Windows 10: Cannot add account to mail app because of PIN requirement

Mail is asking for a PIN in order to add an additional outlook account to the app.


This account has never been a device account, just a secondary mail I use so there is no PIN associated with the account.


How do I add it to the mail app?


Thank you for any and all help.

:)

 

Cannot Add Account to Win 10 Mail App


I am logged in to my Microsoft Account and am trying to add an email account to the Mail app by following Brink's tutorial Mail app - Add or Delete Account in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums. When I get to step 9 and enter an email address and password, I get a message saying "We couldn't find info for that account. .....". This happens for each account on my ISP, Cox.net.

There is one email account shown by Mail and it is the same address I use to log into my MS Account.

Will someone please show my how to get beyond this point?

Thank you very much.

 

Cannot open mail app settings


OK, my next suggestion was going to be uninstalling Mail and Calendar and reinstalling from the Windows Store. You can have a go at this by following these steps.

1. Open the Start menu, type Windows PowerShell.
2. Right click on the Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
3. Enter the below command to remove the Mail and calendar app.

get-appxpackage *microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps* | remove-appxpackage

After performing the above steps, install the Mail and calendar app from the Windows Store.

Hope this helps, you will, of course, have to add you accounts back again.

 

Asks for PIN when adding a different hotmail account to the mail app

Are you sure now you are not mixing the password and the PIN? I checked my previous post and the information told in it is both accurate and valid.

To put it very short: if you sign in to windows using an MS account Email1@OutlookOrHotmailOrLive.com, and you want to add Email2@OutlookOrHotmailOrLive.com to the Mail app, the PIN asked is the PIN (not the password) for the Email1@OutlookOrHotmailOrLive.com, your current Windows sign-in account.

Below a live example with screenshots.

By default a Windows user account has no PIN. It needs to be set up, either when installing Windows or later on if skipped when installing. When set, the PIN for the Windows 10 sign-in is four or more digits long, as the user prefers. In your case if it auto enters after 4 digits, you have a 4 digit PIN. I use a 5 digit PIN, in my case when I add a new Microsoft email account to mail app it auto enters after the 5th digit.

Here's how it works:

My Windows sign-in MS account L: @abcdefgh.com is already automatically added to Mail app, later on I have added a second MS account. Now adding a new account L: larry.laffer@abcdefgh.com, I enter this new account's credentials normally:




When added, the account tells Attention Required. Clicking the account I get the option Fix account selecting it:




The next dialog is a bit confusing. It asks me to verify that the L: larry.laffer@abcdefgh.com is mine by asking the current Windows 10 sign-in accounts PIN, that of L: @abcdefgh.com




I enter my Windows sign-in 5 digit PIN for the user account L: @abcdefgh.com, the account I am currently using to sign in to Windows, and now the L: larry.laffer@abcdefgh.com will finally be added to the mail app.

If you are not sure which PIN you have set up, if you have forgot it, go to your account settings and change it. Notice that if you have forgotten the PIN, you need first to remove it, then set a new one. Changing the PIN will first ask the old PIN which of course if you have forgotten it you cannot enter.

• PIN - Add to your Account in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
• PIN - Change for your Account in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
• PIN - Remove from your Account in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums