Why your BT Internet email won’t add to the new Outlook
Add it by hand with BT’s own settings and your normal BT email password — BT has no app passwords.
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BT’s own settings, one step at a time.
Left BT broadband? BT Basic email only works in a browser, so check your mailbox type first.
Got classic Outlook too? It often adds BT email first time: one toggle.
/01 — THE QUICK ANSWER
The correct BT Internet settings for the new Outlook
If your btinternet.com email won’t add to the new Outlook, the fix is almost always to set the account up by hand as an IMAP account using BT’s own server details — rather than letting Outlook try to detect them. The moment you force the correct settings, the account usually drops straight in.
Here are the settings BT publishes on its own help pages:
- Incoming mail (IMAP): mail.btinternet.com — port 993, SSL/TLS on
- Outgoing mail (SMTP): mail.btinternet.com — port 465, SSL/TLS on, with outgoing authentication switched on
- Username: your full email address (include the …@btinternet.com or @btopenworld.com part)
- Password: your ordinary BT email password. BT has no app passwords to generate, unlike Virgin Media or Gmail; its two-step security check is for signing in to your BT account in a browser, not for Outlook.
- Sign-in: tick that the outgoing server needs authentication (BT calls it plain authentication), and leave Secure Password Authentication (SPA) switched off
BT lists port 465 for sending with SSL — SSL, not STARTTLS — so if Outlook offers a choice, pick SSL/TLS. If the account adds but then won’t send, that’s a slightly different problem — our guide to BT Internet email that won’t send in new Outlook covers the outgoing side in detail.
// WINDOWS PCS ONLY
We do not support Outlook on Apple Macs, iPads or iPhones. Apple does not allow our remote-support tool to take control of an iPad or iPhone (an Apple restriction), and our remote support covers Windows PCs only. On an Apple device, Microsoft’s own Outlook help is the place to start.
// DO IT WITH ME · STEP BY STEP
Do it with me, one step at a time
The steps from this guide, one at a time. Tick each one off and it shows the next. Nothing here leaves your device.Last reviewed 13 October 2026
-
01Open the new Outlook and start adding an account
In the new Outlook, go to Settings, then Accounts, then Add account. On first run, use the Add account prompt. Type your full btinternet.com email address ready to continue.
Done that step? -
02Choose manual IMAP setup
Instead of letting Outlook detect the settings, look for Advanced setup or the option to choose the account type, and select IMAP. This stops Outlook guessing the wrong servers.
Done that step? -
03Enter BT's incoming server
Set the incoming IMAP server to mail.btinternet.com, port 993, with SSL/TLS encryption switched on.
Done that step? -
04Enter BT's outgoing server
Set the outgoing SMTP server to mail.btinternet.com, port 465, with SSL/TLS on, and make sure outgoing-server authentication is enabled.
Done that step? -
05Sign in with your BT password
Enter your full email address as the username and your normal BT email password. BT has no app passwords, so there is nothing extra to generate.
Done that step? -
06Test, and reset the password if needed
Let Outlook test the connection. If the password is rejected, sign in at BT webmail in a browser to confirm it works; reset it on BT's site if not, then try again or use classic Outlook.
Done that step?
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Why your BT Internet email won’t add to the new Outlook - the fix order (365techies.co.uk/btinternet-email-wont-add-to-new-outlook/) 1. Open the new Outlook and start adding an account: In the new Outlook, go to Settings, then Accounts, then Add account. On first run, use the Add account prompt. Type your full btinternet.com email address ready to continue. 2. Choose manual IMAP setup: Instead of letting Outlook detect the settings, look for Advanced setup or the option to choose the account type, and select IMAP. This stops Outlook guessing the wrong servers. 3. Enter BT's incoming server: Set the incoming IMAP server to mail.btinternet.com, port 993, with SSL/TLS encryption switched on. 4. Enter BT's outgoing server: Set the outgoing SMTP server to mail.btinternet.com, port 465, with SSL/TLS on, and make sure outgoing-server authentication is enabled. 5. Sign in with your BT password: Enter your full email address as the username and your normal BT email password. BT has no app passwords, so there is nothing extra to generate. 6. Test, and reset the password if needed: Let Outlook test the connection. If the password is rejected, sign in at BT webmail in a browser to confirm it works; reset it on BT's site if not, then try again or use classic Outlook. Still stuck? 365 Techies fix it remotely: 01202 775566 - https://365techies.co.uk/remote-support/// ANOTHER WAY · OUR FREE EMAIL PROGRAM
Rather skip the new Outlook?
Our free Techies One Mail for Windows PCs has BT’s settings built in and uses your normal BT email password.
