Set up email in the Mail app for Windows 10

Stay connected and on schedule

You can be organized, on time, and buttoned up with Outlook — your life organizer.

If you log on to Windows 10 using a Microsoft account with an Outlook.com, Live, Hotmail, or MSN address, that account is added to the Mail and Calendar apps. You can add that and many other email accounts to the Mail and Calendar apps to start sending and receiving email and creating and managing events.

Seeing a message that your account is out of date? You probably need to update your account settings. See Fixing an out-of-date account for more information.

Did you set up your email, but you don’t see your messages? Change your mailbox sync settings.

Add a new email account

Open the Mail app by clicking the Windows Start menu and choosing Mail.

If this is the first time you’ve opened the Mail app, you’ll see a Welcome page. Select Add account to get started.

If you’ve used the Mail app before, at the bottom of the left navigation pane, select Settings , and then choose Manage Accounts.

Note: On a phone or tablet, tap the three dots at the bottom of the page to access Settings.

Select Add account.

Choose the type of the account you want to add.

You may need to scroll down the Add an account dialog box to view all options.

If you choose Google, you’ll need to sign in to your Google account, enter your 2-step verification code if you’ve enabled that security feature, and give Windows permission to access your information. Click Allow and your account will be created.

If you choose another email account, you’ll need to follow the special instructions under Special instructions for other accounts below.

Enter the required information and click Sign in. For most accounts, this is your email address, password, and the account name. The account name is what you’ll see in both the left pane of Mail for Windows 10 as well as the Manage Accounts pane.

Note: If you receive the message “We couldn’t find info for that account. Make sure that the email address is correct and then try again,” you’ll need to click Try again three times before the button changes to Advanced. Click Advanced and follow the steps in the next section to add your account.

Click Done. Your data will start syncing as soon as your account is set up.

Note: It may take a few minutes for your account to synchronize. During this time, you may see «Not synced yet» in the message pane. If this message persists, see Resolve sync issues in Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 10.

Add an account using advanced setup

There are two ways you can access the Advanced setup options for your email account.

Click Advanced setup if your automatic email setup fails in Step 3 above.

Click Advanced setup from the Choose an account window in Step 2 above. The Advanced setup option is the last option on the list, and you may have to scroll to see it.

You can choose an Exchange ActiveSync account or an Internet email account. Unless your administrator has instructed you to use Exchange ActiveSync, click Internet email.

Enter the following information in the Advanced setup window.

Email address This is the name you’ll see in the left pane of the Mail app.

User name This is your full email address.

Password Enter your email account password.

Account name This is the name that you’ll see in the left pane of Mail for Windows 10, as well as in the Manage Accounts pane. You can choose any name you want.

Send your messages using this name Enter the name you want recipients to see when they receive your message.

Incoming email server You can get this information from your ISP or administrator. Usually, an incoming mail server address is in the format of mail.contoso.com or imap.google.com . For many email accounts, you can find this information in our POP and IMAP server name reference.

Account type Choose POP3 or IMAP4. Most email accounts use IMAP4. If you don’t know which one to choose, contact your ISP.

Outgoing (SMTP) email server You can get this information from your ISP or administrator. Usually, an outgoing email server address is in the format of mail.contoso.com or smtp.contoso.com .

By default, all four checkboxes at the bottom of the window will be selected. Most email accounts don’t require any changes to these options.

Your email provider can give you the settings you need to fill in the Advanced setup but you can also go to the POP and IMAP server name reference we’ve provided for the most popular email providers.

After you’ve entered the required information, click Sign in > Done.

Note: If you’re adding an account other than Gmail, see Special instructions for other accounts.

Troubleshooting

If you’re having problems setting up your account, try the following.

If you upgraded to Windows 10, you will need to re-add your accounts to Mail for Windows 10.

Make sure your email address and password are correct. Passwords are case-sensitive.

If you see your most recent messages but no older messages, you probably need to change your email sync duration.

If you see a message that your account is out-of-date, you probably need to either update your password, your incoming or outgoing servers, or your SSL settings. See Fixing an out-of-date account for more information.

Special instructions for other accounts

If you’ve enabled two-factor authentication on your iCloud account, you’ll need to generate an app-specific password to add your iCloud account to the Mail app.

Select Generate Password below App-Specific Passwords.

Follow the instructions on your screen.

Microsoft has added OAuth support for Yahoo! accounts in the Windows 10 Creators update. To install the Creators Update now, go to the software download site, and select Update now. For more information about the update, see Windows 10 Creators Update is here.

If you have a Japanese Yahoo! email account you will need to do the following:

You’ll need to add your Yahoo! account as an IMAP account. To do this, follow the steps in Add an account using advanced setup using imap.mail.yahoo.co.jp for your incoming mail server and smtp.mail.yahoo.co.jp for your outgoing mail server.

To sync your QQ mailbox with the Mail and Calendar apps, you need to enable IMAP on QQ.

Sign in to your QQ account.

Select Settings > Account > POP3/IMAP/SMTP/Exchange/CardDAV/CalDAV Service > Find IMAP/SMTP Service > Open.

You might need to send a text message to enable this service. After you select Open in step 2, a dialog might appear prompting you to use your phone to send a message to the displayed phone number.

After the text message is sent, QQ will open a new dialog with an authorization code. Copy the authorization code as you’ll need this to add your QQ mail account in the Mail and Calendar apps.

In the Mail and Calendar apps, remove your QQ account and add it again using the authorization code.

Your QQ account should now sync automatically.

When you try to connect your GMX.de or WEB.de account to the Mail and Calendar apps, you’ll receive an email in your GMX.de or WEB.de mailbox with instructions about how to enable access.

