How to Fix Outlook Login Error: Comprehensive Guide

Summary: If your Outlook is preventing you from logging or displaying a login error after entering valid credentials, there could be a problem with your password, Outlook client, system, or the Outlook data file (PST). In this guide, you will learn common reasons behind the outlook login issues and different solutions to fix it and recover all mail items with the help of advanced Outlook repair software.

Similar to any other application or software, Microsoft Outlook is also prone to errors and issues on the Windows system. One of the common issues that many users encounter is Outlook login issues.

These Outlook login issues not only prevent users from accessing their mailbox and mail items but also prevent them from sending/receiving new emails.

In this blog, you will learn various scenarios of Outlook login issues and solutions to resolve these issues. You will also learn a method to recover and restore the mail items trapped in Outlook due to login errors.

Table of Content:

Common Reasons for Outlook login issues and Their Solutions

1. Incorrect Username or Password
2. Network Connectivity Issues
3. Corrupt Outlook Profile- Outlook Login Issues
4. Conflicting Apps
5. Two-Step Verification
6. Incompatible or Faulty Add-Ins
7. Outdated Outlook Application
8. Cached credentials
9. Repair Outlook Data File- Outlook Login Issues

Common Reasons for Outlook login issues and Their Solutions

Below we have listed some of the most common reasons for Outlook login error and their solutions to effectively fix the error and restore access to the Outlook mailbox..

1. Incorrect Username or Password

The most common reason for Outlook login issues is an incorrect username and password or an outdated or expired password.

To troubleshoot, you can apply the following solutions:

• Ensure that your email username and password are correct. Be careful of capitalization and special characters while typing your password.
• Try to log in using the same credentials on webmail. If you fail to log in there as well, the password is probably expired or outdated.
• Reset the password or contact the administrator for help.

Also Read: How to Fix Outlook Not Accepting Password?

2. Network Connectivity Issues

Outlook may fail to log in due to network problems, such as poor, unreliable, or unstable network or internet connection.

Solution:

• Ensure you have a stable and active internet connection.
• If you are having an issue with the network or internet, try restarting your modem or router.
• Reconnect the modem wire or Ethernet cable to ensure it’s properly connected.
• Open a web browser and try to access other websites to confirm that the internet is working or not.
• If the internet is working, check if webmail is accessible. If the webmail is also down, the server must be under maintenance and you should try to log in again after some time or contact your administrator for clarity. 
• In case webmail is also accessible, check your firewall and antivirus settings if you have recently installed them or made any changes to these applications or systems. 

Also Read: How To Recover Deleted Outlook Emails on Windows 10/11?

3. Corrupt Outlook Profile- Outlook Login Issues

Corrupt and damaged Outlook profiles can also prevent Outlook users from logging and lead to Outlook login errors.

Solution:

You must create a new profile and delete the faulty one to resolve the Outlook login error. The steps are as follows:

• Close Outlook and open the Control Panel.
• Go to User Accounts > Mail and click Show Profiles.
• Click Add and enter a name for your new profile. Then click OK. 

• Follow the onscreen prompts log in and set up a new profile.
• Once set up, you can configure this as a default profile or launch Outlook and select the new profile from the drop-down.

• This should resolve the Outlook login error if caused by a corrupt profile.

Also Read: What is Error 451 Email in Outlook?

4. Conflicting Apps

Some anti-virus tools and wrong or incorrect firewall settings may also interfere with Outlook function.

Solution:

• Temporarily disable your antivirus and firewall software. Then try to log in.
• If login is successful, review the firewall settings and add Outlook as an exception in the antivirus tool. If possible, install Outlook-aware antivirus and firewall apps.

5. Two-Step Verification

If you have enabled two-step verification in your email account, Outlook may fail to authenticate and lead to login errors.

Solution:

• If you see an additional prompt to enter an OTP, check your other recovery email or your mobile device SMS/WhatsApp and enter the OTP for successful authentication. 
• In case you don’t see an OTP prompt, you can generate application application-specific password and use that password to log in to Outlook.

6. Incompatible or Faulty Add-Ins

Incompatible or faulty add-ins are also a common cause behind Outlook login errors.

Solution:

You must disable and then find and remove the faulty or incompatible add-in to resolve the Outlook login errors. The steps are as follows:

• Open Outlook in Safe Mode and then go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
• Click COM Add-Ins.
• Then clear all the checkboxes of add-ins and click OK. This will disable the add-ins.

• Restart Outlook normally and try to log in.

If the login is successful, you must find the faulty add-in and remove it. For this, activate one add-in and restart Outlook. Repeat this until you experience the Outlook login error. Immediately remove the activated add-in after which the Outlook login error appears.

7. Outdated Outlook Application

An outdated version of Outlook is vulnerable to bugs, and security issues that can result in Outlook login issues.

Solution:

Immediately check and update your Outlook application to the latest version.

• In Outlook, go to File > Office Account and click Office Updates.
• From the options, choose Update Now.

• This will check and install the latest updates to your Outlook that may fix the Outlook login issues.

If the Update Now option is not available in Outlook, download and install the Windows Updates. In a system where you can’t manually update Outlook, you can install Outlook updates via Windows Updates.

Also Read: How to Recover Deleted Folders from Outlook?

8. Cached credentials

Outlook stores the login credentials in a local cache. This helps Outlook to quickly login. However, when this cache gets damaged, Outlook may fail to log and leading to Outlook login issues.

Solution:

You can clear or remove the existing cache to fix the Outlook login error. The steps are as follows:

• Close Outlook.
• Press the Windows + R keys and type control keymgr.dll.
• Then click OK or press the Enter key. This will open the Windows Credentials Manager.
• Find the Outlook credentials and then click Remove.

• This will remove the cached credentials. After this, you can try to log in to Outlook.

9. Repair Outlook Data File- Outlook Login Issues

Damaged Outlook data files, such as PST which stores all your mail items, can also disrupt Outlook and display Outlook log-in errors. Besides, if the Outlook login error is not resolved, the PST file may be corrupted or damaged. In such cases, you can use the built-in SCANPST tool to repair the PST file. 

Simply start the Inbox Repair Tool, click Browse, and then select your Outlook PST file. Then click Start.

After the initial scan, click Repair.

After the repair, you can start Outlook and then see if the Outlook login error is gone. In case the SCANPST fails to repair the PST file or crashes/stops responding, you can use advanced Outlook repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook.

The software can repair your severely corrupt or damaged PST file with complete integrity. You can then save the recovered mail items from damaged or corrupt PST files to a new PST file and import it into your new profile or Outlook via the Import/Export wizard. You may also export the recovered mail items directly to Office 365 or Live Exchange using the software in a few clicks.

Also Read: How to get Activation Key for Stellar Outlook Repair?

Conclusion

Outlook login issues can be frustrating as they prevent a user from accessing their emails and sending or receiving new messages. By following the solutions discussed in this blog, one can easily troubleshoot and resolve the underlying issues that are causing Outlook login errors and preventing Outlook users from accessing their mailbox.

Always ensure that your Outlook application is updated and review your security settings to prevent Outlook login issues in the future. Also, remember to use Outlook repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook, when the error can’t be resolved and SCANPST fails to fix or recover the damaged or corrupt PST file.

Also Read: How to Repair a Damaged or Corrupt Outlook PST File?