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I can't add an optusnet.com.au imap account to my Outlook 365

Anonymous
2024-02-21T10:06:36+00:00

When I follow the instructions to add an Optusnet.com.au account to my Outlook I get the error message:

"We couldn't find the outgoing (SMTP) Server. Please check the outgoing (SMTP) server name in account settings and try again."

The server name, given BY Optus is 'mail.optusnet.com.au', however no port number or Encryption Method for incoming or outgoing is given.

The Outlook connection Dialog box has 'none' set for Encryption Method, and Port 143 for incoming and Port 25 for outgoing.

I have read somewhere that Optus blocks Port 25!!

Can anyone help me please?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business

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Anonymous
2024-02-21T10:41:57+00:00

Hi Carmen,

Thank you for reaching out to this forum. I'm Utkarsh and as a fellow Microsoft user, I'm here and ready to help you today. I am a user like you, this is a user forum and not Microsoft directly.

Do not worry, I will help you sort this issue, rest assured that I will do my best to assist you.

I'd be glad to assist you with adding your Optusnet.com.au IMAP account to Outlook 365. Here are the steps you can follow, addressing the potential issues you mentioned:

  1. Verify Server Details:

-Double-check that the server name you're using is smtp.optusnet.com.au for the outgoing (SMTP) server. This differs from the incoming server name. -Optus does indeed block port 25 for outgoing SMTP connections. Use port 587 instead, with STARTTLS encryption.

  1. Configure Outlook 365:

-Open Outlook 365 and go to File > Add Account. -Select IMAP and click Next. -Enter your complete Optusnet.com.au email address and password. -In Incoming server settings: -Server: mail.optusnet.com.au -Port: 993 -Security type: SSL/TLS -In Outgoing server settings: -Server: smtp.optusnet.com.au -Port: 587 -Authentication: Use the same settings as your incoming server -Use the following type of encrypted connection: STARTTLS

  1. Additional Tips:

-If you still encounter issues, try turning off two-factor authentication (2FA) for your Optusnet account temporarily, then add it again with the updated settings. Re-enable 2FA after successful setup. -Consider using an app password generated by Optus specifically for Outlook 365. This might be more secure than your regular password. -Check for any firewall or antivirus software that might be blocking Outlook's connection. Consider temporarily disabling them to test if they're the culprit.

  1. Seek Further Assistance:

-If these steps don't resolve the issue, contact Optus support for more specific guidance. They may have additional troubleshooting steps or account-specific configurations to help.

Remember to replace placeholders like ************************** with your actual email address and password. By following these steps and considering the potential causes, you should be able to successfully add your Optusnet.com.au IMAP account to Outlook 365.

I hope this information helps! If I can be of help with anything else, please let me know. I will be glad to answer any other questions that you might have.

Give back to the Community. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below.

Warm Regards, Utkarsh

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  1. Robert Sparnaaij [MVP] 18,316 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2024-03-03T20:37:45+00:00

    Now - I have to figure how to get access to a whole lot of Archive emails I have saved in a local PST file - any clues? These aren't visible in new Outlook and I can't see any option in settings for Archive at all. I need to keep these. As Optus gives you so little storage you have to Archive.

    New Outlook doesn't provide support for pst-file yet. This is planned though but not release time has been communicated about it yet.

    A workaround would be to use Classic Outlook to upload your pst-file into an Outlook.com mailbox. You can then configure this Outlook.com mailbox in New Outlook as well. You don't actually have to use this Outlook.com mailbox for mailing but just for archive storage.

    See; Migrating Outlook pst-data to Outlook.com - MSOutlook.info

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-03-03T01:34:10+00:00

    I use Optus Email (for better or worse). When I switched to NEW Outlook - I could receive emails but not send any emails (they just sat in the Drafts folder)- also folders did not update (ie if I deleted an email via my Surface Pro laptop). I deleted the account and tried to add again - but this time I clicked on the 'More Details' option where I was able to change Outgoing port from 587 to 25 and set connection to 'STARTTLS'. The good news is that this worked (I've been spending a few hours for the last few days trying to figure this out).

    Hope this might help someone else with a similar problem.

    Now - I have to figure how to get access to a whole lot of Archive emails I have saved in a local PST file - any clues? These aren't visible in new Outlook and I can't see any option in settings for Archive at all. I need to keep these. As Optus gives you so little storage you have to Archive.

    Regards, Geoff.

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  3. Robert Sparnaaij [MVP] 18,316 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2024-02-21T11:05:31+00:00

    The documentation of Optus is indeed a bit limited when it comes to the exact configuration;

    Using an email application with OptusNet email

    The server name is correct; mail.optusnet.com.au

    We can also confirm that they are listening on port 25 with PowerShell;

    Test-NetConnection mail.optusnet.com.au -Port 25

    Result:

    ComputerName : mail.optusnet.com.au

    RemoteAddress : 211.29.132.250

    RemotePort : 25

    TcpTestSucceeded : True

    When looking at the macOS section of the aforementioned documentation, it seems like they are not using SSL nor TLS. So you might want to try it with encryption disabled. Nowadays, it is a bit worrying if that is indeed required though.

    If that doesn't work, can you try the PowerShell command mentioned above and see if it resolves the same way for you?

    @Utkarsh Saxena_27
    Any documentation references and test results for your claims? Or was this just an AI answer?

    Anyway;

    smtp.optusnet.com.au resolves to mail.optusnet.com.au as well, so that's not going to make a difference. They are also not listening on port 587 either so that connection configuration is going to fail too.

    Test-NetConnection smtp.optusnet.com.au -Port 587

    Result:

    ComputerName : smtp.optusnet.com.au

    RemoteAddress : 211.29.132.250

    RemotePort : 587

    TcpTestSucceeded : False

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-02-22T00:03:39+00:00

    Thank you for your reply.

    When I moved the PC to the user's location and tried again, IT JUST WORKED!! Go figure!

    No more questions, your honour - thanks for the help.

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