Outlook/IONOS Email Connectivity and Authentication Issue

Vidya Pingili 0 Reputation points
2026-09-16T17:41:51.56+00:00

Outlook is repeatedly disconnecting from my IONOS email account and continuously prompting me to enter the email password. Even after entering the correct password, Outlook reconnects only temporarily and then asks for the password again.

I have already tried several troubleshooting steps, including uninstalling and reinstalling Outlook, removing and re-adding the email account, and reconfiguring the Outlook mail settings. I have also checked the account configuration and re-entered the email credentials, but the issue continues.

The repeated password prompts and disconnections are making it difficult to use the IONOS email account reliably through Outlook. As the usual troubleshooting and reconfiguration steps have already been carried out without resolving the problem, I would appreciate it if the underlying cause of the authentication or connection issue could be investigated

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-16T17:42:10.31+00:00

    For a classic Outlook on Windows setup with a non-Exchange account such as IONOS IMAP, the supported fixes in this scenario are:

    1. Verify the IMAP setup option in Outlook.
      • During account setup, on the IMAP details page, make sure Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) is unchecked.
      • If SPA is enabled for an IMAP account, Outlook can fail to authenticate correctly and keep prompting for the password.
    2. Recreate the account from the Mail profile in Control Panel instead of only from inside Outlook.
      • Press the Windows key, type Control Panel, and open it.
      • Select Mail.
      • Select Email Accounts...
      • On the Email tab, select New.
      • Enter the name, email address, and password in both password boxes, then select Next.
      • Complete the setup and select Finish.
    3. Clear stored Outlook credentials in Windows Credential Manager.
      • Open Control Panel > Credential Manager.
      • If needed, select User Accounts first, then Credential Manager.
      • Locate saved credentials that have Outlook in the name and remove them.
      • If credentials related to Microsoft Office or Outlook are present under Windows Credentials, remove those relevant Outlook entries.
      • Restart Outlook and sign in again.
    4. Check for common credential-entry issues.
      • Make sure Caps Lock is off.
      • For Outlook account sign-in, the username should be the full email address.
    5. If the mailbox password was changed recently, update the saved password in Outlook.
      • Repeated prompts can occur if the password was changed with the email provider but Outlook still has the old saved password.

    Since Outlook has already been reinstalled and the account has already been removed and re-added, the most relevant remaining actions are:

    • confirm SPA is unchecked for the IMAP account
    • remove cached Outlook credentials from Credential Manager
    • recreate the account from Control Panel > Mail

    If the issue started after a password change and Outlook keeps asking again after Windows sign-out/sign-in, removing the previously saved Outlook credentials is the documented workaround.

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  2. Levi Cornwell 255 Reputation points
    2026-09-16T17:46:57.69+00:00

    Since you already reinstalled Outlook, removed/re-added the account, and checked the mail settings, I’d check the saved credentials and authentication method next.

    If you're using classic Outlook on Windows, open Credential Manager > Windows Credentials and look for saved Outlook/Office credentials related to this account. Removing the old credential and then signing in again can sometimes clear a repeated password prompt. Microsoft also recommends checking the account's incoming/outgoing server and authentication settings when an IMAP account keeps prompting for credentials.

    I’d also verify the IONOS IMAP/SMTP settings and whether IONOS requires any additional authentication or security setting for the account.

    If the password prompt comes back after a few minutes even though the credentials are correct, I'd check whether the account works normally through IONOS webmail. If webmail is fine, that would point more toward the Outlook/IMAP connection rather than the mailbox itself.

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  3. Hornblower409 15,340 Reputation points
    2026-09-17T05:08:28.8266667+00:00

    @Vidya Pingili said

    after entering the correct password, Outlook reconnects only temporarily

    1 -- Any clues in the Sync Issues Folders?

    How to View the Sync Issues Folders in Classic Outlook
    See the Answer by "Hornblower409 May 6 2026" in
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5687493/outlook-how-to-view-and-cleanup-sync-error-folder

    2 -- Can you correlate the disconnects to an Outlook action? e.g. As soon as your do a Send, or a Send/Receive All (F9)?

    3 -- Any other email clients connected to the same account? (IONOS server connection limits)

    I would appreciate it if the underlying cause of the authentication or connection issue could be investigated

    For that you'll have to bring in Microsoft Support.

    MS 365 Admin Only Support (Qualified MS 365 Subscriptions only)
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/get-help-support

    Free Classic Outlook In App Support
    Help -> Contact Support

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