How to Configure Email on Any Device

Find Your Email Server Settings

Microsoft 365 (most business accounts):

• Incoming: outlook.office365.com (IMAP, port 993, SSL) or autodiscover
• Outgoing SMTP: smtp.office365.com (port 587, STARTTLS)
• Exchange autodiscover URL: https://autodiscover.microsoft.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml
• Modern clients (Outlook 2016+) detect these automatically — just enter your email and password

Google Workspace:

• Incoming IMAP: imap.gmail.com (port 993, SSL)
• Outgoing SMTP: smtp.gmail.com (port 587, STARTTLS or port 465, SSL)
• Requires an App Password if 2-Step Verification is on (step 9)

Third-party hosting (cPanel, Plesk):

• Incoming IMAP: mail.yourdomain.co.uk (port 993, SSL)
• Outgoing SMTP: mail.yourdomain.co.uk (port 587, STARTTLS)
• Check your hosting control panel or welcome email for exact settings

Choose IMAP or Exchange (and Why It Matters)

• Exchange/ActiveSync: syncs email, calendar, contacts, and tasks; supports remote wipe; recommended for all business use
• IMAP: syncs email only; no calendar or contacts sync; adequate for personal use or when Exchange is unavailable
• POP3: downloads email to one device and deletes from server; avoid for business — you cannot access the same mailbox from multiple devices
• If you use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, use Exchange/ActiveSync or the native Outlook/Gmail app — not IMAP

Set Up Email in Outlook on Windows

• Open Outlook. On first launch, the account setup wizard opens automatically
• If already configured, go to File → Add Account
• Enter your email address and click Connect
• For Microsoft 365: Outlook redirects to the Microsoft sign-in page — enter your password and approve MFA if prompted
• For Google Workspace: click "Google" and sign in with your Google account
• For IMAP: click "Advanced options" then "Let me set up my account manually", select IMAP, and enter the server details from step 1
• Click Done — Outlook will download your email (large mailboxes can take several minutes)

Set Up Email in Outlook on Mac

• Open Outlook for Mac. Go to Tools → Accounts → + → New Account
• Enter your email address and click Continue
• For Microsoft 365: you are redirected to the Microsoft sign-in page
• For Google Workspace: select Google and complete sign-in in the browser
• For manual IMAP: click "Not Microsoft 365?" and enter server settings manually
• Allow time for the initial sync — calendar and contacts populate automatically for Exchange accounts

Set Up Email in Apple Mail on Mac

• Open Mail. Go to Mail → Add Account
• Select your provider from the list (Microsoft Exchange, Google, iCloud, Other)
• For Exchange: enter your name, email, and password — Mail will attempt autodiscover automatically
• If autodiscover fails, you will be prompted for the Exchange server address: outlook.office365.com for Microsoft 365
• Select which items to sync: Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Notes
• Click Done

Set Up Email on iPhone and iPad

Using the Outlook app (recommended for Microsoft 365):

• Download Microsoft Outlook from the App Store
• Open Outlook and tap Add Account
• Enter your email address and tap Continue
• Sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials and approve the MFA prompt
• Allow Outlook to access contacts and calendar when prompted

Using Apple Mail (built-in):

• Go to Settings → Mail → Accounts → Add Account
• Select Microsoft Exchange, Google, or Other
• For Exchange: enter your email address and password — iOS attempts autodiscover automatically
• If prompted, enter the server address: outlook.office365.com
• Select which items to sync and tap Save

Set Up Email on Android

Using the Outlook app (recommended):

• Download Microsoft Outlook from Google Play
• Open Outlook and tap the menu icon → Settings → Add Mail Account → Add Email Account
• Enter your email address and tap Continue
• Sign in with your Microsoft 365 password and approve MFA

Using Gmail app (for Google Workspace):

• Open Gmail → tap your profile picture → Add another account → Google
• Sign in with your Workspace email and password
• Approve any 2FA prompt via your authenticator app

Using the built-in Android email app (for IMAP):

• Go to Settings → Accounts → Add account → Email
• Enter your email and password and tap Manual setup
• Select IMAP and enter your incoming and outgoing server settings from step 1
• Set sync frequency and tap Done

Configure Microsoft 365 via Autodiscover

• Autodiscover is a Microsoft service that automatically detects email server settings from your email address alone
• It works in Outlook 2016+, Outlook for Mac, Outlook for iOS/Android, and Apple Mail on iOS
• Simply enter your email address and password — the client does the rest
• If autodiscover fails (common with custom domains that have misconfigured DNS), contact your IT provider to verify the autodiscover DNS record: it should be a CNAME pointing to autodiscover.outlook.com

Generate an App Password If MFA Is Enabled

• If your organisation uses multi-factor authentication, older email clients (Thunderbird, older Outlook versions) cannot prompt for MFA — they need an App Password instead
• For Microsoft 365: go to mysignins.microsoft.com → Security info → Add sign-in method → App password. Copy the generated password and use it in your email client instead of your regular password
• For Google Workspace: go to your Google account security settings → App passwords (only visible if 2FA is on). Select "Mail" and your device, then click Generate. Use this 16-character password in your email client
• App passwords are long random strings — save them in a password manager; you cannot retrieve them after closing the dialog
• Modern clients (Outlook 2019+, Outlook 365) use OAuth and do not need app passwords — use these where possible

Troubleshoot Common Email Setup Errors

"Username or password incorrect" even though credentials are right:

• If MFA is enabled, you need an App Password (step 9) not your regular password
• Check Caps Lock is not on
• Try signing in at outlook.office365.com via browser — if it works there, the issue is the client configuration

Outlook shows "Cannot connect to server":

• Verify your server address is correct (common error: using mail.company.co.uk instead of outlook.office365.com for 365 accounts)
• Check port numbers: IMAP should be 993 (SSL), SMTP should be 587 (STARTTLS)
• Ensure firewall or antivirus is not blocking Outlook's outbound connections
• Test from a different network (e.g. mobile hotspot) to rule out a local firewall issue

Email is sending but not receiving (or vice versa):

• Check that IMAP is enabled in your account settings at the provider's web interface
• For Microsoft 365: confirm the mailbox has a licence assigned in the Admin Centre
• For Google Workspace: confirm IMAP is enabled in Gmail Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP

Calendar or contacts not syncing on iOS:

• For Exchange accounts: go to Settings → Mail → Accounts → your account and ensure Calendar and Contacts toggles are on
• Delete the account and re-add if toggles are greyed out

Security Best Practices for Business Email

• Enable multi-factor authentication on all business email accounts — this is the single most effective protection against account compromise
• Use a dedicated business email domain (yourname@company.co.uk) — never Gmail or Outlook personal addresses for business correspondence
• Enable email encryption in transit: verify your provider enforces TLS for sending and receiving
• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records on your domain to prevent spoofing — ask your IT provider to do this if unsure
• Enable mobile device management (MDM) before connecting business email to personal devices — this allows remote wipe if the device is lost
• Never configure "Remember password" on shared or public devices
• Review connected apps in your Microsoft 365 or Google account and revoke access from unused applications