How to Access Free Yahoo! Mail with Outlook

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by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated October 02, 2018

Setting up any Yahoo! Mail account with access to all email and folders is easy in Outlook.

Outlook Is for Your Email

Outlook takes really good care of you. It knows and reminds you about your appointments. It tells you what to do. It remembers your contacts. It keeps track of the documents you touch.

Outlook Is for All Your Email

All your email accounts? No. There is this free Yahoo! Mail account you set up in 1996. Outlook still does not retrieve the emails you receive there, and you still have to log on using a browser to write replies using that address.

This is about to change, and change it will right now.

Access Free Yahoo! Mail with Outlook

To set up IMAP access to a free Yahoo! Mail account in Outlook:

  1. Select File in Outlook.

  2. Make sure you are on the Info page.

  3. Click Add Account under Account Information.

  4. Make sure  Manual setup or additional server types is selected in the Add Account dialog under Auto Account Setup.

  5. Now make sure POP or IMAP is selected under Choose Your Account Type.

  6. Click Next >.

  7. Type your name—as you want it to appear in the From: line of emails you send from the Yahoo! Mail account in Outlook—under Your Name:.

  8. Enter your full Yahoo! Mail email address under Email Address:.

  9. Make sure IMAP is selected for Account Type: under Server Information.

  10. Type "imap.mail.yahoo.com" (not including the quotation marks) under Incoming mail server:.

  11. Now enter "smtp.mail.yahoo.com" (again excluding the quotation marks) under Outgoing mail server (SMTP):.

  12. Enter your full Yahoo! Mail email address again under User Name: if Outlook has not done so for you automatically.

  13. Now type your Yahoo! Mail password under Password:.

    If you have 2-step authentication enabled for the Yahoo! Mail account, do create and use an application password.

  14. Click More Settings ….

  15. Go to the  Outgoing Server tab.

  16. Make sure  My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication is checked.

  17. Now verify Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected.

  18. Go to the Advanced tab.

  19. Make sure SSL is selected under Use the following type of encrypted connection: for both Incoming server (IMAP): and Outgoing server (SMTP):.

  20. Now make sure 993 is entered under Incoming server (IMAP): for the server port number.

  21. Make sure 465 is entered as the server port number for Outgoing server (SMTP).

  22. Click OK.

  23. Click Next >.

  24. Click Close in the Test Account Settings dialog once the tests have completed, successfully it is to be hoped.

  25. Now click Finish.

Access Free Yahoo! Mail with Outlook 2007

To fetch mail from and send mail through a free Yahoo! Mail account in Outlook:

  1. Install YPOPs! and make sure it is running.

  2. Select Tools | Account Settings... from the menu in Outlook.

  3. Go to the E-mail tab.

  4. Click New....

  5. Make sure Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP is selected.

  6. Click Next >.

  7. Type your name (what you want to appear in the From: line of messages you send) under Your Name:.

  8. Enter your full Yahoo! Mail address (e.g. "example@yahoo.com") under E-mail Address:.

  9. Make sure Manually configure server settings or additional server types are checked.

  10. Click Next >.

  11. Make sure Internet E-mail is selected.

  12. Click Next >.

  13. Make sure POP3 is selected under Account Type:.

  14. Type "127.0.0.1" under both Incoming mail server: and Outgoing mail server (SMTP):.

  15. Type your Yahoo! ID under User Name:. The Yahoo! ID is also the first part of your Yahoo! Mail address, i.e. everything before "@yahoo.com". If your Yahoo! Mail address is "example@yahoo.com", the ID is "example".

  16. Enter your Yahoo! Mail password under Password:.

  17. Click More Settings ....

  18. Go to the Outgoing Server tab.

  19. Make sure My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication is checked.

    Leave Use same settings as my incoming mail server selected.

  20. Click OK.

  21. Now click Next >.

  22. Click Finish.

Access Free Yahoo! Mail with Outlook 2003

To retrieve mail from and send mail through a free Yahoo! Mail account in Outlook 2003:

  1. Install YPOPs! and make sure it is running.

  2. Open Outlook.

  3. Select Tools | E-Mail Accounts... from the menu.

  4. Make sure Add a new e-mail account is selected.

  5. Click Next >.

  6. Check POP3.

  7. Click Next >.

  8. Type your name under Your Name:.

  9. Enter your Yahoo! Mail address under E-mail Address:.

  10. Type "localhost" under both Incoming mail server (POP3): and Outgoing mail server (SMTP):.

    If "localhost" later turns out not to work, you can try "127.0.0.1" instead.

  11. Type your Yahoo! ID under User Name:.

    The Yahoo! ID is also the first part of your Yahoo! Mail address, i.e. everything before "@yahoo.com". If your Yahoo! Mail address is "example@yahoo.com", the ID is "example".

  12. Enter your Yahoo! Mail password under Password:.

  13. Click More Settings ....

  14. Go to the Outgoing Server tab.

  15. Make sure My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication is checked.

    Leave Use same settings as my incoming mail server selected.

  16. Click OK.

  17. Now click Next >.

  18. Click Finish.