How to sync my outlook email address with Microsoft 365

Question

i want to sync my existing email address to Microsoft 365 so data is synced and not stored locally, when i try it says account already added

Answer 1

Hi Clive Tucker,

I understand that you want your existing mailbox data to synchronize online with Microsoft 365 instead of being available only on the computer, but Outlook reports that the account is already added.

Please note that this is a user-to-user forum, so contributors cannot view your account configuration or make account changes directly.

If the address ends in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, or @live.com, it is already a cloud-based Outlook.com mailbox. Email, contacts, and calendar data synchronize automatically, so the “account already added” message normally means that the same mailbox is already configured. Sign in at Outlook.com and check whether your messages and folders appear there. If they do, the mailbox data is already stored online, and no second account needs to be added. See Sync basics: what you can and cannot sync.

If this is a Gmail, Yahoo, ISP, or custom-domain address, the setup depends on the email provider, Outlook version, and whether the account uses POP, IMAP, or Exchange. Outlook.com on the web no longer supports adding third-party addresses as connected accounts. Connected email accounts like Gmail and Yahoo not working in Outlook.com | Microsoft Support 

Please confirm:

1. The email provider or domain only, without posting the full address.
2. Whether you use Outlook.com in a browser, new Outlook, or classic Outlook.
3. Whether the account is currently configured as POP, IMAP, or Exchange.

Also do not remove the existing account until its type is confirmed, as locally stored data may need to be protected first.

---

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.