When setting up iCloud to sync with Outlook, you may receive the following error message:
Your configuration could not be started due to an unknown error. (0x800706ba)
This iCloud error may be the result of having an IMAP account set as the default data file in Outlook.
The solution:
When you get to the point where iCloud asks which folders to sync, All Calendar, Contacts, Tasks or Some Calendars, Contacts, Tasks, choose Some Calendars, Contacts, Tasks.
Then untick all of the folders so nothing on the computer syncs to iCloud, only iCloud sync down.
If you have contents in the folders you need in the iCloud, you can move them to the iCloud folders after the iCloud is added to Outlook.
If the steps above don't fix the sync issues, and you are using an IMAP account with "Calendar (this computer only)" and "Contact (this computer only)" folders, try this adding a PST file to your profile and set it as default. After iCloud is setup, you can set the IMAP data file as the default and remove the .PST.
Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings. On the Data Files tab, click New, and then select Outlook pst. After adding it to the profile, set it as the default.
To remove it later, set the IMAP data file as default and restart Outlook, then right click on the PST file name in the navigation pane and choose Close [pst name].
Chris says
Thank you!
Aaron says
Thanks for this, worked for me
Jim says
Diane - what is the process for this statement. I'd like my calendar to sync but following the first part of this avoided the error but still no joy syncing calendar..."If you have contents in the folders you need in the iCloud, you can move them to the iCloud folders after the iCloud is added to Outlook."
Diane Poremsky says
In the calendar with events you need to move:
If you have a lot of events to move: set the view to list view then select all and drag to the icloud folder.
If you only have a few and they are easy to find, you can leave it in the calendar view and just drag the events to the iCloud calendar. You can hold Ctrl and click to select multiple events on the screen, but it works best if you only select a few at a time.
Gerhrd says
Hi Diane,
first of all - thank you for your help!
However, my outlook calendar entries are now not displayed on the iphone. How can I move content in the folders I need in iCloud to the iCloud folders after iCloud has been added to Outlook?
How can I solve this problem?
Thank you very much
Gerhard
Peter says
Thank you for this fix - I've been pulling my hair out for hours dealing with this!
Scot says
Months--Now Its solved. Thanks
Andrew says
Unchecking calendars, contacts and tasks during setup solved the problem for me. Thanks Diane.
James Shepherd says
During the fix process that you describe, is there any need to delete the iCloud drive folder that usually sits in the AppData folder (Windows) or should a delete be avoided? Incidentally, my iCloud email, calandar, contacts, etc worked fine with Outlook until upgrading from Windows 10 to 11. I don't know if that's a common theme or just a coincidence. Thanks a bunch for your continued help.
Diane Poremsky says
For this error, you shouldn't need to delete the iCloud folder. If you have an iCloud data file in outlook, remove it from outlook and delete it from the drive.
James Shepherd says
Diane, the process that you describe works initially but as soon as I return the original IMAP folder to the default status and remove the temporary pst file, the iCloud account information disappears. I've repeated the whole process at least a dozen times and I keep getting the same results. Any fix that you can offer? Thank you.
Diane Poremsky says
I'll test it - but you might need to leave the pst file in the profile or use the other method (assuming it works in your situation - the pst method might be the only option that works).
Pat Don says
Finally got some resolution after several failed attempts. Thank You!!!!!
Pat says
OMG, Can't believe I spent 2 hours working on this before seeing your post/advice. It worked perfectly. Thanks for taking time to post this item.
Steven K says
Diane,
I have found an older PST file that was brought from my previous computer to this one. I have located it in the data tab, and set it as a default.
Then I have tried this dragging from the outlook folders, the data files in outlook settings, and the folders via explorer to the web window (https://www.icloud.com/mail/) and also to the windows icloud app, to no avail. Can you please forward a few screen shots how to make this work?
Diane Poremsky says
You don't drag it to the web - you set it as default then sign into the iCloud control panel on the compyyrter and enable syncing with outlook.
Luca Bini says
Thanks Diane, I resolved my problem and now it woks fine!
Adam Elemanter says
OMG! I have been pulling out my hair. You fixed it. Thank you so much!
Nic says
Thank you so much for the solution. It works! I haven't been able to sync my iphone calendar and contacts with my Outlook for a long time.. it was very frustrating. Finally, now I can, thanks to you.
