Have you ever been frustrated when you try to access your Outlook account only to see the notification “Password incorrect”? It may be a frustrating occurrence, especially if you’re confident that you’ve entered the correct password. There are a few frequent reasons why Microsoft Outlook in 365 Suite suddenly won’t accept passwords, and fortunately, there are methods to help you regain access to your account.
Here are some possible reasons why Outlook may not accept your password:
- Incorrect or changed password
- Locked account
- Poor internet connectivity
- Outdated credential storage
- Security policies or settings
- Server Issues
- Corrupt outlook profile
- Damaged or corrupt PST file
- Cached passwords or credentials
- Two-factor authentication
- Outdated or unsupported Outlook client
- Conflict with antivirus or firewall programs
- Incompatible or unsupported third-party add-ins
Now that we are aware of possible causes restricting your access to Outlook, let’s find out our various methods that can resolve the issue:
How do I Resolve that Outlook Does not Accept Password Issues?
1. Update Your Password
Let’s start with the simplest resolution. Updating a password can sometimes resolve the Outlook not accepting password issue. To change the password, open your Outlook account settings and make the required adjustments. Follow these recommendations to change your Outlook password:
- Launch ‘Outlook’ and go to ‘File’ then ‘Info’
- Go to ‘Manage Profiles’ under ‘Account Settings’
- Select ‘Email Accounts’ when the ‘Mail Setup’ Window opens
- Click ‘Email’ then ‘Change’ in Account Settings
- ‘Change Account’ dialog box appears
- Enter the new password in the Logon information section and click ‘Next’
- Wait until the task is completed. To quit, click ‘Close.’
Verify if the Outlook issue has been resolved.
- Check the Status of Your Account or Reset your Password
Outlook locks accounts when a user enters the incorrect password multiple times or when Outlook notices any unusual behavior. Verify if your account has been temporarily locked as a result of several unsuccessful login attempts. In these situations, you might have to contact your IT support for help or go through an account recovery procedure. Proceed with the following Microsoft account recovery process in order to unlock your account:
- Visit the Microsoft account recovery website
- Put the locked Outlook account’s email address here that you wish to retrieve
- If Microsoft needs to get in touch with you for account verification, please provide an alternative email address or phone number
- Enter correct and thorough information in the recovery form. Your account’s personal information, any past passwords you can still recall, and information about recently sent or received emails are all examples of this
- For the recovery request to be sent, click ‘Next’
- Check your alternate email address or phone for an account recovery code
- To restore your account, enter the recovery code on the page
- To finish the account recovery procedure, adhere to any further directions given
Are you now able to sign into Outlook and access your emails? If not, the issue of Outlook not functioning hasn’t been resolved and you need to follow the other methods mentioned in the blog.
- Check Internet Connectivity
Make sure your connection to the internet is steady. In a few cases, authentication problems might be caused by bad connectivity.
- Two-Factor Authentication
There are email applications that offer two-factor authentication, which strengthens security of your email accounts and prevents unwanted access. You need to enter the application-specific password if your email account has two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled. The correct verification code received via email, the authenticator app, or your smartphone should be entered to access Outlook.
In order to stop Outlook from not accepting passwords, you also have the option to disable two-factor authentication.
- Clear Cached Login Information
Outlook stores your login credentials locally in order to speed up access to email items from the server. However, Outlook may fail to recognize the password if this cache is corrupted or damaged. You can take the following actions to clear the cached credentials and fix this issue:
- Launch ‘Run’ by pressing ‘(Win + R)’ and enter ‘Control Panel’. Hit the ‘Enter’ key.
- Locate and launch ‘Credential Manager’
- Locate and remove the Outlook-related credentials from the Windows Credentials
- Enter your password again after restarting Outlook.
- Disable Antivirus and Turn Off Firewall
At times, firewalls or antivirus programs might interfere with other apps, restricting them from functioning properly. Hence, It’s also possible that Outlook’s functionality and ability to connect to your email server is disrupted due to other programs.
To find out if it fixes the issue, you may try turning off the firewall and antivirus software for a short while.
Make sure that the antivirus and firewall software settings allow you to include Outlook and your email server domain as exceptions. Select firewall and antivirus programs that work with Outlook whenever you can. Additionally, stay away from utilizing any programs that can interfere with Outlook’s functionality.
