Email Setup on Outlook for Windows

Last updated 30th September 2026.

This guide shows you how to set up your MGC Websites Ltd provided email in Microsoft Outlook on a Windows computer (a PC or laptop).

Before You Start

Please have these things ready:

• Your email address – for example [email protected].
• Your email password – the one MGC Websites Ltd sent you. It is not your Windows password or your Microsoft account password.

Passwords are easy to mistype. You can copy the password from our email and paste it in: select it with your mouse, press Ctrl and C together to copy, then click in the password box in Outlook and press Ctrl and V together to paste. Be careful not to copy a space before or after it.

Step 1 – Open Outlook

1. Click the Start button (the Windows logo) at the bottom of your screen.
2. Type Outlook.
3. Click Outlook in the list that appears. You may see Outlook (new) or Outlook (classic) – either is fine, and the next step will tell you which one you’ve opened.

If nothing called Outlook appears, it isn’t installed. The new Outlook is free – open the Microsoft Store app, search for Outlook for Windows and click Get (or Install). Then start again from Step 1.

Step 2 – Which Outlook do I Have?

There are two versions of Outlook for Windows, and they look different. Look at the very top-left of the Outlook window:

• If you see the word File – you have classic Outlook. Go to Part B.
• If there is no File word, and you can see a small “New Outlook” switch in the top-right corner – you have the new Outlook. Go to Part A.

Most new computers come with the new Outlook. Classic Outlook usually comes with a paid Microsoft 365 or Office subscription.

Part A – The new Outlook

A1 – Get to the “Add account” box

• If this is the first time you’ve opened Outlook, it will ask for an email address straight away. Go to A2.
• If Outlook already has an email account in it:
  1. Click the cog (a small gear wheel ⚙) in the top-right corner. This opens Settings.
  2. On the left, click Accounts.
  3. Click Email accounts (it may say Your accounts).
  4. Click Add account.

A2 – Enter your email address

1. Outlook may suggest an email address it already knows. Ignore it – click in the box and type your full MGC Websites Ltd provided email address instead, e.g. [email protected].
2. Click Continue.

A3 – Choose IMAP

What you see next depends on whether Outlook can work out your settings on its own.

• If Outlook just asks for your password, and says IMAP near the top – it has found your settings. Type your email password, click Continue, and skip to A5.
• If you see a list of email companies (Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, IMAP, POP) – click IMAP, then go to A4.
• If you see a Microsoft sign-in page, or anything that mentions Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud – Outlook has guessed wrong. Look for a link called Advanced setup or Choose a different account type, click it, then click IMAP.

A4 – Type in your settings

You will now see a form. At the bottom, click Show more so that all the boxes appear. Some boxes may already be filled in – check each one anyway, and correct it if needed. You may need to scroll down (roll the wheel on your mouse) to see them all.

Don’t add “www” or “https://” to the server names, and don’t forget the full stop after imap and smtp.

When every box is filled in, click Continue.

A5 – Finish

1. Outlook may show a message about syncing your account with the Microsoft Cloud. This is normal for the new Outlook and it won’t work without it – click Continue.
2. You’ll see “Setting things up” for a moment. Wait until your inbox appears. The first time, it can take a few minutes for all your emails to show.
3. Now go to Step 3 – Check it works.

Part B – Classic Outlook

B1 – Start adding the account

1. If this is the first time you’ve opened Outlook, it will ask for an email address straight away. Go to B2.
2. If Outlook already has an email account in it: click File in the top-left corner, then click Add Account (a button with a plus sign, near the top).

B2 – Enter your email address and try the easy way first

1. Type your full email address, e.g. [email protected].
2. Click Connect.
3. Our email service can often tell Outlook the right settings by itself. If Outlook asks only for your password, type it in, click Connect, and skip to B5.
4. If you get an error, or Outlook asks you to choose an account type, carry on to B3.

B3 – Choose to set it up manually

1. If you’re not already there, go back to the box where you typed your email address (click File → Add Account again).
2. Under the email address box, click Advanced options. A tick box appears.
3. Tick Let me set up my account manually.
4. Click Connect.
5. You’ll see a set of coloured squares. Click IMAP.

B4 – Type in your settings

You will see a form called IMAP Account Settings. Some boxes may already be filled in – check each one, and correct it if needed.

1. Click Next.
2. Type your email password and click Connect.

B5 – Finish

1. When you see “Account successfully added”, un-tick the box that says Set up Outlook Mobile on my phone, too (unless you want that), and click Done.
2. Your new account appears in the list down the left-hand side of Outlook. Click the small arrow next to it to see its Inbox. It can take a few minutes for all your emails to appear.
3. Now go to Step 3 – Check it works.

Step 3 – Check it works

1. Click New email (top-left).
2. If you have more than one account, check the From box shows your MGC Websites email address. Click it to change it if not.
3. In the To box, type your own email address. In the subject, type Test.
4. Click Send.
5. After a minute, the email should arrive in your inbox. If it does, you’re all done!

If Something Goes Wrong

You see an error while setting up

Check each box against the table for your version of Outlook, one at a time. The most common mistakes are:

• A typing mistake in the password. Passwords are case-sensitive – a capital “A” is different from a small “a”. Watch out for capital O and the number 0, and for small l, capital I and the number 1.
• A missing full stop in the server name (e.g. imapstackmail.com instead of imap.stackmail.com).
• The wrong port number, or security set to something other than SSL/TLS.

After an error, Outlook often empties the password boxes. Type your password in again before you try once more.

You can receive emails but not send them (classic Outlook)

1. Click File, then click Account Settings, then Account Settings… in the small menu.
2. Click your MGC Websites Ltd provided email address in the list, then click Change….
3. Click More Settings… (bottom-right), then the Outgoing Server tab.
4. Tick My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication, and make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected.
5. Click the Advanced tab. Check the outgoing server port is 465 and the encryption is SSL/TLS.
6. Click OK, then Next, then Finish (or Done).

If you don’t see a Change… button or a More Settings… button, follow “Your email has stopped working” below instead.

Your email has stopped working (for example, after your password changed)

New Outlook

1. Click the cog ⚙ in the top-right → Accounts → Email accounts.
2. Next to your MGC Websites Ltd provided address, click Manage, then Remove. If asked, choose to remove it from this device.
3. Close Settings, then add the account again by following Part A with your current password.

Classic Outlook

1. Click File. Under Account Information, check the drop-down box at the top shows your MGC Websites Ltd provided address.
2. Click Account Settings, then Server Settings in the small menu.
3. Type your current password in the Password box, check the other settings against the table in Part B, and click Next, then Done.

Your emails are stored safely on our server, so removing and re-adding an account won’t lose them.

Good to Know

• Your emails stay in step everywhere. Because this is an IMAP account, if you read or delete an email in Outlook, it also shows as read or deleted on your phone and anywhere else you get your email.
• Calendar and contacts are not included – this setup brings in your email only.
• “Focused” and “Other”. Outlook may split your inbox into two tabs. If you’re missing an email, click Other.