M Charles says
Thank you for your info on 0X800706ba error....worked great. First time I have ever performed the fix so simply.
J W Russell says
Thank you. I have been wracking my brain over getting this fixed. Your solution worked.
Ricardo Rodríguez Wilson says
Thank Diane, it worked. But I need to sync my calendars, tasks and notes. You mention adding a PST file to my profile, can you please explain me how to do it? Thank you!!
Diane Poremsky says
If you have items in the IMAP data file that need synced to iCloud, you can drag them to the iCloud folders. Normally, iCloud would suck them in but the solution to the error is not to have iCloud do that. Items already in iCloud are not affected - they will sync down.
To move things into the iCloud folders, select all and drag or use the move to command. For the calendar, use a list view first then select all and drag.
To add a pst: Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings. On the Data Files tab, click Add - enter a name for the pst when it comes up and click ok. You can set it as default.
Ricardo Rodríguez Wilson says
Thank you for your answer. The problem is that iCloud isn't syncing down, but the contacts. I can see iCloud calendar, but not the appointments. Notes and Tasks from iCloud doesn't show on Outlook. Using Office 365 paid subs on Windows 10 BTW. I will try adding a PST file as you suggest.
Thanks again.
Diane Poremsky says
If the iCloud add-in is enabled, the contents of those folders should sync down.
Is the addin enabled in File > Options > Addins?
Steven K says
Diane,
I have found an older PST file that was brought from my previous computer to this one. I have located it in the data tab, and set it as a default.
Then I have tried this dragging from the outlook folders, the data files in outlook settings, and the folders via explorer to the web window (https://www.icloud.com/mail/) and also to the windows icloud app, to no avail. Can you please forward a few screen shots how to make this work?
Diane Poremsky says
You can't drag it to the iCloud web interface. Are you add the pst and set it as default, sign into the iCloud app on your computer. I'll see if I have a video for it.
Christopher Floyd says
This worked! Finally someone that actually had the correct answer. Thank you :)
Rick says
Thanks, Diane. This helped me fix a client's machine that was having this problem, and I really appreciate it! The client can now see all of their contacts when they click on the 'contacts' button at the bottom of the Outlook navigation colulmn, then select the iCloud contacts.
Now I now have an issue with the iCloud contacts (incorrectly) somehow being associated with the clients iMAP email account (instead of 'standing alone'), so the iCloud contacts list shows empty when attempting to use that address book while creating an email, but that is a totally separate problem. FYI, I made sure to specify the iCloud contacts as an address book so that they could be specified, but the list is empty. Ah well, another of life's challenges - eh?
Thanks again. Excellent work!
Diane Poremsky says
That's weird about the address book - is the selector on the top left set to name only or all columns? It should be on Name only to see all the contacts - all columns uses Search.
J P says
Thank you, after hours of trying to synchro contacts and calendars with icloud for Outlook for windows, your solution fixed it immediatly.
Kristin says
Thank you! But I need to add my iCloud contacts to Outlook and don't know how to do that, if I uncheck all boxes. Can you help me? Thanks!
Diane Poremsky says
Did you get icloud working and are the contacts synced to outlook? If so, they are in outlook - but if they don't show when you click the To button, you need to change the address book settings.
https://www.outlook-tips.net/tips/icloud-contacts-address-book/
Michael says
Diane, you are a gem! This problem has bugged me since my new computer was commissioned in February 2021. Your help got iCloud installed but nothing synced due to iCloud Synchronization error 0x800CCC0E. At answers.microsoft.com, Paul 007 had the solution to fix this by creating a two-factor password for the iCloud account in Outlook. The two solutions combined and everything is working again in my vexing 1st-World problem.
Diane Poremsky says
Interesting. In the past, you only needed 2FA enabled on the account and an app password if you added the account separately from iCloud addin - the iCloud addin counted as an apple client if you didn't want 2FA and took care of the authentication.
Michael says
What I did was to go to https://appleid.apple.com/ then to Security > APP-SPECIFIC-PASSWORDS > Generate Password...Copy the password, then in Outlook, Fil e > Account Settings > Account Settings, click on your icloud.com email then Repair, delete the password and paste the new password and go...Then is said it was OK and then it synced.
Dan says
OK!!!! FINALLY...someone who knew how to fix this problem! Thank you!!!!!
Dan says
Thanks you! i've been searching through APPLE and MS and all over the internet and no one had this fix! awesome!
Richard W says
You are amazing.
It's taken 3 days to find a way around this that actually works!!!
Susan D says
You have saved me again!
Jane Gibbs says
Hip Hip Hooray! Thank you Diane!!!!
Been says
Thanks A TON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ian Taylor says
I have lost days of my life trying to resolve this issue. Called APPLE support yesterday and was told my WINDOWS needed upgraded despite my laptop being a few months old - and told also by the ladies supervisor that iCLOUD wasn't compatible with OUTLOOK.
Thank you very much.
Michael Boyd says
Hi Diane - This fixed part of my problem. I can now see my iCloud calendar events while in in Outlook desktop; however if I add a new calendar event in Outlook desktop app, it will not push that event to my iCloud/iPhone. Any suggestions for correcting this issue?
Thank you!
Diane Poremsky says
Do events created on the phone sync down? Is the one created in outlook synced to the calendar in iCloud.com?
George says
Outlook cannot save to the icloud calendar. It saves to a local calendar or to an exchange calendar if you have one.
The way I solve it is to make a copy of the event from the local calendar to the "work" or "home" calendar of iphone.
Diane Poremsky says
While that works, you should be able to click on the iCloud calendar and create new items. If that fails, do the ones you move sync up to iCloud?
Meeting invites send to you will need to be moved or copied to the iCloud calendar.
George says
Thank you Diane! I was actually replying to Michael. :)
In my case, yes, items moved or copied to the icloud calendars "work" or "home" sync with my phone.
There is apparently a third one called "icloud", but all three (icloud, home, work) install when icloud is installed to outlook.
You are also able to create items at any of the icloud calendars and they will sync with the iphone.
What I meant before is that when you accept an invitation for a meeting, Outlook can only save that on exchange or locally. I couldn't find a way (trying myself and searching online), to make outlook use the icloud calendar as the default (or any other online calendar) when accepting invitations.
It may also be worth mentioning that there is a button at the menu of the meeting called "move to icloud". I guess this was supposed to facilitate the moving process. In that case, it uses the "icloud" calendar, and not the "home" or "work" ones.
Diane Poremsky says
>>
Outlook can only save that on exchange or locally. I couldn't find a way (trying myself and searching online), to make outlook use the icloud calendar as the default (or any other online calendar) when accepting invitations
<< Outlook will save invitations in the default calendar used by the account. The only way to get it to save to the iCloud is by accepting it on the phone, which may also depends on settings in iCloud.com.>>
I guess this was supposed to facilitate the moving process. In that case, it uses the "icloud" calendar, and not the "home" or "work" ones.
<< It moves to the default calendar, which is Calendar. You can change this is in the iCloud calendar settings. Or you can merge the calendars so you only have one (or two). Use a list view, select all and move. Then delete the empty folder.
George says
Indeed, having the same account on the phone and accepting the invitations would work with icloud.
The default calendar for outlook can only be exchange or local.
Michael Boyd says
Thank you Diane and George. I believe I'm finally all set. If I create a new meeting invite, I am selecting iCloud as the calendar. If a new meeting request comes to me and I accept it by default it is saved as My Calendar (this computer). Both options are now flowing to my iPhone. Thank you for the help. I have attached a snip of what my calendar settings look like in Outlook desktop.
Thomas Gareth Forde says
excellent thank you diane
Jason says
That worked. Thank you for posting this solution, Diane! ?
Noël Schrijen says
Thank you very much for this clear solution. After 4 days of trying a lot, this works!!!
Ray Macek says
How is this done? If you have contents in the folders you need in the iCloud, you can move them to the iCloud folders after the iCloud is added to Outlook.
Diane Poremsky says
You would select all and use the move to folder command, or drag, to the iCloud folder. For the calendar, switch to the list view then move to folder.
Cliff Hunter says
Finally, someone who know the real solution to this problem.
You have no idea how long I've been trying to resolve this issue.
I'll be ecstatic when we finally get rid of IMAP.
Thanks a million!!!
Eric Schick says
Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooo much!