Manually Configure Microsoft 365 Account in Outlook: Free Guide

Updated On - September 29, 2026 by Nasir Khan | Reading Time: 7 minutes

Quick Answer

To configure a Microsoft 365 account in Outlook, open New Outlook or Classic Outlook, select Add Account, enter your Microsoft 365 email address, and complete the Microsoft sign-in and verification steps. If you want to keep an independent local copy of your mailbox, use the Regain Office 365 Backup Tool to back up Microsoft 365 emails to PST and other supported formats.

Individuals that are involved in frequent email exchanges, will find Office 365 to be an excellent platform. Through the Outlook application, which integrates with their Office 365 subscription, Office 365 customers may manage their mailboxes in Outlook. This allows them to conveniently view and react to email messages. It also enables users to much more easily organize and handle emails, as well as work offline. If you are reading this article, it means you are in need to configure your Office 365 account in Outlook. Don’t worry! Keep reading; we will discuss the manual as well as free-of-cost techniques and professional ways to configure Office 365 Account in Outlook.

Actually, the manual setup approach for other email servers in Outlook is nearly identical, but in this post, our major focus is on the setup of an Office 365 account in Outlook. Before starting, you must know that Outlook editions prior to Outlook 2010 do not facilitate the setup or configuration of a Microsoft 365 account. Here, as follows, we have discussed the configuration process for New Outlook, Classic Outlook, Outlook 2016 and Outlook 2013 editions.

Configure Office 365 Account in Outlook Manually

Method 1: Configure Microsoft 365 in New Outlook ← Current

Open Outlook and go to View → View settings → Accounts → Your accounts → Add Account. Enter your Microsoft 365 email address and follow the sign-in and verification prompts to complete the setup. You may also access Add Account from the account information section.

Method 2: Configure Microsoft 365 in Classic Outlook ← Current

Open Outlook and select File → Add Account. Enter your Microsoft 365 email address, select Connect, and complete the authentication steps when prompted.

Which one should you use?

If your Outlook interface has View settings and Accounts → Your accounts, you are using New Outlook. If you see the File → Add Account option, you are using Classic Outlook. The two versions also differ in some features, so users should follow the instructions for the Outlook version installed on their computer.

Method 3: Configure Office 365 in Older Outlook Versions ← Legacy

Setup Office 365 account in Outlook 2013

  • Firstly, ensure that the MS Outlook program is not open. If so, shut down or leave the program.
  • Tap the Windows key along with the R key at a time on your keyboard and input “Control Panel” into the empty box. Then just hit the OK icon and, as a result, the run command will be executed.Manual Steps to Configure Office 365 Account in Outlook
  • Actually, you need to access the control panel on your device. You can access it in any other way that makes you feel better.
  • In your device’s Control Panel find and double press the right button over the “Mail” choice.
  • The Mail Configuration window will be shown. Select the “Show Profiles” choice.The Ultimate Guide to Configuring Your Office Account in Outlook
  • To add a new profile to your account, go to the Mail tab and select the Add button.Step-by-Step Tutorial: Configuring Office Email in Outlook
  • Next, type in the new profile title and press OK.
  • Choose “Manual setup” or more server types on the “Add Account” screen, then press “Next”.
  • Hit Next after selecting MS Exchange Server or a suitable server.Configure Office 365 Account into Outlook
  • Enter “outlook.office365.com” in the empty field for the Server choice, and your Office 365 account email address field for the User name. If you wish to view email while Outlook is offline, click the box. Select “More Settings” from the drop-down menu.Tips for Setting Up Your Office 365 Account in Outlook
  • Go to the “Security” tab. Uncheck the box next to “Encrypt data between MS Outlook and MS Exchange.” Choose the ‘Anonymous Authentication’ option underneath Login ‘Network Security’ to always request user login information.
  • Then, on the exact screen, go to the “Connection” tab. Then, select the Exchange Proxy Configuration option. Insert “outlook.office365.com” into the “Use this URL to connect my proxy server for Exchange” area on the displayed MS Exchange Proxy Settings screen.Syncing Your Office 365 Account with Outlook
  • Tick the “Connect using SSL only” checkbox. Afterwards, tick the “Only connect to proxy servers with this name in their certificate” box and enter “msstd: outlook.com.” Choose both of the selections for “fast” and “slow” networks. Choose “Basic Authentication” and press OK for the next step.
  • Hit the OK button. When the Add Account window appears, press Next to proceed.Complete guide to Configure Your Office 365 Account in Outlook
  • Therefore, specify login details in the pop-up that asks for Microsoft 365 credentials in the pop-up. Then press the OK button.
  • Lastly, press the Finish button.Access Office 365 mailbox into Outlook
  • You may make this newly created profile your default by choosing it. Always select this profile choice, or you will be prompted to utilize this account within the Mail screen.Free guide

As a result, the Office 365 account is set up with the Outlook program and will be operational within a short period of time.