- Free, from 365 Techies, the family IT firm that wrote this guide
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- Big, clear buttons, and warnings about scam emails
- Your email goes straight between your PC and your provider: we never see it or your passwords
If you’ve left BT broadband and your mailbox has dropped to BT Basic, it only works on bt.com: no email program can open it, Techies One included. See what it does, with pictures.
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FOR WINDOWS 10 AND 11 PCs · VERSION 0.22.0 · 27 MB · NOT FOR MAC, IPHONE OR ANDROID
At a glance
| Most common cause | The new Outlook auto-detects the wrong settings — adding the account manually as IMAP usually fixes it. |
|---|---|
| Settings to use | mail.btinternet.com for both servers — port 993 incoming, 465 outgoing, SSL/TLS on. |
| Which password? | Your normal BT email password. BT has no app passwords; its two-step check is only for signing in to your BT account in a browser. |
| Left BT broadband? | Your mailbox may have dropped to Basic (webmail only); BT’s Premium email, £7.50 a month, keeps app access. |
| Will I lose my emails? | No — IMAP keeps your mail on BT’s servers, so re-adding the account deletes nothing. |
| Can it be fixed remotely? | Yes — most BT email setups are done remotely, usually the same day, and it’s no fix, no fee. |
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Skip the DIY — call 01202 775566 and we can be looking at your screen within minutes. You watch everything we do, and most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session. (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm.)
/02 — MANUAL SETUP
Adding it by hand in the new Outlook
The trap with the new Outlook is that it wants to add your address for you. You type btinternet.com, it phones home to work out the servers, and if it guesses wrong it either loops on the password or throws a vague ‘something went wrong’. The cure is to steer it into a manual IMAP setup instead.
Open Settings → Accounts → Email accounts → Add account (or use the ‘Add account’ prompt on first run). Type your full btinternet.com address, then look for Advanced setup or the option to choose the account type yourself, and pick IMAP. The new Outlook will usually try auto-config first; if it can’t connect, it shows the IMAP and SMTP boxes for you to fill in with the details above.
Enter mail.btinternet.com for both servers, ports 993 (in) and 465 (out), SSL/TLS on for each, your full address as the username and your BT email password. Let it test the connection. Follow the numbered steps further down if you’d like to go through it click by click.
/03 — PASSWORD REJECTED
Why the password keeps getting rejected
Often a ‘rejected’ password isn’t actually wrong — it’s a misunderstanding about which password Outlook wants. A few things to rule out:
- Which password. Outlook wants your BT email password, and there’s nothing extra to generate. BT has no app passwords to generate, unlike Virgin Media or Gmail; its two-step security check is for signing in to your BT account in a browser, not for Outlook. If a guide tells you to make an app password for btinternet.com, it has muddled BT with another provider.
- BT ID vs email password. The password for your wider My BT / BT ID login isn’t always the same as your email mailbox password. Outlook needs the one for the email address itself.
- Test it in webmail first. Sign in at BT’s webmail in a browser with the exact password. If it fails there too, the password — not Outlook — is the problem, and you can reset it on BT’s site.
- Recent change or security prompt. If you’ve just changed the password, or BT is asking you to confirm a sign-in, settle that on BT’s side before you try Outlook again.
If Outlook keeps popping the password box even after all that, our page on Outlook that keeps asking for a password walks through the deeper causes.
/04 — LEFT BT BROADBAND?
Have you left BT broadband? Check your mailbox first
This is the one almost everyone misses. If you’ve switched away from BT broadband to another provider, BT changes the status of your btinternet.com mailbox — and that quietly breaks email apps.
When your BT broadband stops, BT gives you a short window (they quote 60 days) to move your email onto their paid Premium Mail. If you don’t, the mailbox is downgraded to Basic, which is webmail only — you can read your email in a browser, but it can no longer be added to Outlook or any other app over IMAP. So the account looks perfectly fine online yet refuses to connect in Outlook, no matter how carefully you type the password.
BT charges £7.50 a month for Premium email, which keeps app access. There is also a free option many people miss: BT lets you link the address to a friend’s or family member’s BT Broadband account instead. Whether that’s worth paying is a fair question — if you’d rather not stay tied to it, we can help you move to an email address you fully own and control and bring your old messages across. Either way, confirming whether your mailbox is Basic or Premium is the first thing to check if you’ve recently left BT.
/05 — NEW VS CLASSIC
New Outlook or classic Outlook?
The ‘new’ Outlook — the app Windows 11 now nudges everyone towards — is still catching up on adding third-party IMAP accounts like btinternet.com. We regularly see it refuse an account that classic Outlook takes without a murmur. If you’re stuck, it’s well worth trying the classic app.
