My iPhone will not let me sign in my email account as it says that there is already an account

Question

My iPhone will not let me sign in my email account as it says that there is already an account

Kerri Campbell 0

I deleted my email account from my iPhone with a view to updating the app and now it wont let me reload out as it says an account already exists as if it thinks i want a new account

Hornblower409 14,690 Reputation points

2026-08-11T16:32:30.4266667+00:00

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1 answer

Your answer

Hornblower409 14,690 Reputation points

2026-08-11T16:32:30.4266667+00:00

If the AI Answer did not solve your problem, type "Not Solved" in the "Add Comment" box below and then click the [Add Comment] button. I will try to offer some suggestions on what you can do next.

Answer 1

Try removing the stuck account entry and then add the account back from inside Outlook.

In Outlook on the iPhone, open Settings.
Select the affected account.
Tap Delete Account.
Close Outlook, then reopen it.
Add the account again.

If the account was previously changed or Outlook is holding old sign-in details, deleting and re-adding the account imports the correct settings again.

If the problem is with an old work account still being managed on the device, check iPhone Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and remove the old company management profile before adding the account again. This can affect access to Outlook and other Microsoft apps.

If Outlook still shows sign-in problems after that:

For a personal Microsoft account, use the Microsoft sign-in helper tool.
If Outlook shows "account disconnected", sign in again when prompted.
If the issue started after a password change, change the password on the email provider’s website first, then re-enter it in Outlook. If sync still fails, delete the account and re-add it.