If you are looking to add AOL account to Outlook, then this article will guide you with the correct process that is to be followed. This article also focuses on how to set up your AOL email account in Outlook, while manually configuring AOL Mail server settings. But, before that, let’s begin with the conventional and necessary introduction…

AOL is a brand that almost all of us have heard of at least once in our lives. This is because AOL was one of the pioneers on the internet, and it provided users with reliable internet services and an easy-to-use email system. 

Further, in recent times, many users moved on to AOL email due to the best quality of service that AOL has delivered to its users. It is a free email service that you can use to access your email account on the web and through any email client, like Outlook. 

And, in the following guide, we are keeping our focus on adding an AOL email account to Outlook. It is very easy to add AOL Email to Outlook, which allows you to access, receive and send emails, whenever required.

So, without waiting much, let’s jump right onto the write-up.

Why Connect AOL to Outlook?

In today’s world, you may have seen many people adding and using their email accounts in Outlook. Have you ever wondered why is that? Why do you need to add AOL account to Outlook at all when you can perfectly access it from the web?

Well, there are reasons for that, and not one or two. I have listed below a total of ten reasons why you would need to connect your AOL account to Outlook:

  • Easy setup
  • One-click access on all devices
  • Scheduling emails for later delivery
  • Searching for old messages
  • Reading attachments in the cloud
  • Connecting multiple email accounts to one client
  • Outlook has apps for Windows, Mac, as well as iOS and Android. 
  • Customizable signatures based on each account you connect with Outlook
  • Notifications when new messages arrive in any of your connected accounts.
  • Can add attachments with the emails from any connected account

How to Add an AOL Email Account in Outlook (Version 2016 and Above)

Setting up AOL Email in Outlook

The following steps will show you how to add an AOL email account in Outlook:

  1. In the upper-right corner of your Outlook dashboard, click on the File menu option.
    Click on the file in outlook
  1. On the following page that opens, go to the Info tab and click on the Add Account button.
    Click on Add account to AOL
  1. After that, an Outlook window will appear where you have to enter your AOL email address in the given field and click on the Connect button.
    Enter email and click on connect
  1. Next, you have to enter your AOL email password on the next page that opens up and click on the Connect button again.
    Enter Password and click on connect
  1. Now, click on the Done button to complete the process. With this done, you have added your AOL account to Outlook.
    Click on done to add AOL account

When the verification process is complete, Outlook will download the messages to your email account.

Settings up AOL Email Account in Outlook (Manually)

The process to add AOL Account to Outlook should work fine for you. However, in case you want to know how to add AOL email to Outlook by manually configuring mail server settings, then this is the process for you.

The steps stated below will tell you how you can set up your AOL email account in Outlook while manually doing your mail server settings:

  1. First off, open the Outlook app on your system, and click on the File menu option present in the top left corner of the window.
  1. Now, go to the Info tab and click on the Add Account button.
    Click on File, and then Add Account.
  1. Then, a new screen will appear where you have to enter your AOL email address in the given text area. Click on Advanced Options, and check the Let Me Set Up My Account Manually option. And, click Connect.
    Enter AOL email address, select manual setting option & click Connect.
  1. On the next page, you will have to select the Account Type. There are two options IMAP and POP, but most of the time IMAP is selected, which is also the recommended option. So, click on IMAP.
    Click on IMAP.
  1. After that you will see the Account Settings window, where the information will be pre-filled. In most cases, you won’t need to change it, but you can ensure that the info is correct. Check for both incoming and outgoing mail servers by expanding their respective sections. In order to refer to the AOL mail server settings, go to the “Configure AOL IMAP and POP3 Protocols” section of the article.
    Check all the mail server settings.
  1. Once you have checked all the settings, click on Next.
  1. Finally, enter your AOL email account password and click on the Connect button. To end the process, click Done.
    Enter the password and click Connect.

After you are finished with the process, your AOL Outlook settings are done, and you can now freely use your AOL email account in Outlook.

Add AOL Email Account to Outlook 2013 Lower Versions

The above processes tell you how to set up AOL email in Outlook 2016 and higher versions. But, if you are using Outlook 2013 or any other earlier versions of it, then you will have to follow some other steps to add AOL account to Outlook.

But don’t worry, we have got you covered. Following are the steps using which you can add and configure your AOL mail in Outlook 2013 and earlier:

