Unlocking e-mail account

Question

I cannot access my outlook e-mail account on my Iphone. I have a msn.com email account I can use with no difficulty on my Ipad and desk top computer. How do I correct this problem?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John!

You're not alone, many users are currently experiencing the same issue with Outlook. It appears to be a widespread connectivity problem. Impacted users may include, but are not limited to, iOS users.

You can check the official service status here: https://portal.office.com/servicestatus/ expand “Microsoft consumer products”and look for the Outlook.com section for details.

For now, please wait until Microsoft resolves the issue and try again later.

Do you have access to your Outlook.com account elsewhere, like on a PC or Outlook Web? You might want to temporarily use Outlook there, as there is currently a known issue with Outlook for iOS.

I really hope this information is helpful!

Answer 2

Follow these steps on the iPhone to restore access to the Outlook (msn.com) account:

1. Remove the Outlook/msn.com account from Apple Mail (or the mail app being used):
   • Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts.
   • Tap the Outlook/msn.com account.
   • Tap Delete Account and confirm.
2. Re‑add the account using the Outlook.com option (to use modern authentication):
   • Go to Settings > Mail.
   • Tap Accounts > Add Account.
   • Choose Outlook.com (not “Other”, IMAP, or Exchange manually).
   • Sign in with the msn.com address and password, and complete the sign‑in flow.
3. If sign‑in still fails or keeps prompting for a password on iPhone:
   • Remove the account again as in step 1.
   • Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
   • Restart the iPhone.
   • Add the account back again using Outlook.com and complete the sign‑in.
4. If the Outlook app is being used instead of Apple Mail and sign‑in fails:
   • Make sure the latest Outlook for iOS is installed from the iOS App Store.
   • If still unable to sign in, use the Microsoft sign‑in helper for personal accounts from another device where sign‑in works to check for account issues, then retry on the iPhone.

If none of these steps work and the account is locked due to too many attempts, wait for the lockout period to expire (typically about 24 hours) before trying again, and avoid repeated failed sign‑ins during that time.

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References:

• Outlook and other apps are unable to connect to Outlook.com when using Basic authentication
• Modern Authentication Methods now needed to continue syncing Outlook Email in non-Microsoft email apps
• Can't sign in to the Outlook mobile app
• Outlook for iOS Help
• Cannot login to my outlook account from iphone even though details are correct - Microsoft Q&A
• Problem with iphone and hotmail - Microsoft Q&A