Setup Office 365 account in Outlook 2016

Basically, the initial steps for both the Outlook 2013 and 2016 editions are the same. You need to reach the “add new profile name” option, same as in steps 5–6 for the Outlook 2013 edition, and whenever the new window appears, follow the steps as shown below.

  1. The “Add Account” wizard will appear after selecting the “Manual setup or additional server types” option. Choose the Office 365 choice, input the account’s email ID, and then hit the Next button.Step 1
  2. After just a short time, the “autodiscover.xml” box will appear. Enter your Office 365 details, such as your usernames and passwords, and then tap Next.Step 2
  3. The following screen will show that the setting of the Office 365 account in MS Outlook was successful. To finalize the setup, hit the Finish icon.Step 3

How to Backup Microsoft 365 Emails Before Making Changes

Configuring Microsoft 365 in Outlook gives you access to the mailbox, but it is not the same as maintaining an independent local backup. If you want to keep an independent local copy of your mailbox, use the Regain Office 365 Backup Tool to back up Microsoft 365 emails to PST and other supported formats.

Free Download100% Secure Buy NowPrice: $49

Software features:

  • Instantly Backup Office 365 account on your system
  • Allow to Backup Office 365 emails in many other email formats such as PST, EMLX, EML, PDF, MSG, MBOX, ICS, VCF and other file formats. etc.
  • It can migrate Office 365 mailbox to Gmail, Zoho, Yahoo! Mail, AOL, Amazon WorkMail, GoDaddy and all IMAP supported Email Clients.
  • Allow backup of Selective mailbox as well
  • No skill is require to access this tool
  • It is available with free version, allow to backup 30 items per folder at free of cost

Conclusion

Configuring your Office 365 account in Outlook is a simple process that can provide numerous benefits. By using Outlook to manage your emails, you can stay organized, secure, and productive. You can access your emails and calendar offline, collaborate with your colleagues more effectively, and enjoy a better email experience overall. If you haven’t already configured your Office 365 account in Outlook, we highly recommend that you do so to take advantage of these benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques1. In the process of configuring Office 365 into Outlook; should I keep Outlook cached mode on or not?

Ans. Keep Outlook cached mode on and check the box in a manner to configure Office 365 into Outlook.

Ques2. How do I configure Microsoft 365 in Outlook?

Ans. Open Outlook, select Add Account, enter your Microsoft 365 email address, and complete the Microsoft sign-in process. The exact menu differs between New Outlook and Classic Outlook.

Ques3. Can I add Microsoft 365 to New Outlook?

Ans. Yes. In New Outlook, go to Settings/View settings → Accounts → Your accounts → Add Account and follow the sign-in prompts.

Ques4. How do I add Microsoft 365 to Classic Outlook?

Ans. Open Classic Outlook and select File → Add Account. Enter your Microsoft 365 email address and complete the authentication process.

Ques5. Do I need to manually enter Exchange server settings?

Ans. Normally, no. Current Outlook versions can automatically configure supported Microsoft 365 accounts, so old manual Exchange/Proxy settings are generally unnecessary.

Ques6. Why is Outlook asking me to verify my Microsoft 365 account?

Ans. Your organization may have Multi-Factor Authentication or other security policies enabled. Complete the verification steps shown by Microsoft to finish account setup.

Ques7. Can I configure multiple Microsoft 365 accounts in Outlook?

Ans. Yes. Outlook allows you to add additional supported accounts and manage them from the account settings.

Ques8. How can I back up Microsoft 365 emails before configuring Outlook?

Ans. You can use the Regain Office 365 Backup Tool to create a local backup of Microsoft 365 mailbox data in supported formats such as PST. This provides an independent copy of your mailbox data.

Ques9. Does configuring Microsoft 365 in Outlook create a backup?

Ans. No. Adding an account to Outlook provides mailbox access and synchronization; it should not be treated as a separate backup. For a local mailbox backup, you can use the Regain Office 365 Backup Tool.

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Author: Nasir Khan

I am Nasir Khan from India, working as a Content Developer in Regain Software. Here I am writing about our products and their updates. And writing some free solutions from converting emails or Cloud Migration process. We have tools like Email Converter, Emails backup and Cloud migration.