  1. To begin with, Launch Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
  1. Click on the File option present in the upper left corner of the screen.
  1. Then, hop to the Info tab of the following screen and click on the Add Account option.
    Click on file and then Add account
  1. Now, select the Manual Setup or Additional Server Types option in the Add Account window and click on the Next button.
    Select Manual Setup & Click on Next
  1. On the following screen, choose the IMAP or POP option, and again, click on Next.
    select POP or IMAP and click on Next
  1. Now, on the next page, under the User Information, fill in your full name and AOL email address in their respective fields.
    Enter details and click on Next
  1. Under the Server Information section, fill in the following information:
    1. Account Type: IMAP (Tip: DO NOT select POP3)
    2. Incoming Mail Server: imap.aol.com
    3. Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP): smtp.aol.com
  1. In the Logon Information section enter your AOL email address in the Username field and its password in the Password field.
  1. After you have filled in all the above information, click on the More Settings button.
  1. On the next window, switch to the Outgoing Servers tab and check the My Outgoing Server (SMTP) Requires Authentication option.
  1. Then, go to the Advanced tab, and enter the following information:
    1. Port Number (Incoming Server (IMAP)): 993
    2. Use the following type of encrypted connection (IMAP): SSL
    3. Port Number (Incoming Server (SMTP)): 465
    4. Use the following type of encrypted connection (SMTP): SSL
  1. After you have filled in all the information given above, click on the OK button, and then Next.
  1. Finally, close the prompted pop-up and click on Finish.

Phew! A long process. But once you are through this, you have connected your AOL email account to Outlook.

Configuration of AOL in Outlook

IMAP and POP3 are email protocols used for receiving emails. These protocols govern all the incoming messages in your email account. They are to be configured correctly when adding an email account to third-party email clients like Outlook.

However, while setting up an account, only one of them can be used, it can either be IMAP or POP. In the above processes, I have recommended you use IMAP instead of POP, and it is because there’s a big reason behind that.

Well, IMAP is a protocol that allows you to access your email from different computers and devices. So, if you have your AOL email account added to your phone or laptop or computer, you will see the same emails throughout all your devices to which your AOL account is added. 

But, if you use POP while configuring your AOL email account in Outlook, then your emails will be downloaded locally on the device (in which you are using Outlook to access your AOL email account) from the server. And, because of this, when you use your AOL email account on any other device, you won’t see those downloaded emails there. This implies that you will be effectively able to use your AOL email account only on one device at a time.

Therefore, it is advised to use IMAP over POP. But, if you have gone through all the consequences of using POP and still want to employ it in your account, then you are free to do that. 

Jotted down are the AOL IMAP as well POP settings that you can use while configuring your AOL email account in Outlook or any third-party email client:

AOL Mail Server Settings (IMAP, POP & SMTP)

Account TypeIncoming Mail ServerOutgoing Mail Server
IMAPIncoming Mail Server: imap.aol.comPort Number: 993Encryption: SSLAuthentication Required: YesOutgoing Mail Server: smtp.aol.comPort Number: 465Encryption: SSLAuthentication Required: Yes
POP3Incoming Mail Server: pop.aol.comPort Number: 995Encryption: SSLAuthentication Required: YesOutgoing Mail Server: smtp.aol.comPort Number: 465Encryption: SSLAuthentication Required: Yes

Now you know all that you require to configure Outlook for AOL Mail. Just keep in mind the importance of mail server settings, if these are incorrect, then, not only AOL, but you will be unable to configure Gmail in Outlook, or any other email client.

However, if you face any difficulty other than this while adding your AOL Mail to Outlook, refer to the section below.

Cannot Add AOL Account in Outlook! Is Outlook not Accepting AOL Password?

If you are not able to connect your AOL email account to Outlook, or while adding it, Outlook is not accepting its password, and showing the “We could not log on to the incoming (IMAP) server. Please check your email address and password and try again.” error, then you have to generate the App Password.

Yes, in order to solve this issue, you will have to generate an App Password for Outlook through your AOL email account. If you do not know how to do this, follow the steps given below:

  1. Open your browser, and sign in to your AOL email account using your normal login credentials.
  1. Once you are into your account, head over to your AOL Profile section, and there, click on the Account Info option.
    Click on Account Info.
  1. Now, from the left sidebar of the following screen, click on the Account Security tab.
    Click on Account Security.
  1.  Then, click on the Generate and Manage App Password option.
    Click on Generate and Manage App Passwords.
  1. Next, an App Password pop-up screen will appear, where you have to select the app for which you want to generate the password. Since you are adding an AOL email account to Outlook, therefore, select Outlook Desktop from the list.
    Select Outlook Desktop & click Generate.
  1. Click on the Generate Password button.
  1. Finally, the app password for Outlook will be generated. You have to copy it or write it down for later use.
    Copy the generated password.

After you have generated the app password, again try to add your AOL email account to Outlook by using the processes stated above. However, this time when you are asked to enter the password, you have to enter the App Password you have just generated, instead of your AOL email login password. 

Also, it is important to note that the App Password remains valid for only a few minutes after generating. Therefore, use it to add your AOL account to Outlook, as soon as it is created.

However, if you are still not able to add your AOL account in Outlook or your AOL email is not working in Outlook, then follow some other simple troubleshooting tips stated in the further section.

Why AOL is Not Working with Outlook?

There are many reasons why your AOL email account might not be working with Outlook, other than the one aforesaid. 

Nevertheless, in this section, we are going to look at some of the common problems and solutions that can solve this difficulty of yours. So, let’s see what’s in here:

  1. Malware or Virus Infection

    The first reason why your AOL is not working in Outlook, can be malware or virus infection. This can happen if you have downloaded some fraudulent apps or infectious files from the internet. These viruses can damage the system files and make it dysfunctional. 

