**, you can review your settings one more time before perhaps creating the email account with a careless mistake.

Contact your email provider if setting up your email account does not work despite correct data. Some providers send you an email to your online inbox stating that a login attempt failed due to security concerns. If this is the case for you, follow the instructions provided by your provider in that email.