Fix “Unable to Verify Account Name or Password” Email Errors

The “unable to verify account name or password” error means your mail app could not authenticate with the email server. It does not automatically mean your password is wrong. It can also be caused by an expired password saved in the app, incorrect server or port settings, a two-factor authentication change, or a provider that now requires a different sign-in method. This guide walks through each likely cause and how to fix it in Outlook and mobile mail apps.

Step 1: Work out whether it’s the app or the account

Before changing any settings, find out where the problem actually sits. Open a web browser and sign in to webmail directly, using the same email address and password you’re entering in your mail app.

• If webmail works, the problem is with the mail app or device settings, not your account.
• If webmail also fails, the problem is with the account itself — a wrong password, a locked account, or a provider-side setting.

This one check saves a lot of guesswork and tells you which half of this guide to focus on.

Common causes of this error

• An outdated saved password — if you changed your email password recently, your phone or desktop app may still be sending the old one.
• Temporary account lock — several failed login attempts in a row can briefly lock an account at the provider’s end.
• Wrong server settings — an incorrect incoming or outgoing server name, or the wrong port.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA) — once 2FA is turned on, your normal password often stops working in mail apps and you need an app-specific password instead.
• Provider authentication changes — some providers, including Microsoft, are phasing out older sign-in methods for third-party mail apps (more on this below).
• Corrupted local mail profile — rarely, the app’s stored account data itself becomes corrupted and needs to be removed and re-added.

On iPhone and iPad, a related message, “Cannot Verify Server Identity,” is slightly different: it means the device cannot confirm the server’s SSL/TLS security certificate, usually because the certificate has expired or does not match the server name being used.

Get the server settings right

A large share of these errors come down to the mail app pointing at the wrong port or the wrong type of encryption. Mail servers use three main protocols, each with its own standard port and encryption setting.

A common mistake is mixing up the two SMTP options. Port 465 expects an encrypted connection from the very start. Port 587 starts unencrypted and then upgrades to encryption part-way through, using something called STARTTLS. If your app is set to port 465 but the encryption type is set to STARTTLS (or the other way round), the handshake will fail and you’ll often see an authentication error rather than a clear connection error.

Avoid the older plain-text ports (25, 110, 143) where possible. They send your password and messages without encryption and have largely been phased out over the last decade in favour of the secure ports above.

One more detail that trips people up: for IMAP, SMTP and POP3 manual setup, the username is almost always your full email address (e.g. you@example.com), not just the part before the @ symbol.

Settings for common providers

• Gmail: IMAP on imap.gmail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS. SMTP on smtp.gmail.com, port 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS). POP3 on pop.gmail.com, port 995, SSL. You must sign in with an app password or OAuth, not your normal Google password.
• Outlook.com / Microsoft 365: IMAP on outlook.office365.com, port 993, SSL/TLS. SMTP on smtp.office365.com, port 587, STARTTLS.
• Custom domain / business mailbox: IMAP is usually the mail host for your domain (e.g. mail.yourdomain.com), port 993, SSL/TLS. SMTP is usually the same host, port 587 with STARTTLS, or port 465 with SSL.

If you manage a hosted mailbox on your own domain, the full setup process for Outlook is covered in How to setup an Email Account for Outlook on Windows, and if you’d rather send WordPress notifications through a proper mail server instead of your host’s default mail function, see How to Use SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails.

Why 2FA and app passwords matter

If your email account has two-factor authentication turned on, your regular password will not work in a mail app, even if it is typed correctly. You need an app-specific password instead. This is a password generated just for that one app, separate from your main login.

• Gmail: generate an app password from your Google Account security settings and use it instead of your normal password in the mail app.
• Microsoft accounts: generate an app password from account.microsoft.com/security, under Advanced security options > App passwords.

If you’ve recently enabled 2FA and suddenly started seeing this error, this is almost always the cause.

The Microsoft authentication change you need to know about

If the account giving you trouble is an Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, or Microsoft 365 address, there’s a specific and important reason this error is becoming more common: Microsoft is phasing out an older sign-in method called Basic Authentication for email protocols (IMAP, POP3 and SMTP AUTH).