    Therefore, it is a good idea to check for any of these threats in your system, and remove them once found. To do so, it is recommended to use a good antivirus software like McAfee Antivirus which will effectively scan your system for any viruses and remove them from your computer.

  1. Poor Internet Connection

    Another reason that can put you in trouble while setting up your AOL account in Outlook, could be a poor internet connection. If your connection is slow then it will hamper the connection with the server, and your account won’t be connected to Outlook. 

    In order to fix this difficulty, you can try reconnecting your device to the internet or restarting your modem before trying to configure AOL in Outlook, so that it works smoothly without any interruption in between.

  1. Outdated Software

    In case you have any updates pending for your Outlook, then it can also lead to various complexities, leading to the failure of adding an AOL account to Outlook.

    The best way to solve this problem is to update your software so that it is compatible with AOL and can function smoothly without any further issues.

  1. Incorrect Mail Server Settings

    If you have followed the steps to manually configure your AOL email account in Outlook, but it did not work, it might be because of incorrect mail server settings.

    As also discussed before, these settings are very important for your account to work properly. So, check if you have entered incorrect AOL IMAP, POP, or SMTP settings.

  1. Firewall Settings

    Firewalls are used to protect computers from external threats by allowing or denying network traffic based on certain parameters. It is possible that your firewall settings may be blocking the communication between Outlook and AOL. 

    If this is the case, then you will need to check your firewall settings and allow communication over ports 110 (POP3) and 143 (IMAP4). You can also try disabling your firewall if that works better for you.

  1. Incorrect AOL Email Address

    One other reason for you not being able to add an AOL email account in Outlook, is the incorrect AOL email addresses. 

    Unbelievable, as it may seem at first, but many times we tend to overlook common mistakes. So, you need to check whether you are entering the wrong email address or if there is any typo, and if it is so, obviously correct it. 

    Further, in case you have forgotten your email address, you can recover your forgotten AOL email by entering your verified mobile number or email address.

  1. Forgotten Password

    If you have forgotten your AOL password, then there is no way that you can access your inbox through Outlook. You will have to reset your AOL password using the “Forgot Password?” link on the AOL login page.

    As we have approached the end of this write-up, I hope, all of the above information is able to explain that configuring an AOL account in Outlook is a pretty simple thing, which can be easily accomplished by just precisely following the given process. And that, you have successfully configured AOL Mail in Outlook. 

    With that said, I take your leave. In case you have any further doubts, feel free to refer to the below FAQ section.

FAQ

Q. Why can’t I add my AOL account to my Outlook?

Ans. There are many reasons you are not able to add your AOL account to Outlook.

It can be because of the reason that your mail server settings aren’t correct. To check and change these settings, go to File > Options > Accounts and click the Mail tab. Click Add under Email Accounts and select the AOL account you want to add. Select IMAP or POP3 from the dropdown menu in the Incoming Server section. Select SSL in the Outgoing Server section if necessary, and then enter your username, password, and email address.

Further, go through all the server settings, and ensure that they are correct. You can take reference for the same from the above article.

Q. How do I set up my AOL email on Outlook?

Ans. You can set up your AOL email on Outlook by following these steps:

  1. Open the Outlook application on your computer.
  2. Click the File tab at the top of the screen.
  3. Click Account Settings at the bottom of the window that opens up.
  4. Choose Add Account from the drop-down menu on the next screen that appears after clicking Account Settings.
  5. Next, click on Add Account.
  6. Enter your AOL email address into the field marked Email Address on this next screen. Now follow the onscreen prompt to finish the AOL account setup.

For more elaborate explanations and to know the manual configuration of AOL in Outlook, refer to the article above.

Q. How do I add my AOL email to my Microsoft account?

Ans. To add your AOL email address to your Microsoft account, you need to sign in with the same Microsoft account you use for Outlook.com:

  1. Sign in to your existing Microsoft account.
  2. Navigate to the Add an email or phone number page and select Add another email or phone number.
  3. Enter your AOL email address and password, then click Next.
  4. The next screen will display a success message indicating that your AOL email address has been added successfully.

Q. What is the IMAP account for AOL?

Ans. IMAP and POP are two protocols that email services use to govern incoming email activities. You can select your AOL account type between IMAP or POP. If your AOL account type is AOL, then you will be able to use your AOL email account across various devices.

Q. What are Outlook settings for AOL Mail?

Ans. While manually configuring an AOL email account in Outlook, you will need to enter AOL Mail server settings. These settings are as follows:

For IMAP:

  • Incoming Mail Server: imap.aol.com
  • Port Number: 993
  • Encryption: SSL
  • Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.aol.com
  • Port Number: 465
  • Encryption: SSL

For POP:

  • Incoming Mail Server: pop.aol.com
  • Port Number: 995
  • Encryption: SSL
  • Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.aol.com
  • Port Number: 465
  • Encryption: SSL

Read More: