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Why won't New Outlook for Windows let me configure my IMAP account?

Anonymous
2025-05-15T12:44:23+00:00

I just switched to the New Outlook. It made me restart Outlook and then removed 2 of my email accounts. I was able to setup one (an Exchange account), but it fails to setup my IMAP account. After entering the servers, ports, and credentials for my IMAP account (that all works in Classic Outlook, the webmail in browser, and in 3rd party email clients), the New Outlook is insisting that it has to "sync my account to Microsoft". Then it fails.

Why won't it let me setup an IMAP account without insisting on syncing it to Microsoft? There is no option for me to opt-out of this, and it appears it's the one thing that is failing each time I try to setup the IMAP account. Now I cannot get my IMAP email in New Outlook!

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-05-15T16:54:29+00:00

    Hello, my name is Femi. I'm an Independent advisor and a Microsoft fan like you. I know how frustrating this can be and I'll be happy to help you out today.

    The New Outlook for Windows now requires all IMAP accounts to sync through the Microsoft Cloud. This means that your emails are stored on Microsoft’s servers, even if your IMAP host is from another provider. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support the traditional local IMAP setup like you’d find in Classic Outlook or Thunderbird, and there’s no way to opt out of this in the New Outlook. So, if the sync to the Microsoft Cloud fails, whether due to provider restrictions or authentication issues, you won’t be able to add your IMAP account. The only solution at this point is to revert to Classic Outlook.

    If you’re using a standalone version of Office (like Office 365 or Office 2019), here’s what you need to do:

    1. Open Outlook.
    2. Click on the “Help” tab or find the “Try the new Outlook” toggle in the upper right corner.
    3. Turn off that toggle to switch back to Classic Outlook.
    4. Then, re-add your IMAP account using the traditional server and port settings.

    This is the best workaround if you need to keep your IMAP account outside of Microsoft’s cloud.

    Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

    Best Regards

    Femi S.

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-05-16T14:02:11+00:00

    Thank you for such a clear answer!

    I can't believe Microsoft decided that blocking all their IMAP users from using Outlook for their email was the way to move forward! Let's see, "what can we do to eliminate a bunch of users from using Outlook? I know! We'll force them to sync their email to our cloud even if their IMAP provider is someone else!" 😠 I don't know what their motivation is for this requirement! It's probably some security thing that they feel is required, but it is completely ridiculous, and I suspect many users will go elsewhere for an email client now!

    Thanks again for explaining the issue so that I don't spend any more time on this. Between this issue and a couple of other feature changes that break my normal email routine, I may stay with Classic Outlook for the foreseeable future! Or find a different email client completely!

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