Outlook cannot connect to Gmail, keeps asking for password – Guide

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Microsoft Outlook is a great way to manage your Gmail accounts from one window. But some users report getting an error when trying to add a new Gmail account to Outlook. If Outlook can’t connect to your Gmail account and asks for a password each time you try to add a new Gmail account, you’re not alone. This problem also occurs when trying to add an existing Gmail account. Here are some suggestions that can help you solve this problem.

Outlook cannot connect to Gmail

The main reason it happens is you are trying to add a Gmail account that has two-step verification enabled. The Windows Mail app provides the actual Gmail login prompt, but Outlook doesn’t do that. Instead, it shows the native window where you have to enter the username and password once.

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To solve this problem, make sure IMAP is enabled and use an App Password to log in. Although IMAP should be enabled by default, you can still check the settings. Open your Gmail account, click on the settings gear icon in the top-right corner, and select Settings. Switch to Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Make sure the Enable IMAP option is selected and that the status is IMAP is enabled.

Now to create an app password, you’ll need a one-time password instead of verifying yourself with two-step verification. To do this, open your Gmail account > click on your profile picture > and click on My Account.

Next, go to Sign-in & security. Scroll down and find out App passwords.

After you enter your Gmail account password again, you can choose an app and the device from the drop-down menu. After that hit the GENERATE button.

You shouldn’t see any errors after that. Now you need to repeat these two steps for every Gmail account that you want to add if you get such errors.

You need to enable “Less Secure Apps Allowed” on your Google account to use it with Outlook.

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