Classic Outlook · Gmail setup
Add Gmail to Outlook when it keeps asking for your password
If classic Outlook rejects your Gmail password again and again, you're not typing it wrong - Google no longer accepts your normal password for a manually-added account. The fix is a one-time 16-character "App password" from Google. Here's exactly how, and we can set it up remotely in minutes if you'd rather not fiddle. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● Classic Outlook
- ● Gmail + IMAP
- ● Set up in minutes
The short answer
Why Gmail keeps asking for your password
When you add a Gmail account to classic Outlook by typing the settings in yourself, Google treats Outlook as a "less secure" third-party app and refuses your ordinary Gmail password - so Outlook asks for it again, and again, and again. It's not that you're getting it wrong; Google simply won't accept a normal password over a manual connection any more.
The answer is a Google App password: a special 16-character code you generate once, just for Outlook. You paste that in place of your usual password and Outlook connects straight away. To create one you first need Google's 2-Step Verification switched on - App passwords don't exist until it is.
One shortcut worth knowing: if you add Gmail the simple way (choosing Google and letting a Google sign-in pop-up appear), that uses Google's secure sign-in and needs no app password at all. This page covers the manual IMAP route, which is what most people who hit the password loop are using. Before you start, make sure IMAP is switched on in Gmail: in Gmail on the web, go to Settings > See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, and under IMAP access choose Enable IMAP.
Do these in order
How to add Gmail to Outlook with an app password
You'll do the first two steps at Google's website, then finish in Outlook.
- Turn on 2-Step Verification. Go to your Google Account > Security, find 2-Step Verification and switch it on, following the prompts to confirm your phone. App passwords only appear once this is on.
- Create an App password. Go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords (or search "App passwords" in your Google Account). Type a name like "Outlook", click Create, and Google shows a 16-character password. Copy it - the spaces don't matter.
- Add the account in Outlook. In classic Outlook go to File > Add Account, and if it doesn't auto-configure choose Advanced options and tick Let me set up my account manually (on older builds, Manual setup or additional server types), then POP or IMAP.
- Enter the Gmail server settings. Account type IMAP; incoming server imap.gmail.com, port 993, encryption SSL/TLS; outgoing server smtp.gmail.com, port 587, encryption STARTTLS (port 465 with SSL/TLS also works). Your user name is your full Gmail address, and make sure the outgoing server is set to require authentication.
- Paste the app password. When Outlook asks for your password, paste the 16-character app password - not your normal Gmail password. Click OK, then Finish.
Outlook will test the connection and start downloading your Gmail. Because Gmail is an IMAP account, your mail stays on Google's servers and simply syncs down - nothing is moved or at risk.
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// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
What is a Google App password and why do I need one?
An App password is a one-off 16-character code Google generates just for a single app, like Outlook. Because a manually-added Gmail account can't use Google's secure sign-in pop-up, Google won't accept your normal password - the app password is the substitute it will accept. You create it once and Outlook remembers it.
I can't find App passwords in my Google account.
App passwords only appear after 2-Step Verification is switched on. Turn that on first under Google Account > Security, then go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords, or search "App passwords" in your Google Account search box. If it's still hidden, your account may be a work or school account whose administrator has disabled app passwords.
What are the correct Gmail server settings for classic Outlook?
Incoming (IMAP): imap.gmail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS. Outgoing (SMTP): smtp.gmail.com, port 587 with STARTTLS (or port 465 with SSL/TLS). Your user name is your full Gmail address, and the password is the 16-character app password. Make sure the outgoing server is set to require authentication.
Do I always need an app password to add Gmail?
No. If you add Gmail the simple way - choosing Google and letting the Google sign-in pop-up appear - Outlook uses Google's secure sign-in and no app password is needed. You only need an app password for the manual IMAP setup, which is where the endless password prompt usually happens.
Is it safe to use an app password?
Yes. An app password only works for the one app you created it for, and you can revoke it any time from Google's Security page without changing your main Gmail password. Because 2-Step Verification stays on, your account is actually more secure than before. Note that if you ever change your main Google password, existing app passwords stop working and you'll need to create a new one.
Can you set up Gmail in Outlook for me?
Absolutely. Call 365 Techies on 01202 775566 and we'll add your Gmail to Outlook remotely, usually within minutes. You watch every step on your own screen with Splashtop, we phone you first, and access ends as soon as it's working. We're Windows specialists in Bournemouth.
Gmail still won't connect?
Call 365 Techies on 01202 775566 and we'll add your Gmail to Outlook remotely - usually within minutes. You watch the whole time, we phone first, access ends when it's done.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM