If you are using a Yahoo, AOL, CompuServe, AT&T and other ISP accounts hosted by Yahoo and are having problems signing when you use Outlook desktop software, this is for you:
If you are unable to set up an Yahoo or AOL account in Outlook desktop, receiving an error that your username or password is wrong, you need to use an app password.
If the account is already configured in Outlook, you'll see this error message in the Send / Receive Progress dialog:
Task 'Synchronizing subscribed folders for ***@***.com.' reported error (0x800CCC0E) : 'Outlook cannot synchronize subscribed folders for ***@***.com. Error: Cannot connect to the server. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).'
You'll see this message when you add a new account:
Something went wrong
We couldn't log on to the incoming (IMAP) server. Please check your email address and password and try again.
Unlike Gmail, iCloud and Outlook.com, you do not need to enable 2-step authentication or the secret key feature to use an app password.
To generate an app password to use in place of your "real" password:
- Log into your account security settings in Yahoo or AOL and click on Manage app passwords.
- Select your app from the list and click Generate. (Choosing the app is to make it easier to delete (revoke) a specific password if you need to later. You can use the app password in any application.)
- Copy the password and paste it into Outlook’s password dialog. If you type it in, don’t include the spaces, they just make the password easier to read.
To change the password in Outlook 2016 and newer, use the File > Account Settings > Server settings menu.
Use Ctrl+V to paste the password in the password field then click Next.
In older versions of Outlook, you can change the password in Account Settings. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings. Double click on the account and change the password.
I recommend copying and pasting the password into OneNote, Outlook Notes, or Notepad (or wherever you save things) so you have a copy if you need it with another mail client. The app password is valid until you revoke it.
Yahoo Security settings page
Articles explaining the change:
Ways to securely access Yahoo Mail
Ways to securely access AOL Mail
AT&T Yahoo accounts
For AT&T email accounts hosted at Yahoo, you need to log into your AT&T profile to create the app password.
- Select the email account that you want to get a secure mail key for. (You’ll find a drop-down menu at the top if you have multiple accounts.)
- Go to Profile > Sign-in info.
- Scroll to Secure mail key and select Manage secure mail key.
- If you have more than one email address, select the one you want to use.
- Select Add secure mail key.
- Enter a nickname for the secure mail key to make it easier to recognize.
- Select Create secure mail key.
- Select Copy secure mail key to clipboard.
- Paste it into the password field in outlook.
Thank you. I'm using Outlook 2016 with my Verizon email set up in AOL using an IMAP profile. Your steps worked. :)
how. i cannot make this work with Verizon, via AOL, even upgraded to Outlook 365
That worked!! Thank you SO much!
Thank you for this article. I generated the app password for the Outlook program on my desktop and followed your instructions, first using pop.verizon.net and smtp.verizon.net. Didn't work. Then I switched to using pop.aol.com and smtp.aol.com. Still keep getting error messages. I would so appreciate your help.
What is the error message?
Does it work if you use yahoo servers?
"Something went wrong and Outlook couldn't save your settings. Please try again." I have tried the Yahoo servers and will try again.
Sent here from Microsoft site. Thanks for the lead, as this resolved my Outlook non-delivery issue. My verizon.net account hosted by AOL somehow had its Incoming and Outgoing Mail Server info converted to Yahoo addresses. While menu displays still incorrect, am receiving my email in Outlook again.
Robert,
Just an FYI: our verizon.net emails are now actually hosted by Yahoo; although the given server addresses (imap.aol.com & smtp.verizon.net) still work, they're redirected to / come from yahoo's email servers...if you double-click an email, then go to File-Properties, here's what you'll find in the internet headers section:
Received: from 10.253.33.165
by atlas214.aol.mail.gq1.yahoo.com with HTTPS; Sun, 9 Jan 2022 13:42:41 +0000
What do you mean by "menu displays still incorrect"?
Mike P. (the person immediately below)
Hello Mike,
I left the following detailed reply on the Microsoft page: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum/all/outlook-365-changing-server-from-verizon-to-yahoo/94897541-0283-42a1-9f7d-f2e4485eb298.
"My verizon.net account managed through AOL stopped working and reset a portion of the POP server account information to go look for Yahoo addresses and not the Verizon ones.
The detailed article provided by Outlook MVP Diane Poremsky provided a solution that worked correctly and restored my Outlook email function. I appreciate the lead and thank you and her for a solution that resolved the issue of not receiving email using Outlook.
I am concerned that that the incorrect settings still appear if you go to File>Account Settings>Repair>Let Me repair my account manually>Repair. The Incoming mail server is still listed as pop.mail.yahoo.com and the Outgoing mail server is listed as smtp.mail.yahoo.com.
Nevertheless, the Incoming and Outgoing Mail Server information under Send/Receive Groups>Edit>Account Properties is the correct verizon.net information."
In hindsight, I really don't know which Outlook settings are the correct ones--the ones on the Repair page or the Account Properties page--but I note that settings that I expected to be the same are, in fact, different.
Hope that helps!
Robert
Theoretically, either server name should work, thanks to DNS and CNAMEs pointing to the same servers. The correct server names should be in the subkey under this registry key (assuming the profile name is Outlook). There will be a key named 000000* for each account or service in the profile. IMAP and POP servers will listed in the key for the account -
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Profiles\Outlook\9375CFF0413111d3B88A00104B2A6676\
Diane, You are beyond AWESOME! I have spent countless hours over the past few days trying to determine why my my "@verizon.net" started getting flaky on Outlook 2010...yes, I knew that AOL had taken over the Verizon.net email domain several years ago, but was unaware that they had transferred them off to Yahoo. The REAL source of the frustration as one tries to resolve this issue is the exceptionally unhelpful and cryptic error messages-both within Outlook AND the Outlook logging file-as neither mentions the oAuth vs oAuth2 conflict as the ACTUAL problem. Worse yet, AOL's "Generate an App Password" page refers to this "App password" as a "one-time password"; NO-NO-NO! 99.999% of people-including myself, who worked for 15+ years as a network and Exchange admin-logically consider the phrase "one-time password" to mean TEMPORARY, which is NOT the case. Ironically, despite Verizon handing off their verizon.net email domain to AOL, they still "owned" the domain since they purchased AOL in 2015...and of course, Yahoo in 2017, so their "logic" behind offloading their email domain is inexplicable-all it did was make life very difficult for us long-time verizon.net customers. I was not aware that, in May 2021, Verizon sold off both AOL… Read more »
I am getting lost in the thread. Can you provide the correct directions? I have used the AOL app password and the settings are set correctly, but it still does not work. Like you, I am a 20+ year used of Verizon so TONS of accounts are unfortunately tied to that account. HELP WITH THE CORRECT INSTRUCTIONS AGAIN!!
use Outlook every day. Had verizon, now aol pop account. Server stopped downloading and sending. what are server settings now. tried pop.mail.yahoo.com, and SMTP same. tried many other ombinations, zippo I made a app pw on AOL, that does not work any where on outlook.
Verizon used AOL before the merger - try using AOL server names. And you will need to use an app password.
do you get a send and receive error message?
Hi, my outlook 16 account on my desktop stopped working last week. I have an out verizon.net pop 3 account, and have tried adding the App Password as noted in you answers, but it still does not work. I can access on line when I log into aol. Do you have any suggestions. lost in DP
Thank you so much! I found this discussion and it worked! My outlook is now downloading my Verizon emails again.