Windows 10: Outlook 2016 IMAP persists in failing to connect with Gmail

I have a Gmail account. I keep failing for a month now (except for a fleeting few days) to connect Outlook 2016 via IMAP to Gmail.

I upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 2 two months ago. I had Office 2007. POP email kept working fine. However, a month ago, the perplexing “enter your username and password” credentials popup started to be stuck with my Outlook POP account. I can access my Gmail mail in my browser(s), and still do. I uninstalled Office 2007 (assumed that Google stopped supporting it anymore) and installed Office 2016.

I stopped POP.
Over two weeks, I tried to create (about two dozen times) an IMAP Outlook account (incoming mail server imap.gmail.com, SLL 993, Outgoing mail server smtp.gmail.com, TLS 587. I did not choose ‘Require logon using SPA’).
In my Gmail's account “Allow less secure apps” setting is set to ON. However, I persistently failed to get rid of the pesky pop up.

However, one morning two weeks ago (and after two weeks of failure), Outlook suddenly communicated with Gmail with the IMAP account that was created the night before (and wasn’t working), and I saw my Gmail mail in my Outlook.
Three days later, and without any changes on my part, the pesky popup notification again stopped Outlook to connect with Gmail.

I thought that there might be a problem with Outlook 2016. Hence, I did a ‘repair’ of it. All that did was to delete all of my nearly two dozen filters which I had to manually recreate. Once I tried to yet create a new Outlook IMAP account, all of these were again deleted, and still not communicating with Gmail which grabbed my rules when it communicated with Outlook for a few days. Bummer. I see the rules in Gmail, but they are not filtering.

After a month of failures has passed, I asked my son to create his Gmail account in my Outlook using my computer (Windows 10, Outlook 2016), with the same settings mentioned above. My son’s IMAP account was created and worked in my Outlook. My gmail account persists to fail. I changed my password assuming there was a problem with it. I kept getting the curt pesky popup.

I have these three queries:
1- Has my account blocked access to certain communication applications/protocols in Windows 10, or would some MS applications in it block my account to communication with Gmail?
2- What other settings must I adjust in my Gmail account to allow Outlook to access it?
3- Would anybody out there be also suffering as I do with this perplexing issue, or is Outlook itself not a Grade A client?
A wise comment would be very much appreciated.

:)

 

Outlook Tile does not update notifications

I see Feb 2016 that supposedly an Outlook upgrade fixed this? Not for me and there have been numerous upgrades since to Outlook that haven't fixed this on my Lumia 640 LTE M10.0.14393.103 mobile. Just one account a Gmail, can't find where the connection
type is stored but think it is IMAP.

 

WM6 - Set Imap Folders

Does anyone know if there is a way to setup the client folders in Windows Mobile 6 Outlook for a imap account?

i.e. Gmail imap Sync

• [Gmail]/Inbox
• [Gmail]/Sent Items
• etc.

 

Did you know that you must have Google generate an application specific password to use in place of your regular password in Outlook on your PC? Ihey do that for security That's what I had to do to connect Outlook 2013 to my IMAP accounts. I've never had a problem. Did you also login to your Gmail account and in settings disable POP and enable IMAP?

 

Thank you for the response. I have already disabled POP and enabled IMAP from my Gmail account.

In regards to creating an App Password, good suggestion. But I'm unable to create one (!). The instructions from Google says to:

• Visit your App passwords page. You may be asked to sign in to your Google Account.
• At the bottom, click Select app and choose the app you’re using.
• Click Select device and choose the device you’re using.
• ....etc.

But, once in the "App passwords" page, I do not see "Select app" (!).

Any advice?

 

It's not very easy to find. I always have a devil of a time finding it.
1. Log into your email account through your browser
2. Click on your account symbol in the upper right and then select My Account
3. Under Sign-in & Security click Signing in to Google
4. In App passwords click the right arrow
5. In the dropdowns select "Mail" on my "Windows Computer" then Generate
6. Use that number for your password when you use to set up the IMAP account in Outlook. Each Google (IMAP) account/device will have its own password to avoid the two step verification each time you check your email.
Also note that when I set up my outgoing security propocal to TLS Outlook changed the port number from 587 back to 25. Its very annoying. Maybe MS fixed that in 2016.

Let me know if this solves the problem or youi need anything else.

 

Thanks again SoFine 409.

I did get to the step:
'In App passwords click the right arrow'

As I mentioned above, there is no 'dropdowns' showing in my case so as to choose : "Mail" on my "WindowsComputer" then Generate as you can see:



It is only text '[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.541176)]App passwords allow you to access your Google Account through apps such as Mail on an iPhone or Mac, or Outlook. [/COLOR]Learn more' with no links to generate.'
There is no:

• isit your App passwords page. You may be asked to sign in to your Google Account. Done
• At the bottom, click Select app and choose the app you’re using.
• Click Select device and choose the device you’re using.
  
  
  
• Click Generate.

Problems signing in with 2-Step verification? - Accounts Help

Is my gmail account lacking in something?
How can I remedy this, please?
Shall I switch to 2 step verification first? I am using the Samsung mobile to confirm my Gmail password for the moment.

All the best

 

That is odd; Here is the screen that I see for my account:



Are you logging into your account with your PC and do you have 2-step verification turned on for your PC?
Maybe you can not generate another app specific password from a device that has not been verified via 2-step? Give that a try and see if it makes any difference.

If that doesn't work then maybe you should try to install the Gmail app for Android on your S4? I have the Gmail app for IOS installed on my iPads and iPhones and it doesn't need an app specific password each time I check my email as long as I stay logged in. When you set it up it uses your normal gmail address and your password then it does the 2-step verification. After that your good to go. Then you could revoke the S4 app specific password and then you might be able to generate one for the Outlook/PC.

Give these a try.

 

I was finally able to set up Gmail in Outlook 2016 by accessing the instructions at the address below.

https://support.google.com/accounts/.../6010255?hl=en

Solved my problem immediately. Hope it solves yours.

Good luck.

 

Thank you SoFine.
I applied the 2 step verification, removed screen lock from my mobile, and now I see the App Passwords which was not appearing earlier.I I generated the 16 characters password, and created the IMAP account.
I now do have a working Outlook.
Thanks again, very much.
All the best
Imad Khadduri

 

I presume you will mark it 'as solved', or shall I?

 

Only you as the thread started can flip the Solved switch

 

Thanks, after making some adjustements in my google account My Outlook 2016 did not work anymore.
I received notifications from gpoogle advising me top do so and I followed them, after that outlook 2016 difd not work any more, both on my desktop and my laptop. Just managed to solve it following this thread

 

Hi Maugroen. Glad you were able to solve your problem and welcome to the forum.