I am having problems accessing my Classic Outlook program

Question

I am having problems opening my Classic Outlook program ___@ ___.com. I also have a New Outlook addre_s_s @outlook.com that I do not really want or use. I have been recently been having to sign in to my Classic program, & I think the @outlook.com might be causing problems. I would just like to have my mail come to: ___@ ___.com. I do not care if it is Classic Outlook (which I would prefer) or change it to New Outlook. I would be more than happy to get rid of @outlook.com since I do not really use it.

Mod moved from Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For home | Windows

Answer 1

Hi Denny Ibbotson,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Based on your description, here are the two most common causes and how to address them:

1) The “Try the new Outlook” toggle can keep pushing you back to New Outlook.

To stay in Classic Outlook:

• Make sure you're opening Outlook (classic) from the Start menu (not "Outlook (new)").
• If you get flipped to the new version, use the "Try the new Outlook" toggle to switch back.

For reference: Toggle out of the new Outlook for Windows

2) Removing the @outlook.com alias

Important: Removing an @outlook.com alias from your Microsoft account is permanent and cannot be undone. If that address is tied to your sign-in, purchases, or subscriptions, it's safer to first remove it from the Outlook app (which only disconnects it locally) rather than deleting it from your Microsoft account entirely.

For reference: Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com

If Classic Outlook keeps prompting for sign-in, try these steps:

1. In Classic Outlook: File > Account Settings > Account Settings: If @outlook.com is listed as a separate account you don't use, select it > Remove (this only removes it from the app).
2. If Classic keeps prompting for sign-in:
   • Close Outlook.
   • Open Windows Credential Manager > remove entries related to Outlook/Microsoft/Office. Note: Modifying Credential Manager affects stored credentials system-wide. Only remove entries specifically related to Outlook/Microsoft/Office to avoid affecting other apps.
   • Reopen Outlook and sign in once.

If you can share the exact error message or sign-in prompt you're seeing, and confirm whether your email is an @outlook.com address or from another provider (like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.), I can provide more targeted steps.

 Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like further assistance.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

Follow these steps to focus on the classic Outlook account and remove the unwanted Outlook.com address from Outlook:

1. Close Outlook.
2. Open Control Panel → Mail → Show Profiles….
3. Select the existing profile and choose Properties → Email Accounts….
4. In Email tab, select the unwanted …@outlook.com account and choose Remove.
5. Confirm removal.
6. Make sure the desired ___@___.com account is listed and set as Default.
7. If it is not listed, choose New… and add ___@___.com again, then set it as Default.
8. Restart Outlook and sign in only with ___@___.com when prompted.

If Outlook still opens with the wrong mailbox or a temporary Outlook.com address, create a completely new profile and add only ___@___.com:

1. In Mail → Show Profiles…, click Add….
2. Name the profile (for example, Main), add ___@___.com only.
3. Under When starting Microsoft Outlook, use this profile, select Always use this profile and choose the new one.
4. Start Outlook.

If sign‑in or setup continues to fail, use the Outlook setup troubleshooter for classic Outlook: see Troubleshoot Outlook email setup and Troubleshoot Outlook for Windows issues.

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References:

• Troubleshoot Outlook email setup
• Troubleshoot Outlook for Windows issues
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in classic Outlook for Windows
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com
• Outlook.com email account appears as "outlook_[long series of letters and numbers]@outlook.com" in Outlook for Windows
• After I changed my primary alias on my outlook.com account, I can't log back in