How to Configure Email Manually in Outlook

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for manually configuring email in Microsoft Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and later versions. Configuring your email manually grants you greater control over the process and allows you to troubleshoot potential issues more effectively. Learn How to Configure Email Manually in Outlook.

1 – Setup Outlook 2010

Configuring email in Outlook 2010 requires a manual setup process, which this guide will walk you through. This method is particularly useful when automatic configuration fails or when you need to specify custom server settings.

setup email in outlook 2007 2010 2016 2019

Choose Manually configure server settings and Click Next.

Now we choose Internet E-Mail and Click Next

Use the information below to help fill in the settings for your new email account.

Your Name	Insert your full name here. This name will appear on all your sent email.
Email Address	Put in your full email address, for example [email protected]

Account Type	Select POP3 if you want the emails to be downloaded to Outlook. Select IMAP if you want the emails to remain on your hosting server.
Incoming Mail Server	the incoming mail server is something like this mail.example.com.
Outgoing Mail Server	This will be the same as your Incoming Mail Server, mail.example.com.

Username	This will be your full email address. For example, [email protected]
Password	This is the password for the email account you listed above and not the password for your cPanel.

Next click on the More Settings… button and make the following modifications:

Outgoing Server Tab	On the Outgoing Server Tab, make sure that “My outgoing server requires authentication” is checked, as well as “Use same settings as my incoming mail server“
Advanced Tab	By default, you do not need to change anything here, however, if you are having trouble sending email then you can change the port settings here.

While on the E-mail Accounts screen, click the Test Account Settings button

This will both check your settings and send a test email to yourself to confirm that everything is working. If you receive any errors, please check your configuration.

And click on Next to save settings.

2 – Setup Outlook 2013 / 2016 / 2019 / 2022

The process for setting up email manually in Outlook versions 2013 and later is very similar. The following steps illustrate the process, ensuring compatibility and proper configuration. How to Configure Email Manually in Outlook.

Choose Let me set up my account manually and Click Next.

Choose account Type:

I Selected IMAP :

Fill Incoming and outgoing. And Click **Next**.

Finally, type your password and Click Connect.

Alternative Solutions for Configuring Email in Outlook

While manually configuring email in Outlook provides fine-grained control, alternative methods can streamline the process and offer different advantages. Here are two alternative approaches:

1. Using Autodiscover with a Properly Configured DNS Record

The Autodiscover service simplifies email configuration by automatically retrieving server settings from a special DNS record. Instead of manually entering server names, ports, and encryption settings, Outlook can obtain this information directly from the domain’s DNS records. This method requires proper configuration of your domain’s DNS records but greatly simplifies the setup process for end-users.

Explanation:

Autodiscover works by Outlook querying specific DNS records associated with the email domain. These records point to an XML file containing the necessary configuration details. The primary benefit is ease of use; users typically only need to enter their email address and password, and Outlook handles the rest. How to Configure Email Manually in Outlook is also necessary if Autodiscover fails.

Steps to Implement:

Create Autodiscover DNS Records: You’ll need to create either an A record or a SRV record in your domain’s DNS settings. The specific type depends on your hosting provider and server configuration.
- A Record (for autodiscover.yourdomain.com): Point this record to the IP address of your mail server.
- SRV Record: This record is more flexible and allows you to specify the port and target host.
Configure the Autodiscover XML: Your mail server needs to serve an autodiscover.xml file. This file contains the settings Outlook needs. The location of this file is typically https://autodiscover.yourdomain.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml or https://yourdomain.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml.

