Guide · 5 min read
Can't log in to your email? Common causes and fixes
Password rejected, account locked or Outlook asking again and again? The usual reasons email sign-in fails and how to get back into your mailbox safely.
Being locked out of email is more than an inconvenience. It is usually where invoices, bookings, password resets and years of correspondence live, so losing access can stop a business or household in its tracks. The cause is often something simple, like a changed password or a stored one that has gone stale, but sometimes it is a sign that someone else has been in the account.
This guide works through the common reasons sign-in fails on a computer, in roughly the order worth checking, and explains how to recover the account without making things worse. It covers personal webmail accounts and work accounts in Microsoft 365 alike, and points out the signs that mean you should treat the lockout as a security problem.
From $60 + GST ($69 incl. GST) for remote help, no call-out fee
Quick checklist
- Test the password in a web browser
- Check Caps Lock and the keyboard language
- Clear old saved passwords in Credential Manager or Keychain
- Use the provider's official recovery page only
- Check for forwarding and inbox rules after regaining access
- Save two-step verification recovery codes
- Confirm your domain and email hosting are renewed
Rule out the simple things first
Check that Caps Lock is off and that the keyboard language has not switched, which changes where symbols sit. Make sure you are using the full email address as the username and signing in on the right service, since a Microsoft 365 work account and a personal Outlook.com account use different sign-in pages even when they look alike. Try signing in through a web browser rather than the mail program. If the web sign-in works, the problem is the settings in Outlook or Mail on that computer rather than the account itself, which is much easier to fix.
Outlook keeps asking for the password
When Outlook or the Mac Mail app repeatedly prompts for a password that works fine in the browser, a saved credential is usually out of date. On Windows, open Credential Manager, remove the entries for Outlook or Microsoft Office, then restart Outlook and sign in again. On a Mac, Keychain Access holds the saved password. Older mail accounts set up with basic password sign-in may also stop working when the provider moves to modern authentication, in which case the account needs removing and adding again using the current setup method.
Two-step verification problems
Two-step verification is one of the strongest protections for email, but it causes lockouts when the second step is lost. A new phone without the authenticator app moved across, a changed mobile number or a backup email address that no longer exists will all block access. Most providers offer recovery codes when two-step verification is first set up, and these are worth printing and keeping somewhere safe. For a work account in Microsoft 365, the administrator can reset the sign-in methods and let the user register again.
Locked or suspended accounts
Too many wrong passwords can temporarily lock an account, and waiting before trying again is often all that is needed. Providers also block sign-ins that look unusual, such as from overseas or from a new computer, and may ask you to confirm your identity. An email account can be suspended if it has been sending spam, which usually means it was compromised. Hosting-based email can stop working if the domain name or hosting plan has lapsed, so check that renewals for your business domain have been paid.
Signs someone else got in first
If the password was changed without you, or people tell you they received strange messages from your address, assume the account has been compromised. Recover it through the provider's official account recovery page rather than any link in an email, and warn your contacts not to act on recent messages from you. Once back in, look for the traces attackers leave behind.
- Forwarding rules sending your mail elsewhere
- Inbox rules moving or deleting certain messages
- Changed recovery phone number or email address
- Unknown apps or devices with access to the account
- Sent items you did not write
Keeping access secure from here
Use a long, unique password for email that is not used anywhere else, as reused passwords leaked from other websites are a common way in. A password manager makes this practical. Keep two-step verification on, but record recovery codes and keep a second method registered. For a business, make sure more than one person can administer the email system, and that the administrator account itself has two-step verification and is not used for daily email. Finally, keep the recovery phone number and backup email address current.
When to call a technician
Book a technician if you cannot recover the account through the official process, if Outlook will not connect despite a working password, or if you think the account was compromised. We can rebuild the mail profile, reset Microsoft 365 sign-in methods for staff, trace forwarding rules and unknown sign-ins, check the domain's mail records and set up two-step verification with proper recovery options.
From $60 + GST ($69 incl. GST) for remote help, no call-out fee
Related services
Email Setup & SupportEmail set up, moved and fixed on your computers - Outlook, Apple Mail and webmail.Virus & Scam RemovalPop-ups, scam calls and nasty software cleaned up.Remote IT SupportSoftware, email, printing and account problems fixed over a secure remote connection, with an onsite visit booked if needed.Common questions
Why does my email work in the browser but not in Outlook?
The account is fine, but Outlook is using an old saved password or an outdated connection method. Removing the stored credential, or removing and re-adding the account, usually fixes it. If several staff are affected at once, the cause may be a setting on the mail system instead.
I lost my phone with the authenticator app. What now?
Use a recovery code or a backup method if you set one up. For a Microsoft 365 work account, your administrator can require you to register sign-in methods again. For personal accounts, follow the provider's account recovery process, which can take some time to verify you.
Can someone read my email without changing the password?
Yes. An attacker who signs in once can add a forwarding rule or connect an app and keep receiving copies of your mail. That is why checking rules, connected apps and active sessions matters after any suspected compromise, not just changing the password.
Who controls my business email account?
Whoever administers your domain and email service. If a former staff member or web designer set it up, make sure you have the administrator login yourself. Losing contact with the only administrator is one of the hardest lockouts to fix.
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