How to Set Up POP3 & IMAP Email in Microsoft Outlook (Desktop) — Step-by-Step
This guide walks you through connecting a company email account to Microsoft Outlook for Windows (desktop) using IMAP or POP3 — the two standard protocols supported by virtually every mail host, including cPanel/Exim servers like the ones we manage in our cloud hosting service.
IMAP or POP3 — which should you choose?
- IMAP (recommended) keeps your mail on the server and synchronizes it across all your devices. Read a message on your phone, and it shows as read in Outlook. Choose IMAP unless you have a specific reason not to.
- POP3 downloads messages to one computer and (by default) removes them from the server. Choose it only if you use a single device and want to keep server storage minimal.
The settings you will need
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain. If your provider gave you a specific mail server name, use that instead.
| Setting | IMAP | POP3 |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming server | mail.yourdomain.com | mail.yourdomain.com |
| Incoming port | 993 (SSL/TLS) | 995 (SSL/TLS) |
| Outgoing server (SMTP) | mail.yourdomain.com | mail.yourdomain.com |
| Outgoing port | 465 (SSL/TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS) | 465 (SSL/TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS) |
| Username | your full email address | your full email address |
| Authentication | Required (same as incoming) | Required (same as incoming) |
Tip: always use the SSL/TLS ports above. The old unencrypted ports (143, 110, 25) transmit your password in plain text and are blocked by many networks.
Step-by-step: adding the account in Outlook
These steps apply to Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365 desktop on Windows.
- Open Outlook and go to File → Add Account. (First time running Outlook? The account wizard opens automatically.)
- Type your email address — e.g. name@yourdomain.com — then click Advanced options, tick "Let me set up my account manually", and press Connect.
- Choose the account type: select IMAP (recommended) or POP.
- Enter the incoming mail settings: server mail.yourdomain.com, port 993 for IMAP (or 995 for POP), encryption SSL/TLS.
- Enter the outgoing mail settings: server mail.yourdomain.com, port 465 with SSL/TLS (if your network blocks 465, use 587 with STARTTLS). Click Next.
- Enter your password — the full mailbox password — and click Connect.
- Done. Outlook verifies both servers and shows "Account successfully added". Click Done and send yourself a test email to confirm both directions work.
Common problems and fixes
"Cannot connect to the incoming server"
Double-check the server name and port, and that encryption is set to SSL/TLS (not "Auto"). If it still fails, your antivirus or firewall may be intercepting mail traffic — try temporarily disabling its mail-scanning feature.
"Your server does not support the connection encryption type"
You picked STARTTLS on an SSL-only port (or vice versa). Pair 993/995/465 with SSL/TLS and 587 with STARTTLS.
Sending fails but receiving works
Your outgoing server requires authentication. In File → Account Settings → (your account) → Change → More Settings → Outgoing Server, tick "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication" and use the same credentials as incoming.
Password rejected
The username must be the full email address, not just the part before the @. If you recently changed the mailbox password in your hosting control panel, update it in Outlook too.
Prefer not to manage any of this?
We set up and run enterprise-grade secure email for businesses — on managed Exim servers, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 — including migration from your current provider, SPF/DKIM/DMARC deliverability records and spam protection. See our cloud & email hosting service or request a quote and we will handle the whole thing.