Basic Authentication simply means sending a plain username and password to log in. Microsoft is replacing it with Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0), which uses a secure sign-in token instead. The change has been rolling out in phases since 2023, with full enforcement for SMTP authentication scheduled between March and April 2026. Consumer Outlook.com and Hotmail accounts already lost support for Basic Authentication on IMAP, POP3 and SMTP back in 2022, which matches a similar change Google made to Gmail the same year.

In practice this means:

• Modern mail apps (current Outlook, recent Thunderbird versions, Apple Mail) handle OAuth 2.0 automatically and should keep working.
• Older or third-party apps set up with plain IMAP or POP3 and a typed-in password will increasingly fail, because they’re still using Basic Authentication.
• App passwords are a temporary workaround, not a permanent fix, because they also rely on Basic Authentication and are being retired on the same timeline.

The real fix for a Microsoft email account failing with this error is usually to remove the account and re-add it as an Exchange or Outlook.com account type, rather than as a manual IMAP or POP account. This forces the app to use Modern Authentication (OAuth) instead of the older method. If your mail app genuinely does not support OAuth sign-in, it’s worth checking whether a more recent version is available, since many providers no longer support fully manual login at all.

Step-by-step fixes for Outlook (desktop)

1. Confirm webmail works first, as described above.
2. Update the password in File > Account Settings > Account Settings, select the account, click Change, and re-enter the current password.
3. Check for 2FA on the account and generate an app password if needed, using it in place of the normal password.
4. Remove and re-add the account rather than editing it in place. For Microsoft accounts, choose the Outlook.com or Exchange account type during setup instead of manual IMAP, so OAuth is used.
5. Double-check server and port settings against the table above if you’re using manual setup for a non-Microsoft address.
6. Restart Outlook after making changes, since cached credentials can otherwise cause the same error to reappear.

Step-by-step fixes for mobile mail apps

1. Remove the account from the Mail app’s account list rather than just editing the password field.
2. Update your device’s date and time to automatic, since an incorrect clock can break the secure connection used for authentication.
3. Re-add the account using the provider’s built-in option (Google, Outlook.com, Yahoo, etc.) instead of “Other” or manual IMAP, so the app can use the modern sign-in method automatically.
4. Use an app password if 2FA is on and the built-in option still fails.
5. Check Wi-Fi vs mobile data — some networks or VPNs block the ports mail apps use, which can look like an authentication error rather than a connection error.

If you’re troubleshooting a self-hosted or business email address rather than a free consumer account, it’s also worth ruling out wider delivery problems. Email Delivery Failure: 6 Common Causes and Fixes covers issues that sit alongside login errors, such as DNS and authentication record problems.

When to suspect the account itself, not the app

If webmail also fails to log in, stop adjusting app settings and check these instead:

• Has the account been temporarily locked after several failed attempts? Most providers show a specific message for this if you try the web login.
• Was the password changed recently, for example after a security prompt or a password reset you forgot about?
• Has the account been flagged for unusual activity? Providers sometimes require a one-time verification step before login will work again.

If you manage mailboxes for a small business, it’s also worth reviewing your wider email security setup, covered in The Importance of Email Security, since repeated authentication errors across several accounts can sometimes indicate attempted unauthorised access.

FAQ

Does this error always mean my password is wrong?

No. It’s an authentication failure, which can also be caused by wrong server settings, an expired saved password, two-factor authentication, or a provider changing its sign-in requirements. Check webmail first to see whether the account itself is the problem.

Why does Outlook keep asking for my password even though I’m typing it correctly?

This is usually either a cached old password, a 2FA requirement needing an app password, or a Microsoft account set up as manual IMAP instead of an Exchange/Outlook.com account type, which blocks the modern sign-in method the account now requires.

What port should I use for SMTP, 587 or 465?

Port 587 with STARTTLS is the modern default and works with almost every provider. Port 465 with SSL/TLS is the older alternative and still works everywhere too. The important thing is matching the correct encryption type to the port you choose, since mismatching them causes authentication failures.

Will app passwords stop working completely?

For Microsoft accounts, yes, eventually. App passwords rely on Basic Authentication, which Microsoft is retiring for email protocols, with full enforcement for SMTP authentication by April 2026. The longer-term fix is to re-add accounts using OAuth-based sign-in (Exchange or Outlook.com account type) rather than relying on an app password.

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