The Windows 10 Mail and Calendar apps reached the end of support after 2024, so first check what is actually installed: you may still see the legacy Mail app, or it may open new Outlook for Windows. The steps below describe the legacy app’s historical setup screens; they may not match every device. They connect an existing mailbox to an app—they do not create a new email address with an email provider.
How to add an account in the legacy Windows 10 Mail app
If the app still shows the old Mail interface, this is the historical route documented in a Microsoft community answer from February 2021. Labels or screens may differ on your installation.
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- Open the Windows 10 Mail app.
- Select the Settings gear in the lower-left corner.
- Choose Manage Accounts, then Add Account.
- Select your email provider if it appears in the list, then follow the sign-in prompts.
- If your provider is not listed, choose Advanced setup, then Internet Email, and enter the details supplied by your provider.
The provider shortcut may identify the required settings automatically. Manual setup requires details specific to your mailbox; do not guess server names, ports, or security options.
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Ask your email provider for the incoming and outgoing mail server names and the required connection details. Have these items ready:
- Incoming mail server hostname and whether the account uses IMAP or POP
- Outgoing SMTP server hostname
- Account username, which may or may not be the full email address
- Required ports and encryption or security settings
Microsoft gives patterns such as imap.<service>.com, pop.<service>.com, and smtp.<service>.com as examples—not universal server names. Check your provider’s current setup instructions for the exact values.
Choose IMAP or POP based on how you use mail
Microsoft Support recommends IMAP when you need to check email on several devices. POP behaves differently because it downloads messages to a computer.
| Protocol | Where messages are accessed | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| IMAP | Messages remain accessible through the email service, allowing access to synchronize across devices. | Usually the better fit if you use the same mailbox on a phone, laptop, and tablet. |
| POP | Messages are downloaded to a computer. | Previously downloaded messages may not be accessible from another device, and sent mail can be stored locally. Do not treat POP as a fully server-synchronized backup. |
Microsoft Support puts it this way: “IMAP is the recommended method when you need to check your emails from several different devices, such as a phone, laptop, and tablet.” Read its explanation of IMAP and POP before choosing.
If the old Mail app is gone or opens new Outlook
Microsoft announced in 2023 that Mail and Calendar would no longer be supported after the end of 2024 and would transition to new Outlook for Windows. That lifecycle change does not establish that every Windows 10 device displays the same screen today. If you see new Outlook instead, use its account settings:
- In new Outlook, open View > View settings, or use File > Account info.
- Go to Accounts > Your accounts, then select Add Account.
- Enter or select your email address and continue through the provider prompts.
Microsoft lists Microsoft 365 work or school accounts (Exchange Online), Outlook.com/Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and other IMAP/POP accounts as supported by new Outlook. On-premises Exchange accounts are not supported. These are new Outlook details, not a guarantee of identical support in the retired Mail app. See Microsoft’s current instructions for adding an email account to Outlook for Windows.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If sign-in fails even though the password is correct
Some providers require an account setting to be enabled on their website, or an app password instead of the password used to sign in on the provider’s site. Check your provider’s current help page for the account type and app you are setting up; a regular password is not guaranteed to work in every configuration. Microsoft describes these possibilities in its Outlook account setup guidance.
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