You typed the password correctly - you even signed in with it on the website two minutes ago - and Outlook still says it is wrong. It is not you. Gmail and Yahoo simply refuse normal passwords inside Outlook. Here is the app password fix.
✍️ Technical Anshu📧 Microsoft Outlook⏱️ 10 minute fix
🎥 Watch the full process in the video - Outlook setup, profiles and every error fix, step by step
When two-step verification is switched on, Google and Yahoo block your regular password in desktop apps. Outlook must use a special 16-digit app password generated only for it. The old Gmail switch called Allow less secure apps was retired years ago, so no setting inside Outlook can bypass this. Once you understand that, the fix takes five minutes.
Add Account - Outlook_ □ X
Testing your account settings...
Log onto incoming mail server (IMAP)Successful
Send test email messageFailed - your email provider rejected the login
Outlook keeps asking for the password again and again, even though it is correct.
The password loop - server reached, login rejected. That pattern almost always means an app password is required
1
Confirm the Symptom Before Changing Anything
App password trouble has a signature look:
The password works on the provider website but fails in Outlook
Outlook shows a repeating password prompt or setup fails at the login step
Two-step verification (phone code or prompt at sign-in) is on for the account
If all three match, stop retyping the same password - it will never be accepted.
2
Generate a Gmail App Password
Sign in to your Google account in the browser and open Security settings
Make sure 2-Step Verification is turned on - app passwords do not exist without it
Open the App passwords page, name it something like Outlook on my PC, and click Create
Google shows a 16-digit code. Copy it exactly (spaces do not matter)
In Outlook, paste this code wherever the password is asked. Tick Remember password
Honest note: Google can withdraw app password support for an account without warning, and signed-in security alerts may email you about the new sign-in - that alert is expected.
Pick Outlook Desktop or enter a custom name and click Generate
Copy the generated password and use it in Outlook in place of your normal one
iCloud follows the same idea: turn on two-factor authentication at your Apple account page, then create an app-specific password for Outlook.
4
Replace the Saved Password Inside Outlook
Outlook may be silently retrying your old saved password. Clear it so the app password sticks:
Close Outlook
Open Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials and remove entries that begin with MicrosoftOffice or mention your email account
Open Outlook, and when prompted, enter the app password and tick Remember my credentials
Run Send/Receive and confirm new mail arrives and a test mail sends
5
Use the Right Servers and Ports with the App Password
An app password cannot rescue wrong server settings. For Gmail use incoming imap.gmail.com port 993 SSL/TLS, outgoing smtp.gmail.com port 587 STARTTLS, and your full email address as the user name. For Yahoo, incoming is imap.mail.yahoo.com port 993. Also enable IMAP inside Gmail settings (Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab) if you have never used it - Gmail disables nothing by default for most accounts today, but older accounts sometimes still have it off.
🔴 Safety note: an app password is a real password for your mailbox. Generate it only on the provider's official website signed in as you, never on a third-party app-password generator site, and revoke it from the same page if a PC is sold or lost.
🎥 Watch the Complete Process in the Video
Account setup, IMAP and POP settings, profiles, ScanPST - the full Outlook guide with live demo, step by step.
Why does my correct password work on the Gmail website but not in Outlook
Because Google treats Outlook as a separate app sign-in. With 2-Step Verification on, only an app password is accepted there. The website login and the app login are deliberately different doors.
Do I need a new app password for every computer
You can reuse one, but best practice is one app password per device, named clearly. Then a lost laptop means revoking just that one password instead of locking yourself out everywhere.
I generated an app password and Outlook still loops the prompt
Outlook is probably replaying the old saved password. Remove the stored credential in Credential Manager, restart Outlook, and type the app password fresh with Remember my credentials ticked. Also double-check the user name is the full email address.
This guide is based on the Outlook Full Setup and Error Fix video by Technical Anshu • Stuck on any step, ask in the video comments and the community will help you 🙏