Why is the outlook for one of my accounts not letting me log in

Question

Hi I have used this email before and not had any problems. however, I recently bought a Dell Inspiron 15, while trying to set it up the email is not working. i have factory reset the laptop twice and tried to re-set it up under different accounts. the email that is not working is [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]@t2electricalsolutions.co.uk when i try to log in it just spins says its setting up and then sends me back to the password section. i have deleted and re-installed on the pc as well as tried the online version of outlook but it says the account does not exist although it must because of previous use of the email account. i have also updated the PC to see if it was just not working because of it being an older version. i also checked on the website that i have set up the domain with and again nothing. is there a phone number i can contact? or even a chat bot that would lead me to a person? because as of right now it is just this and silly questions that always seem to not cover the issue at hand

Answer 1

Dear @Thomas Wilson,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that you're unable to sign in to one of your Outlook accounts on your new Dell Inspiron 15. You’ve used this email before without issues, but now the setup process keeps looping back to the password screen. You’ve already tried factory resets, reinstalling Outlook, updating the PC, and using the web version, which reports that the account doesn’t exist. You also checked your domain provider but found nothing. You’re looking for a support phone number or a way to reach an actual person for help.

Thanks for taking the time to share what you've been experiencing and the troubleshooting so far.

At this point, the best next step is to contact Microsoft Support directly so they can take a closer look at the account and verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.

You can reach support through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & support to create a support ticket (if you have admin access).

For more details, you could refer to this article: Get support for Microsoft 365 for business 

You can also reach out to Phone support again. To get to a live support agent, please be noted that: Sometimes, you would hear the computer-generated voice at first, please kindly wait for it to end, and if an agent is available, you would be directed to them and get your support. Depending on your country or region, when you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "You can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help.

Thank you for your time and understanding!

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Answer 2

For an Outlook account that previously worked but now loops on “setting up” and returns to the password screen, use these steps:

1. Confirm the account actually exists and can sign in

• Go to the mail provider’s webmail sign-in page (for the @t2electricalsolutions.co.uk domain) and sign in there first.
• If sign-in fails or the site says the account does not exist, the mailbox may have been removed or misconfigured at the domain host. In that case, contact the domain/email host’s support to re‑enable or recreate the mailbox.

2. Check the account type in Outlook

• If this is a Microsoft-hosted account (Hotmail/Live/Outlook.com style), ensure it is added as an Outlook.com/Microsoft 365 account, not as Exchange/IMAP incorrectly. Classic Outlook will not sync properly if the wrong account type is used.
  • For classic Outlook: Control Panel → Mail → Email Accounts → New → enter name, full email address, and password, then Next and Finish.

3. Fix login loops in the Outlook app If Outlook opens, shows a spinner (“setting things up”), then returns to the login screen, reset the Outlook profile/account state and re-add the account:

• In Outlook, add a different email account (any working account).
• Once Outlook opens with that working account, go to Outlook’s account settings.
• Remove the problematic @t2electricalsolutions.co.uk account.
• Add it back from scratch with the correct server settings and password. Users with similar login loops resolved them by setting up a new account in Outlook, then removing and re-adding the problematic account.

4. If Outlook cannot start or keeps failing

• For New Outlook on Windows, clear the local state and then sign in again:
  • Close Outlook.
  • Run olk.exe --clearLocalState (from Run or a command prompt).
  • Start New Outlook, then sign in to the account again when prompted.

5. If the account is a Microsoft account and the password is not accepted anywhere

• Use the Microsoft account recovery flow to reset the password and regain access, then try adding it back to Outlook.

6. Getting live support For direct support from Microsoft for Outlook.com/Microsoft account issues:

• Use the Outlook.com in-product Help: select Help in Outlook.com, enter the issue, then scroll to Still need help? and choose Yes to reach support.
• If unable to sign in, use the dedicated “can’t sign in” support entry point from the Outlook.com support page.
• For general Microsoft account and subscription issues, use the Account & Billing Help entry point.

If the domain host confirms the mailbox exists and webmail sign-in works, but Outlook on Windows still loops, focus on resetting Outlook’s local state (new profile/new account, or olk.exe --clearLocalState) and re-adding the account with the correct account type and server settings.

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References:

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• My username and password have stopped working
• After I changed my primary alias on my outlook.com account, I can't log back in
• Fix Outlook account problems in Office 365 for business
• Outlook.com email account appears as "outlook_[long series of letters and numbers]@outlook.com" in Outlook for Windows
• Settings for IMAP4 access to Microsoft personal email accounts
• Cant get into outlook - Microsoft Q&A
• Why can't I log in to my Outlook account? - Microsoft Q&A
• Locked out of my Outlook account and recovery options not working - Microsoft Q&A
• Having problems getting text codes to confirm my account - Microsoft Q&A
• New Outlook has stopped working, Fails when starting after 30 to 60 seconds - Microsoft Q&A