Microsoft has acknowledged a persistent problem affecting users attempting to connect their Outlook applications to Outlook.com. The issue involves multiple email clients, including traditional versions of Outlook (2013, 2016), the latest Outlook for Microsoft 365, and third-party clients like Thunderbird. Even mobile email applications have encountered difficulties when utilizing POP, IMAP, and Exchange connections with Outlook.com.
Efforts to Resolve Sign-In Difficulties
In response to user complaints surfacing on Microsoft's community platforms and social networks such as Reddit, Microsoft has indicated that App Passwords might temporarily restore connectivity. However, such solutions have not been reliable or permanent, with users reporting recurring disconnections. The issue manifests as perpetual password prompts, which persist despite users entering the correct credentials. These problems have prompted the Outlook Team to actively work on a fix, although a definitive solution or additional details are not yet available.
Advised Workaround and Past Issues
Users affected by this inability to connect using email clients have been advised to access their accounts via Outlook.com on the web directly as an interim solution. Microsoft's past few months have seen various Outlook.com-related glitches addressed, including a December bug that caused Outlook Desktop crashes when sending emails and a July error resulting in failed email searches due to 401 exception errors. Moreover, the tech giant has faced service disruptions on Outlook.com, among others, allegedly caused by DDoS attacks linked to Anonymous Sudan with presumed Russian associations.
As Microsoft continues investigations and works towards mitigating these connectivity issues, Outlook.com users are recommended to stay updated and use the web version for uninterrupted email access until the problems are fully resolved.
