// PLUSNET EMAIL
Plusnet Email Won’t Add to New Outlook
New Outlook keeps rejecting your Plusnet mailbox — wrong settings, an endless password box, or a demand for an ‘app password’ that doesn’t exist. Here’s exactly why it happens, the correct IMAP and SMTP settings, and what Plusnet’s move to Greenby means for your email. Rated 4.9 on Google.
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/01 — THE QUICK ANSWER
Why Plusnet email won’t add to new Outlook
Plusnet email won’t add to new Outlook because the app auto-detects the wrong mail servers and then asks for an ‘app password’ that Plusnet doesn’t use. The reliable fix is to stop letting it guess: add the mailbox by hand as an IMAP account, using imap.plus.net for incoming mail, relay.plus.net for outgoing, and your ordinary Plusnet mailbox password.
New Outlook — the newer, web-style app that replaced the classic desktop version — only fairly recently started supporting ordinary third-party IMAP mailboxes. Big names like Gmail, Yahoo and iCloud slot in with a couple of clicks, but a provider such as Plusnet often trips the automatic setup, so it falls back to a generic error or that misleading app-password message.
Two things get people unstuck. First, choose the manual or advanced setup path and pick IMAP yourself, rather than letting Outlook detect everything. Second, if the simplified ‘add account’ box won’t take your details at all, you can switch back to classic Outlook, which handles Plusnet IMAP without complaint. We cover the exact settings and steps below — and, because Plusnet is closing its own email service, why moving to Gmail may be the calmer long-term answer. If nothing at all will save, see new Outlook won’t add an account.
At a glance
| Most common cause | New Outlook auto-detects the wrong mail servers, then shows a misleading app-password error — Plusnet doesn’t use app passwords. |
|---|---|
| DIY first step | Add the mailbox by hand as IMAP: incoming imap.plus.net, port 993, SSL/TLS; outgoing relay.plus.net, port 587, STARTTLS. |
| Which password to use | Your ordinary Plusnet mailbox password — the one for webmail — not your Microsoft account password. |
| If it still fails | Switch back to classic Outlook and add the account there with manual IMAP setup — it handles Plusnet without complaint. |
| Does Greenby break it? | No — your address and the server names keep working, but the mailbox becomes chargeable (around £15 a year) once any free period ends. |
| Can it be fixed remotely? | Yes — most Plusnet-in-Outlook jobs take a few minutes over a remote session, no-fix-no-fee, usually same day, Monday to Friday. |
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/02 — THE CORRECT SETTINGS
The correct Plusnet email settings
Enter these exactly. Getting one port or the encryption wrong is the single most common reason new Outlook rejects the account.
- Incoming (IMAP): server imap.plus.net, port 993, encryption SSL/TLS switched on.
- Outgoing (SMTP): server relay.plus.net, port 587 with STARTTLS (if your version only offers SSL/TLS, use port 465 instead).
- Prefer POP? Use mail.plus.net on port 995 with SSL/TLS — though IMAP is better if you read mail on more than one device.
- Username: your full email address. For your main mailbox (typically yourname@plus.net, or yourname@accountname.plus.com) the password is the same one you use for Plusnet webmail. For an extra mailbox, the sign-in name is usually accountname+mailboxname.
- Older address? If yours ends in force9.net, force9.co.uk or free-online.net, swap ‘plus.net’ in the server names for your matching domain.
Outgoing mail must have authentication turned on and use the same username and password as incoming. There is no separate app password and no two-factor step on Plusnet’s mail servers — if a guide tells you to generate one, it’s describing a different provider. If you’d rather we simply typed all this in for you, our email support can do it remotely in a few minutes.
/03 — ADD IT BY HAND
How to add Plusnet by hand (and the ‘app password’ myth)
The trick with new Outlook is to refuse the automatic path and drive the setup yourself:
- Open Settings → Accounts → Email accounts → Add account (or type your address on the first-run welcome screen).
- Enter your Plusnet address, then look for Advanced setup or an option to choose the account type, and pick IMAP.
- Fill in the servers and ports from the list above, then sign in with your Plusnet mailbox password — not your Microsoft account password.
About that app-password warning: it is genuinely misleading. Some providers, such as Gmail, Yahoo and older Microsoft setups, do require a special app password when two-factor security is on, and new Outlook shows the same prompt to everyone when a connection fails. Plusnet doesn’t work that way, so there is no app password to create. Nine times out of ten the real problem is a wrong port, encryption left off, or the mailbox password being confused with the broadband or Microsoft one.
If new Outlook keeps looping back to the password box even with everything correct, that’s a known sticking point — the same one behind Outlook repeatedly asking for your password. When it does, don’t keep retyping the same details; move to the classic-Outlook route further down instead.
/04 — WHY IT’S HAPPENING NOW
Plusnet is closing its email — what that means
There’s a bigger reason Plusnet email feels fragile at the moment: Plusnet is shutting down its own email service and handing mailboxes to a separate company called Greenby. Your address stays the same, your existing mail moves across, and the mailbox allowance has actually gone up from 1GB to 2GB.
Crucially for setup, the server names don’t change — imap.plus.net and relay.plus.net still work after the move, because they now point at a system that routes migrated and not-yet-migrated accounts automatically. So the settings above hold whether or not your mailbox has already transferred.
