I get a message on my Surface 7 laptop when I try to install an email account: you may need to make an app password when you add an account

Question

I've tried everything and contacted my domain name providers, names.co.uk and network solutions, but nothing works, and there's no such thing as an "app password" in their settings etc. How can I install my email accounts please? IMAP or POP.

The problem started with the new outlook app...

Answer 1

The "you may need to make an app password” is just Outlook's way of saying "I couldn't connect. It may be because you need to use an app password".

How can I install my email accounts please? IMAP or POP

You will need to use Advanced setup, provide the IMAP/SMTP server settings for your private domain mail server, and use your normal account password.

Answer 2

On new Outlook for Windows, the “you may need to make an app password” message appears when the provider requires a special app password for IMAP/POP or when Outlook mis-detects the account type.

There are two relevant points from the documentation:

1. This specific error was a known bug in new Outlook and has been fixed by the Outlook team.
2. When the message is genuine (not the bug), the only way to proceed is to obtain an app password from the email provider and use that instead of the normal mailbox password.

Given that the providers in this case do not offer any “app password” option, the practical options are:

1. Make sure new Outlook is fully updated, then try adding the account again. The bug fix for the “Something went wrong… You may need to make an app password” error is already released, so an up-to-date new Outlook should no longer block setup just because of that message.
2. If new Outlook still insists on an app password and the provider truly does not support app passwords, use classic Outlook for Windows instead and add the account there as a standard IMAP or POP account. Classic Outlook supports manual IMAP/POP configuration without requiring an app password when the provider does not use one.

If, in the future, the provider introduces app passwords and the same message appears, the supported flow is:

1. Go to the email provider’s site and follow its instructions to generate an app password for use in email apps.
2. Copy that app password and paste it into Outlook when prompted for the account password.

If Outlook shows the in-product text “Please create an app password for Outlook on your email provider’s site” and the provider does support app passwords, that is the only supported way to complete setup for those accounts.

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References:

• Error, "You may need to make an app password," when you add an account or send/receive email from some third-party email accounts
• Add an email account to Outlook for Windows
• I can't send or receive messages in Outlook