In a web browser, sign in to your GMX.de or WEB.de account.

Find the email message with instructions about how to connect your account to the Mail and Calendar apps, and follow the instructions.

Your account should now sync with the Mail and Calendar apps automatically.

How do I install Windows Live Mail on Windows 10?

I had to reset Windows 10 on this computer, as well as on another computer and cannot get Windows Live Essentials including Windows Live Email reinstalled on this computer. Can anyone help me resolve this problem? I want to get Windows Live Email back on this laptop. I don’t know if others have found Windows 10 to be the disaster that it has been for me, but I’m certainly not a bit impressed with it.

Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category

(from Windows Essentials/Windows Live Mail/Email/Sending and receiving mail

to Windows Essentials/Windows Live Mail/Installing and upgrading).

Original title: Windows Essentials 2012, especially Windows Live Email

Replies (4) 

Information to download and install Windows Essentials 2012 is here:

Windows Essentials 2012 will show as installed in your programs.

The individual programs in the suite will not show under installed programs.

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

Windows 10 on my new laptop has been an absolute nightmare. I have done a Windows 10 reset three times. A fourth time I had a tech, I suspect he was located in India, based on his accent, do a complete reinstallation, with me partly by remote, but it still does not function properly after a few hours. The tech had even set up the email program included in Windows 10, and it even worked for about four hours. In the past I have preferred Outlook Express or The Windows Live email program included in Windows Essentials 2012, but right now I don’t have any email program working. And I certainly miss not having one. Can anyone help me get Windows Essentials to install?

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

[revised & reposted post-merge]

Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
Microsoft MVP (Windows Client) since October 2002

1 person found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

Windows 10 on my new laptop has been an absolute nightmare. Can anyone help me get Windows Essentials to install?

Assuming Windows 10 64-bit.

Please answer each of the following [admittedly tedious] diagnostic questions in a correspondingly-numbered list in your very next reply, preferably without quoting this post:

1a. When (approx. date) did you purchase the computer?

1b. Did the computer come with Windows 10 preinstalled or was it a Windows 8.1 computer that came with a free upgrade to Windows 10?

1c. Is it the same computer — not necessarily the same problem — as in your 26 Oct-16 thread and/or your 27 Sept-16 thread?

2. What is the full name of your currently-installed third-party anti-virus application or security suite (i.e., not Windows Defender!), if any, and when (approx. date) does your current subscription (if any) expire?

3. Have you ever run the McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool?

4. What Version & Build of Windows 10 is currently install? [You can tap the Windows key, type “winver” into the Start menu, and press Enter. You could also press Windows Key + R, type “winver” into the Run dialog, and press Enter.]

Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
Microsoft MVP (Windows Client) since October 2002

Where can I download Windows Live Mail for Windows 10?

• If you’re nostalgic, after upgrading to Windows 10 you can still use Windows Live Mail.
• But some system changes are necessary, and we’re showing you exactly what needs to be done.
• We’ve extensively covered this topic in our Windows Live Mail area, so make sure to check it out.
• And, in our separate Windows 10 Download Hub you’ll find useful guides on getting software compatible with your OS.

• Sync all your email account into one inbox
• Search for specific attachments
• Let you manage all your contacts from Inbox folder
• Work without email opening errors

Email made easy & beautiful

Some people still prefer using Live Mail 2012, before using the Mail universal app. But unfortunately, Live Mail was ceased at Windows 7, and it doesn’t come with Windows 10.

But even if it isn’t pre-installed in Windows 10, Windows Live Mail is still compatible with Microsoft’s newest operating system.

So, you can install it afterward, but you’ll have to do a few things more, to make Windows Live Mail work on Windows 10 without any problems.

How to Install Windows Live Mail on Windows 10

Get Windows Essentials

Windows Live Mail comes as a part of Windows Essentials, a package of Microsoft’s programs that debuted in Windows 7.

It consists of Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Windows Live Writer, OneDrive, and of course Windows Live Mail.

To install Windows Live Mail (as a part of Windows Essentials), do the following:

1. Download Windows Essentials from this third-party source.
2. Run the installer
3. When you run the installer, choose Windows Live Mail from the list of programs you want to install (of course, you can install other programs from the package, as well)
4. Wait until the installation is finished

Until recently, just installing Windows Live Mail would be enough to run it normally on Windows 10, but that’s not the case anymore. Microsoft recently announced changes to its Outlook, Hotmail, Live and MSN services, and you need to install a certain update to keep it working.

So, after installing Windows Live Mail, just head to this page, download and uninstall the Update KB3093594, which will allow you to run Windows Live Mail on Windows 10.

Even though you’re able to run and use Windows Live Mail on Windows 10, we can’t tell how long will it last, because Microsoft encourages users to switch to the built-in universal Mail app, and it’s possible that the support for Windows Live Mail 2012 will eventually end.

If you’re willing to try new things, we also strongly recommend for you to check out Mailbird.

Mailbird is a great email client app that supports multiple email accounts. You can open your HTML emails and search easily for a specific email from one of your accounts.

Also, you can group and customize your email categories in order to make your work more pleasant and easy. We strongly recommend you this awesome tool, currently the best on the market.

• Download now Mailbird for free

Mailbird Personal

How do I switch from Windows Live Mail to Outlook?

If downloading a particular update (KB3093594) and setting up Windows Live Mail takes too much time, you can always switch to Outlook.

You can easily export all your Windows Live Mail data to your new Outlook account including your contacts, messages, and attachments.

What’s your favorite email client for Windows 10? Are you using Windows 10’s Mail app, or you’d like to go old school, and receive your emails on Windows Live Mail?

Tell us in the comments and also make sure to check out our list of the best email clients for your Windows PC.