Setting up plusnet email on outlook

[#1]

So when outlook updated recently, it transferred over my hotmail email with no issues, but my plusnet email settings aren't working. When I try it just gives me a message 'Waiting to sign in' with a progress wheel that lasts about a minute before telling me 'Something went wrong' and my app may need a new password. I'm stumped on this as I've checked the settings against the ones listed here: https://www.plus.net/help/email-guides/how-to-set-up-plusnet-email/ and they match, and I know my password is correct. Can anyone offer some help?

[#2]

Have you looked at the multitude of posts already on here on this topic to see if they help any?

Which version of "Outlook"?

I have just ran a fix for a referral which looks as though "new" outlook clobbered "classic" Outlook (Outlook 2024).  That required a repair of Office.

[#3]

Yes, I checked a bunch of questions, none of which were similar to the problem I'm encountering.

It's the default Outlook that comes with Windows 11. It's functioning just fine for my hotmail address, but won't accept the settings I listed in the link, nor my password. It's rather crucial I retain access to it as it's got a number of important accounts associated with it.

[#4]

Revisit the threads - there’s a deal of guidance therein which leads to working solutions.

Some details of the error and how you are living in, settings you are using would be helpful clues.

[#5]

If you read my initial post I included the error message and listed the settings I was using via the link. Obviously I'm not going to include my password, but I know that to be correct.

[#6]

Hmmm that page!

As is well documented around here there are flaws in that page, which is why it is important that you specifically detail what YOU have configured.

The error reported offers very little help in determining what’s wrong.

Repeating what is already well documented around here…

IMAP - imap.plus.net port 993 encryption TLS/SSL

SMTP - relay.plus.net port 586 encryption STARTTLS

Is this a primary mailbox or a secondary mailbox? The difference determines the format of the user name, if not attempting to use the email address as the user name.

[#7]

Ok, I'm using those settings but still getting the same error. I'm assuming the password is the same as my plusnet account password? If not, how can I reset it?

[#8]

I think I have a similar problem. I have been setting up a Windows 11 PC with Office 365. Before that, I had configured Outlook (Classic) although it wasn't my main e-mail client (not even on the right PC). Anyway, having installed Office 365, I started Outlook up and it said it had to upgrade before it would continue. OK. Now I have an Outlook (new) shortcut. When it starts, it asks me to create a new mailbox. There is one already, configured for one of my Plusnet (actually Force9) accounts. I couldn't get past the "Something has gone wrong" error.

I used Settings -> Accounts -> Email and Accounts and configured one of my other Force9 mailboxes. No problems there, but the new Outlook doesn't see that either. You said you had to do an Office repair, so I downloaded the latest OfficeSetup .exe (v16.0.18429.20132) and ran that. No warnings or errors, just a successful install message. It seems to be OK, but no improvement.

On Windows 10, I have used Control Panel, Mail to configure mailboxes, but that doesn't seem to exist anymore on Windows 11. Settings ... Email is more comprehensive, but it is no use if it is ignored.

[#9]

Hi driverdown and dbriggs1950

Apologies for the numerous issues you are both experiencing. The emails servers we use are relatively outdated now rendering it inefficient when it comes to working in sync with clients such as the new outlook settings.

The company has no plans to upgrade the email servers as it is technically not a service we are charging for and is no longer offered to new customers whom sign up with ourselves.

[#10]

This is NOT a server issue, but rather the presumptive manner in which the new outlook client determines the configuration for the servers.

The solution to these issues is already well documented on this forum. Clarity of what settings are being used helps offer specific guidance.

[#11]

Hi Lee, 

Thanks for the prompt reply. Looking on the Microsoft support forums, there are many complaints about the new Outlook not accepting e-mail accounts other than those running on Exchange. 

I have a work e-mail account that runs on Exchange. I was setting up a test with that, but I couldn't remember the logon password! Anyway, I also have a new-ish laptop I am configuring. That is running Windows 10 and is also covered by my Office 365 licence, so I went through the Control Panel route to set up a couple of Plusnet/Force9 mailboxes and that was successful. I was able to run Outlook (Classic) in IMAP mode and checked the incoming mail. No problems there.

I compared the Registry entries under HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook..., and the settings look the same as those I made on the problem Windows 11 PC. The difference being that Outlook (Classic) works on the laptop, at least for now. Office 365 says it includes automatic updates to the various components, so it remains to be seen how long that lasts.

[#12]

Lee Brannan's post above tells me it's time to stop wasting time trying to get my Plusnet emails into New Outlook - even though I have been doing that successfully since last Sepetember when I moved to 'New' Outlook last September on my desktop.  My suspicion is that something changed on the Plusnet end a few days ago that stopped my receiving Plusnet emails into New Outlook.  Certainly, nothing changed at my end.  Plusnet mail is on a road to closure.  I'll now divert my time to amending all the dozens of places online that have my plusnet email address and changing that for an email that I know works, in my case one attached to my own domain.

[#13]

Absolutely nothing has changed on the Plusnet end of things.  New Outlook is a notorious bag of worms and it changes frequently as part of the regular windows updates.

You are quite right about giving up trying to get your PlusNet email addresses working with new outlook if you feel you do not have the skills to fix this; but ditch outlook, not your Plusnet email address which is known to those you communicate with.  The best advice I can give you, is either pay for proper outlook or find an alternative free email client.  I would not recommend new outlook to my worse enemy!

[#14]

Well, that's disappointing. I'd used tat email address for quite some time, had a few important accounts linked to it. Rather annoying, not to mention highly inconvenient that plusnet have decided to abandon it. I guess I'll just have to figure out what's still working through it and change over to another email address.

Thank you to those who offered advice, I appreciate your help.

[#15]

@driverdown , @SkylineUK_Dup . Not that I intend to let 'new' Outlook anywhere near my system, but as @Townman  has said, it is the program at fault here, not the Plusnet mail address format, which is at fault. I have Thunderbird installed  on my system, and that has a similar 'problem'.

Fortunately, although I am lucky in that my PN emails were created many years ago when like Outlook, the program didn't make assumptions, it too now thinks it knows best and 'helpfully' decides that your address is in the format of 'mailbox@plusnet.com' rather than 'mailbox@username.plus.com'

I encountered this problem when I initially set up my then new Linux machine, and tried creating the mail accounts from scratch, using  the setup 'wizard' - it just didn't want to play. After realising what the problem was, and using my 'test' machine, I found that there was the option to manually input the details, over-riding its assumptions. Does new Outlook not have this facility?