Setting up an email account in Microsoft Outlook requires your email address, password, and mail server settings from your hosting provider. You can configure Outlook using either your domain name (mail.yourdomain.com) or your server's hostname as the incoming and outgoing mail server addresses.
This guide walks you through both configuration methods and helps you choose the best option for your needs, whether you're managing a single email account or multiple client accounts.
Two Ways to Configure Your Mail Servers
When setting up Outlook, you have two options for specifying your IMAP and SMTP server addresses. Each method has different advantages depending on your hosting setup.
Option 1: Using Your Domain Name (Recommended)
This method uses the format mail.yourdomain.com for both incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) servers. For example, if your domain is example.com, you would enter mail.example.com as both your IMAP hostname and SMTP hostname.
Requirements for this option:
- Your domain's A record must point to your OBHost hosting server
- SSL must be enabled for your domain (a free Let's Encrypt certificate is issued automatically once your domain points correctly)
The major advantage of this approach is portability. If you ever migrate to a different server, your Outlook configuration remains valid because the mail.yourdomain.com address automatically updates when your DNS changes. You won't need to reconfigure Outlook or any other email clients.
Option 2: Using Your Server Hostname
This method uses your hosting server's direct hostname for both incoming and outgoing mail servers. You can find this hostname in your hosting control panel or welcome email.
This option has no prerequisites and works immediately, but comes with an important limitation: if you change hosting servers in the future, you'll need to update the server settings in Outlook and all other email clients. For resellers managing multiple client accounts, this means reconfiguring email for every client after a server migration.
Step-by-Step Outlook Configuration
Once you've chosen your mail server method, follow these steps to configure Microsoft Outlook:
- Open Microsoft Outlook and go to File, then Account Settings
- Click New to add a new email account
- Select Manual setup or additional server types, then Next
- Choose POP or IMAP, then Next
- Enter your name and complete email address
- Select IMAP as the account type
- Enter your IMAP hostname (either mail.yourdomain.com or your server hostname)
- Enter your SMTP hostname (same as your IMAP hostname)
- Enter your complete email address as the username
- Enter your email account password
- Click More Settings, then the Outgoing Server tab
- Check "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication"
- Select "Use same settings as my incoming mail server"
- Go to the Advanced tab
- Set the incoming server (IMAP) port to 993 and select SSL encryption
- Set the outgoing server (SMTP) port to 465 and select SSL encryption
- Click OK, then Next to test your settings
- Click Finish once the test succeeds
Common Port Settings for Email
Your email configuration requires specific port numbers for secure connections:
- IMAP (incoming): Port 993 with SSL/TLS encryption
- SMTP (outgoing): Port 465 with SSL/TLS encryption (or port 587 with STARTTLS)
Always use encrypted connections to protect your email credentials and message content during transmission.
Troubleshooting Outlook Email Setup
If Outlook cannot connect to your mail servers, verify these common issues:
Check your credentials: Ensure you're using your complete email address as the username, not just the part before the @ symbol. Passwords are case-sensitive.
Verify SSL is active: If using Option 1 (mail.yourdomain.com), confirm your domain has a valid SSL certificate installed. You can check this by visiting https://mail.yourdomain.com in a web browser.
Confirm DNS settings: Your domain's A record must point to the correct server IP address. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate fully.
Test with webmail: Before configuring Outlook, log into your email account through webmail to confirm your credentials are correct and the account is active.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which mail server option should I choose for Outlook?
Use Option 1 (mail.yourdomain.com) if your domain's DNS is properly configured and pointing to your hosting server. This method is more flexible and won't require reconfiguration if you change servers. Only use Option 2 (server hostname) if you cannot meet the SSL and DNS requirements for Option 1.
What's the difference between IMAP and POP3 for Outlook?
IMAP keeps your emails synchronized across all devices and stored on the server, while POP3 typically downloads emails to your computer and removes them from the server. IMAP is recommended for modern email management, especially if you access email from multiple devices like phones, tablets, and computers.
Why won't Outlook connect to my email account?
The most common causes are incorrect server settings, wrong port numbers, missing SSL encryption, or DNS issues. Double-check that you're using the correct IMAP hostname, SMTP hostname, port 993 for incoming mail, and port 465 for outgoing mail with SSL enabled. If using mail.yourdomain.com, verify your SSL certificate is active.
Do I need to reconfigure Outlook if I change hosting servers?
Not if you used Option 1 (mail.yourdomain.com) for your mail server settings. Once your domain's DNS updates to point to the new server, Outlook will continue working automatically. If you used Option 2 (server hostname), you'll need to manually update the server addresses in Outlook's account settings.
If you need assistance configuring email in Outlook or have questions about your mail server settings, the OBHost support team is available 24/7. Visit our contact page or email support@obhost.org for help.
