How do I get the imap popup to go away? It pops up on every email address on my computer. It asks for the Server: imap.XXXemailca, username:XXX, Pasword: XXX

Question

How do I get the imap pop up to stop popping up every time I open outlook? The Server name, User name and password are entered.

Answer 1

Hello,

It sounds like Outlook keeps dropping your login info or just failing to authenticate. Since you said this happens for every IMAP account you have on there I need a little more context.

• Who is the email provider for those accounts?
• Also did you recently enable two factor authentication or change your passwords for any of them?

A lot of providers nowadays need you to generate a specific app password for desktop clients instead of using your regular web password. Hit me back with your provider and which version of Outlook you are using so we can get this sorted.

Answer 2

The repeated IMAP password prompts usually mean Outlook cannot successfully authenticate to the IMAP server. Use these steps to stop the pop‑ups:

1. Verify IMAP is enabled for the mailbox
   • If this is an Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live account, IMAP/POP access is disabled by default.
   • In a browser, sign in to Outlook.com.
   • Select Settings > Mail > Forwarding and IMAP.
   • Under POP and IMAP, turn Let devices and apps use IMAP to On.
   • Select Save.
2. Confirm correct IMAP server settings
   • For Outlook.com accounts, the correct settings are:
     • IMAP server: outlook.office365.com
     • Port: 993
     • Encryption: SSL/TLS
     • Authentication: Modern Auth/OAuth2
   • For other providers (e.g., imap.xxxemail.ca), confirm the exact IMAP/SMTP server names, ports, and encryption with that provider and update the account settings in Outlook accordingly.
3. Fix Outlook.com IMAP connection errors (if using Outlook.com) If the account is configured as IMAP in multiple email clients, Outlook.com may block the connection and keep prompting:
   • Go to account.live.com/activity and sign in with the affected account.
   • Under Recent activity, find the Session Type event that matches the time of the IMAP error and expand it.
   • Select This was me to authorize the IMAP connection.
   • Reopen Outlook and test again.
4. If using a non‑Microsoft domain via Outlook.com
   • If Outlook.com is used to access an address that is not @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, or @live.com and it is set up as IMAP, syncing may fail and cause repeated prompts.
   • Remove the connected IMAP account in Outlook.com and reconfigure it as POP instead, using the POP settings from the email provider.
5. Try POP instead of IMAP (if IMAP continues to fail)
   • If the mail provider supports POP3 and IMAP authentication continues to fail, create a new Outlook profile using POP3:
     • Close Outlook.
     • Open Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles > Add.
     • Choose Manual setup or additional server types > Next.
     • Select POP or IMAP > Next.
     • Set Account Type to POP3, enter the provider’s POP and SMTP server details, and complete the setup.
   • Be aware POP typically downloads mail to the PC and may remove it from the server, unlike IMAP.

If the prompts continue after these steps, recheck the username (full email address), password, and server details for each account, and correct any mismatch the provider documents.

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References:

• POP, IMAP, and SMTP settings for Outlook.com
• Outlook.com IMAP connection errors
• Authentication fails when you use an IMAP server in Outlook 2016
• What are IMAP and POP?