If classic Outlook is on your PC (it comes with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium and with Office Home & Business, but not with Microsoft 365 Basic or the free new Outlook built into Windows), switch by toggling ‘New Outlook’ off (top-right) or open classic Outlook from the Start menu. In classic Outlook, choose manual setup, pick IMAP, and enter the same BT server details. Many people find the account adds cleanly there and then, and you can carry on using classic Outlook for as long as Microsoft supports it.
If the new Outlook throws a specific ‘couldn’t add your account’ message, see new Outlook won’t add an account; if you’d simply prefer the familiar layout, going back to classic Outlook is straightforward.
/06 — GET OUR HELP
When to let us sort it for you
Email settings shouldn’t eat your afternoon. If you’ve tried the IMAP details above and btinternet.com still won’t add — or you’re on a new PC and just want it working — we’ll take it off your hands.
We’re 365 Techies, a family-run team in Kinson, Bournemouth, going since 1995. Most BT email jobs we do remotely, usually the same day: we connect securely, add the account with the right settings, test sending and receiving, and set it up on your phone too if you like. If you’d rather we came to you, we can arrange a home visit across Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and the wider Dorset area, priced before we come.
Remote fixes start from £20, and we agree the price before we start. It’s no fix, no fee — if we can’t get your BT email working, you don’t pay for the attempt. Call us on 01202 775566, text 07520 615332, or see how our email support works. We’ll get you back into your inbox.
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// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
What are the correct BT Internet settings for Outlook?
For incoming mail use IMAP server mail.btinternet.com on port 993 with SSL/TLS. For outgoing mail use SMTP mail.btinternet.com on port 465 with SSL/TLS (not STARTTLS) and authentication switched on. Your username is your full btinternet.com address, and the password is your normal BT email password — BT has no app passwords.
Do I need an app password for btinternet.com?
No. BT has no app passwords: Outlook uses your ordinary BT email password. BT’s two-step security check is for signing in to your BT account in a browser, not for email apps. If your password is rejected, confirm or reset it in BT webmail. Virgin Media is different: Virgin email programs do need a Virgin app password.
Why does the new Outlook say ‘something went wrong’ when I add my BT email?
Usually because Outlook tried to detect the settings automatically and picked the wrong ones, or couldn’t reach BT’s servers. The reliable fix is to add the account manually: choose Advanced setup, select IMAP, and type BT’s server details yourself (mail.btinternet.com, ports 993 and 465, SSL/TLS). If it still fails, trying classic Outlook instead often works first time.
My BT email works in a browser but not in Outlook — why?
Two common reasons. First, the mailbox may have been downgraded to BT Basic (webmail only) after you left BT broadband, which blocks all email apps — only BT Premium Mail restores app access. Second, the password that works in webmail may not have been entered correctly in Outlook, or Outlook is still holding an old one. Check the mailbox status, then re-enter the password.
Should I use the new Outlook or classic Outlook for BT email?
Either can work, but classic Outlook is currently more reliable at adding btinternet.com accounts. The new Outlook is still maturing on third-party IMAP mail and sometimes refuses accounts that classic adds without fuss. If the new Outlook won’t cooperate and classic Outlook is on your PC (it comes with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium and Office Home & Business, not the free Outlook built into Windows), switch with the top-right toggle, or open classic Outlook and set the account up manually with BT’s IMAP details.
I’ve left BT broadband — can I still use my btinternet address in Outlook?
Only if your mailbox is on BT Premium Mail. BT gives you a window (they quote 60 days) after leaving to upgrade; otherwise the address drops to Basic, which is webmail only and can’t be added to Outlook. BT charges £7.50 a month for Premium email. If you’d rather not pay to stay tied to BT, we can help you move to your own email address and bring old mail across.
Can you just set this up for me?
Gladly. Most BT email setups we do remotely and usually the same day — we connect securely, add the account with the correct settings, test it end to end, and set it up on your phone as well if you want. We’re family-run in Bournemouth, and it’s no fix, no fee. Call 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332 and we’ll get you sorted.
Is there anything you can’t fix with BT email?
We can’t override BT’s own account rules. If your mailbox has been downgraded to Basic because you left BT broadband, only BT can restore app access through Premium Mail, and we can’t waive their charge. What we can do is get every setting right, rule out anything at your end, and — if BT’s terms don’t suit you — help you move to an email address you fully control.
Will I lose my old emails if I add the account again?
No. btinternet.com uses IMAP, which keeps your mail on BT’s servers and simply mirrors it to Outlook. Removing and re-adding the account, or adding it on a new PC, doesn’t delete anything — your messages and folders reappear once it connects. The only real risk to old email is the mailbox being downgraded or deleted by BT after you leave their broadband, which is separate from Outlook.
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