The catch is cost and choice. Plusnet has said active Plusnet broadband customers keep the Greenby mailbox free for two years, after which you pay to continue; if you’ve left Plusnet or don’t take their broadband, it becomes chargeable (Greenby quotes around £15 a year) after a short grace period. Plusnet also emailed an opt-out link — but opting out simply closes the mailbox, so only do that once your account’s contact address is no longer a Plusnet one.
If paying yearly to keep an email address you got for free doesn’t appeal, this is the moment to move to something you’ll never have to migrate again. Our guide to moving your Plusnet email to Gmail walks through it safely, and our email migration service can do the whole lift for you.
/05 — THE RELIABLE FALLBACK
If it still won’t add: switch back to classic Outlook
When new Outlook simply won’t accept a Plusnet mailbox — often because its simplified dialog gives you nowhere to type the accountname+mailbox style username — the quickest win is the classic app. Classic Outlook is still available and handles third-party IMAP the old, dependable way, storing it in a local data file rather than the newer sync engine.
Use the toggle in the top corner of new Outlook and choose Switch to classic Outlook (or open the classic app from the Start menu if it’s still installed). Then add the account with File → Add Account → Manual setup → IMAP, using the same servers and ports. Our step-by-step on going back to classic Outlook covers the toggle in full.
This is the same fix we reach for across every provider caught out by new Outlook. If a friend or colleague is wrestling with a different ISP, the cause is nearly always identical — see, for example, BT Internet email won’t add to new Outlook or Sky email won’t add to new Outlook. Only the server names differ; the manual-IMAP method is the same every time.
/06 — LET US SORT IT
How we fix it for you
If you’d rather not fight menus and ports, this is exactly the kind of quick job we do every day. We’re a family-run team, based in Kinson in Bournemouth and going since 1995, and most email set-ups are done remotely — you stay in your chair while we share the screen and type in the right settings.
Give us a call on 01202 775566 or drop us a line. We work remotely across the UK and can visit or collect across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and the rest of Dorset if hands-on help is easier. It’s no-fix-no-fee, and we can usually help the same day, Monday to Friday.
Because Plusnet email is changing anyway, we’ll also give you an honest steer: sometimes the right move is simply getting the mailbox working again, and sometimes it’s worth using the upheaval to shift to a mailbox that won’t keep changing under you. Either way, our remote support gets you sorted without the fuss.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Does Plusnet email need an app password in new Outlook?
No. Plusnet’s mail servers don’t use app passwords or two-factor sign-in, so there’s nothing to generate. New Outlook shows that message whenever any IMAP connection fails, which is misleading here. Use your ordinary Plusnet mailbox password — the one for webmail — and double-check the ports and encryption instead.
What username should I use for my Plusnet mailbox?
For your main mailbox (usually yourname@plus.net, or yourname@accountname.plus.com), sign in with that full address and your Plusnet account password. For an additional mailbox on the same account, the username is usually accountname+mailboxname with that mailbox’s own password. New Outlook sometimes hides the username field, which is a common reason extra mailboxes fail — classic Outlook gives you the field back.
Why does new Outlook say it can’t connect to Plusnet?
Almost always a settings mismatch: the wrong port, SSL/TLS switched off, or auto-detect picking Outlook.com settings instead of Plusnet’s. Set incoming to imap.plus.net on port 993 with SSL/TLS, and outgoing to relay.plus.net on port 587 with STARTTLS. If it still refuses after that, add the account in classic Outlook instead.
Will my Plusnet email still work after the move to Greenby?
Yes. Your address stays the same and your mail comes across, with the allowance rising from 1GB to 2GB. The server names (imap.plus.net, relay.plus.net) keep working too, so you shouldn’t need to change your Outlook settings. The main change is cost — the mailbox becomes chargeable, around £15 a year via Greenby, once any free period ends.
Should I just move to Gmail instead?
For a lot of people, yes. If you’d rather not pay yearly to keep an address you got free, or you’re tired of email changing under you, a free Gmail mailbox is stable and works everywhere. Our guide on moving your Plusnet email to Gmail shows how to bring your old messages across without losing anything.
Can you just set it up for me?
Happily. Most Plusnet-in-Outlook jobs take a few minutes over a remote session — you watch, we type. Call 01202 775566 or get in touch and we’ll sort the settings, test send-and-receive, and make sure it survives the Greenby migration. It’s no-fix-no-fee, and we can usually help the same day, Monday to Friday.
Is there anything you can’t fix here?
Yes, and we’ll always be straight about it. If you clicked the Plusnet opt-out and let the mailbox close, or a Greenby renewal has lapsed and the account has been deleted, the messages may be gone for good — that’s outside anyone’s control. The sooner you call before a deadline, the more options you have.
Does this affect classic Outlook and the Outlook app on Android?
The settings are the same everywhere — imap.plus.net, relay.plus.net, and your mailbox password. Classic Outlook on Windows tends to accept them most smoothly. The Outlook app on Android uses the same IMAP details; if it won’t connect, remove and re-add the account choosing IMAP manually rather than letting it auto-detect.
Do I need to change my settings after migrating to Greenby?
For most people, no. The imap.plus.net and relay.plus.net addresses still resolve correctly after the move, so a working Outlook setup should carry on unchanged. If yours does stop, re-check the ports and encryption first, then re-add the account manually. If you’re unsure, we can check it over remotely in a few minutes.
Plusnet email still won’t add?
We’ll set it up properly — or move you to a mailbox that stays put. Remote help, usually same day.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM