Setting Up Email in Outlook (Windows & Mac)

This guide shows you how to add your Exact Hosting mailbox to Microsoft Outlook on Windows and on macOS. Outlook does not recognize Exact Hosting automatically, so you choose IMAP and enter the server settings manually.

Before you begin

• Your full email address and password. The username is your complete address; the password is your email account password, not your Exact Hosting portal password.
• Your incoming/outgoing server name and ports. These depend on your product and server. Find them in the Email Server Settings Reference (IMAP, POP, SMTP).
• An app-specific password, if you use 2FA. If two-factor authentication is enabled on your Enhanced Email account, Outlook needs an app-specific password. See Creating App-Specific Passwords for Email.

Tip: Use IMAP, not POP, so the same mail and folders appear on every device. See IMAP vs POP: Which Should You Use?.

Note: Outlook's exact screen labels vary between the classic desktop app, "new Outlook" on Windows, and Outlook for Mac. The flow below covers the common path; if your wording differs, look for the option to add an account manually or to choose IMAP.

Step 1: Open the Add Account dialog

Windows

1. Open Outlook.
2. Select File > Add Account (in new Outlook, select Settings > Accounts > Add account).
3. Enter your full email address and click Connect.
4. If Outlook prompts you to choose an account type, select IMAP.

Mac

1. Open Outlook.
2. Select Outlook > Settings > Accounts (or Tools > Accounts).
3. Click the + button and choose New Account.
4. Enter your full email address and click Continue.
5. If prompted for a provider, choose IMAP.

Step 2: Enter the server settings

When Outlook asks for server details, enter the values for your product from the server settings reference. For Enhanced Email cluster A, for example:

Warning: Make sure encryption is set to SSL/TLS for both incoming and outgoing servers. If Outlook offers "STARTTLS" or "None", do not use them with these ports — the SSL ports above require SSL/TLS.

Step 3: Confirm outgoing authentication

Outlook sometimes leaves outgoing authentication off, which stops you from sending.

1. Open your account's advanced or server settings.
2. Find the Outgoing server (SMTP) section.
3. Enable My outgoing server requires authentication (or the equivalent), and set it to use the same settings as the incoming server.

Step 4: Finish and test

1. Click Connect, Add Account, or Done to save.
2. Once the account loads, send a test message to yourself.
3. Confirm the message arrives and that you can send without an error.

Next steps

• Connection failing? See Email Client Connection Errors (Password / Port / SSL).
• Add your phone. Follow Setting Up Email on iPhone & iPad or Setting Up Email on Android.
• Prefer the built-in Mac app? See Setting Up Email in Apple Mail (macOS).

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.