- Cease Frequent Login Prompts
Is Outlook set to request password credentials every time you log in? Another reason for “Outlook not accepting passwords” might be this. Consequently, to avoid receiving constant login prompts, attempt the following actions:
- Start ‘Outlook’
- Go to ‘File’ and choose ‘Account Settings’
- Find your ‘Exchange Account’ and choose ‘More Settings’
- Select the ‘Security’ tab
- Disable the ‘Always Prompt for Logon Credentials’ option by unchecking it
This will put an end to the requests for your login information each time you log in. If it still isn’t resolved, you can try setting up your email account again if none of the other solutions work.
- Delete and Reconfigure Outlook Email Account
Try deleting and reconfiguring your Outlook email account if none of the aforementioned fixes work to resolve the issue. To do this, take the following actions:
- On your computer, launch ‘Microsoft Outlook’
- Go to ‘File’ > ‘Account Settings’
- Choose the ‘Remove’ option after selecting your email account
- After that, re-add your email account by following the on-screen instructions.
- Generate a New Outlook Profile
If you’re having trouble with Outlook not accepting passwords in all versions of Outlook, you might want to think about making a new profile. When Outlook refuses to accept a password, this operation might help replace any corrupted or damaged profiles. Thus, to create a new Outlook profile, perform these steps:
- To access Mail, open the ‘Control Panel’ and go to ‘User Accounts’
- Select ‘Show Profiles’ and then ‘Add’ after that
- Give your new profile a name, then hit the accept button
- ‘Add Account’ wizard pops up. Make sure you log in with the same email account
- To finish the procedure, select ‘Next’ > ‘Finish’
- In the Mail dialog box, your newly created profile will be listed
- Choose ‘Always use this profile’ after selecting the new profile from the list
- Choose ‘Apply’ > ‘OK’
To implement the modifications, restart Outlook at the end. This will repair the faulty Outlook profile and may also resolve the issue of the Outlook password not working.
- Repair Corrupt Outlook PST File
Lastly, if none of the above-mentioned methods have worked, the reason for the restricted Outlook account could be a corrupt PST file. The PST data file, which houses every email item, can occasionally become faulty, inconsistent, or partially corrupt. In that instance, the corrupted PST file has to be repaired.
Use SCANPST.EXE or a repair program to accomplish this. You may find Scanpst.exe in the Microsoft Office Installation directory. Let’s first examine how to use Scanpst.exe to fix faulty PST files. Adhere to the steps listed below:
- Shut down ‘Outlook’
- Navigate to the ‘Control Panel’
- Proceed to ‘User Accounts’ > ‘Mail’
- Click the ‘Data Files’ tab, then pick the Outlook account from the drop-down menu
- Additionally, select the ‘Open File Location’ dialogue item
- This will show where the PST file is located.
- Make a note of it, then run ‘SCANPST.EXE.’
- Click ‘Browse’ in the Inbox Repair Tool and choose the PST file
- Press ‘Start’
- Click ‘Repair’ if any mistakes or inconsistencies are found after the first scan is finished
You may now launch Outlook and log in with your password. The problem with the Outlook email password not functioning should be fixed by doing this.
If SCANPST.exe crashes, stops responding, or fails to fix the PST file during the repair procedure, you can download and install third-party Outlook PST repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook, to restore your badly corrupted or damaged PST file.
‘Stellar Repair for Outlook’ is software that can fix highly corrupted PST files in Microsoft Outlook. It can recover and preserve all mailbox contents, including emails, contacts, and tasks, in various file formats such as MSG, HTML, EML, PDF, DBX, and MBOX. Additionally, the program shows a full preview of all recoverable items before saving, and it can restore deleted mailbox items. The utility has a simple UI and can divide and condense large-sized PST files. The Technician edition includes additional capabilities, including direct export to Microsoft 365 or Office 365.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you’re frustrated with Office 365 Outlook not accepting your password, there are multiple reasons and solutions to consider. These include updating your password, checking account status and performing account recovery, ensuring stable internet connectivity, disabling two-factor authentication, clearing cached login information, temporarily disabling antivirus and firewall software, stopping frequent login prompts, deleting and reconfiguring your Outlook email account, generating a new Outlook profile, and repairing corrupt PST files using tools like SCANPST.EXE or ‘Stellar Repair for Outlook’. By following these steps, you can troubleshoot and overcome the issue, regaining access to your Outlook account and effectively managing your emails.