Example Autodiscover XML (Simplified):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Autodiscover xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/autodiscover/responseschema/2006">
  <Response>
    <Account>
      <AccountType>email</AccountType>
      <Action>settings</Action>
      <Protocol>
        <Type>IMAP</Type>
        <Server>mail.yourdomain.com</Server>
        <Port>993</Port>
        <DomainRequired>off</DomainRequired>
        <LoginName>%EMAILADDRESS%</LoginName>
        <SPA>off</SPA>
        <SSL>on</SSL>
        <Encryption>TLS</Encryption>
      </Protocol>
      <Protocol>
        <Type>SMTP</Type>
        <Server>mail.yourdomain.com</Server>
        <Port>587</Port>
        <DomainRequired>off</DomainRequired>
        <LoginName>%EMAILADDRESS%</LoginName>
        <SPA>off</SPA>
        <SSL>on</SSL>
        <Encryption>TLS</Encryption>
        <AuthRequired>on</AuthRequired>
      </Protocol>
    </Account>
  </Response>
</Autodiscover>

Explanation of XML Elements:

<AccountType>: Specifies the type of account (email).
<Action>: Specifies the action to take (settings).
<Protocol>: Defines the protocol settings (IMAP and SMTP in this example).
<Type>: Specifies the protocol type (IMAP or SMTP).
<Server>: The mail server hostname.
<Port>: The port number for the protocol.
<SSL>: Whether SSL is enabled.
<Encryption>: The encryption type (TLS).
<LoginName>: The username, often the email address. %EMAILADDRESS% is a placeholder that Outlook replaces with the user’s entered email.

Case Study:

A small business with 20 employees found that manually configuring Outlook for each new employee was time-consuming and prone to errors. By implementing Autodiscover and properly configuring their DNS records, they reduced the email setup time from 15 minutes per employee to under 2 minutes. The IT support team also saw a significant decrease in email configuration-related support requests.

2. Using a Configuration File (.PRF)

A Profile Configuration File (.PRF) is a method of pre-configuring Outlook profiles, allowing administrators to deploy a consistent setup across multiple machines. This is especially useful in enterprise environments where standardization is key. The PRF file contains all the necessary settings to create an Outlook profile, including server settings, account type, and authentication information.

Explanation:

PRF files offer a way to automate Outlook profile creation. Administrators can create a .PRF file with all the necessary email account settings and then deploy this file to users. When a user opens the .PRF file, Outlook automatically creates a new profile with the settings specified in the file. This eliminates the need for users to manually configure their email accounts, reducing errors and saving time.

Steps to Implement:

Create the PRF File: You can create a .PRF file using the Office Customization Tool (OCT), which is part of the Office Deployment Tool. The OCT allows you to configure all the Outlook profile settings and then export them as a .PRF file.
Deploy the PRF File: You can deploy the .PRF file to users through various methods, such as Group Policy, email attachment, or a shared network drive.
Import the PRF File: Users can import the .PRF file by double-clicking it. Outlook will then automatically create a new profile based on the settings in the file.

Example .PRF File Snippet:

[Version]
Signature="$Outlook$"
[Service List]
Service1=MSOUTLOOK.DLL
[Service1]
Account Name="John Doe"
Service Type=0
Display Name="John Doe"
Incoming Mail Server="mail.example.com"
Outgoing Mail Server="mail.example.com"
POP3 User Name="[email protected]"
POP3 Password="password123"
Use Cached Exchange Mode=0

Explanation of .PRF File Elements:

Account Name: The name displayed in Outlook for the account.
Service Type: Indicates the type of service (0 typically means POP3).
Display Name: The name shown in Outlook.
Incoming Mail Server: The POP3/IMAP server.
Outgoing Mail Server: The SMTP server.
POP3 User Name: The username for the POP3 account.
POP3 Password: The password for the POP3 account. (Note: Storing passwords directly in the .PRF file is generally discouraged due to security risks. Consider using a more secure method for password management).
Use Cached Exchange Mode: Set to 0 to disable cached exchange mode.

Important Note: Storing passwords directly in the .PRF file poses a security risk. A more secure approach involves using a script to prompt the user for their password during the profile creation process or leveraging Windows Credential Manager.

Case Study:

A large organization with over 500 employees needed to ensure consistent email settings across all user machines. Implementing .PRF files deployed through Group Policy allowed them to centrally manage and enforce standardized email configurations, reducing help desk calls related to email setup issues and improving overall security.

Conclusion

How to Configure Email Manually in Outlook is a useful skill, but leveraging Autodiscover or .PRF files can provide more efficient and scalable solutions, particularly in larger deployments. Understanding the benefits and limitations of each approach allows you to choose the best method for your specific needs.