How to Set Up AOL Email in Outlook

AOL email connects to Microsoft Outlook using IMAP and SMTP with SSL encryption. If you have two-step verification enabled on your AOL account, you need to generate an app password instead of using your regular AOL password. AOL is now part of the Yahoo family, so setup is similar to other Yahoo-based email providers. Once connected, complete your setup with a professional email signature in Outlook.

Key Takeaways

• AOL email uses IMAP server imap.aol.com on port 993 (SSL) and SMTP server smtp.aol.com on port 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS).
• If two-step verification is enabled, you must generate a 16-character app password from your AOL account security settings.
• Newer versions of Outlook may show a Yahoo/AOL OAuth sign-in page for automatic setup instead of requiring manual IMAP configuration.

What Are the IMAP and SMTP Settings for AOL Email?

AOL email connects to Microsoft Outlook using imap.aol.com for incoming mail and smtp.aol.com for outgoing mail, both requiring SSL encryption and authentication.

Setting	Value
Incoming Server (IMAP)	imap.aol.com
IMAP Port	993
IMAP Encryption	SSL/TLS
Outgoing Server (SMTP)	smtp.aol.com
SMTP Port	465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS)
SMTP Encryption	SSL/TLS or STARTTLS
Username	Your full AOL email address (including @aol.com)
Password	Your AOL password or app password
SMTP Authentication	Required

These settings work for all AOL email domains including @aol.com, @aim.com, and @verizon.net (AOL-hosted). For detailed SMTP troubleshooting across all providers, see our Outlook SMTP settings guide.

How Do I Generate an AOL App Password?

If two-step verification is enabled on your AOL account, generate a 16-character app password from Account Security — your regular AOL password will not work in Outlook.

1. Open a browser and sign in to your AOL account at login.aol.com.
2. Click your profile name or icon in the top-right corner.
3. Select Account Security (or go directly to login.aol.com/account/security).
4. Scroll to Other ways to sign in or App passwords.
5. Click Generate app password.
6. Select Outlook Desktop or Other App from the dropdown.
7. Click Generate.
8. Copy the 16-character password — you will paste this into Outlook.
9. Click Done.

According to AOL Help, app passwords give third-party applications secure access to your AOL account without exposing your main password. You can revoke app passwords anytime from the same Account Security page.

If you do not have two-step verification enabled, you can use your regular AOL password in Outlook. However, AOL recommends enabling two-step verification for better account security.

How Do I Add AOL Email to Outlook on Desktop?

Open Outlook, enter your AOL email address, and either sign in through the OAuth page or use manual IMAP setup with your app password.

Method 1: Automatic Setup (Newer Outlook Versions)

Newer versions of Outlook (Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021, 2024) may auto-detect AOL and show a Yahoo/AOL OAuth sign-in page:

1. Open Microsoft Outlook and click File > Add Account.
2. Enter your full AOL email address (e.g., yourname@aol.com).
3. Click Connect.
4. A Yahoo/AOL sign-in page opens in a browser window.
5. Enter your AOL password and complete any verification steps.
6. Authorize Outlook to access your email.
7. Outlook configures settings automatically — click Done.

Method 2: Manual IMAP Setup

If the OAuth page does not appear or fails:

1. Click File > Add Account.
2. Enter your AOL email address, click Advanced options, and check Let me set up my account manually.
3. Click Connect and select IMAP.
4. Enter the server settings:
5. Incoming server: imap.aol.com, Port: 993, Encryption: SSL/TLS
6. Outgoing server: smtp.aol.com, Port: 465, Encryption: SSL/TLS
7. Enter your app password (not regular password) in the password field.
8. Click Connect.

Step 3: Verify SMTP Authentication

If sending fails after setup:

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Double-click your AOL account.
3. Click More Settings > Outgoing Server tab.
4. Check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
5. Select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
6. Click OK and test sending an email.

Why Is My AOL Email Not Working in Outlook?

The most common cause is using your regular AOL password instead of an app password, or cached credentials in Windows Credential Manager blocking authentication.

1. Use App Password, Not Regular Password

If two-step verification is enabled, your regular AOL password will fail every time. Generate an app password following the steps above.

2. Clear Cached Credentials

If Outlook keeps asking for your password in a loop:

1. Close Outlook completely.
2. Open Windows Credential Manager (search in Start menu).
3. Under Windows Credentials, find and remove entries for aol.com or yahoo.com.
4. Restart Outlook and enter your app password when prompted.

3. Verify Server Settings

Common Mistake	Correct Setting
IMAP server mail.aol.com	Use imap.aol.com
Port 143 (no SSL)	Port 993 with SSL/TLS
SMTP port 25 (blocked)	Port 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS)
SMTP auth disabled	Must enable authentication
Regular password with 2FA on	Must use app password

4. Check AOL Account Status

Sign in to mail.aol.com in a browser to verify your account is active and your password works. If you cannot sign in on the web, the issue is with your AOL account, not Outlook.

5. Repair Outlook Profile

If AOL was previously working but stopped:

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Select your AOL account and click Repair.
3. Follow the prompts to re-enter your credentials.
4. If repair fails, remove the account and re-add it from scratch.

Can I Use AOL Email With the New Outlook?

Yes — the new Outlook for Windows supports AOL email through Yahoo OAuth authentication, which configures the account automatically without manual IMAP settings.

1. Open the new Outlook for Windows.
2. Click Settings > Add account.
3. Enter your AOL email address.
4. A Yahoo/AOL sign-in page appears — sign in with your regular AOL password.
5. Authorize Outlook access.
6. The account configures automatically.

If the OAuth sign-in page does not appear, select IMAP and enter the server settings manually with your app password. For adding other email providers to Outlook, see our comprehensive Outlook email setup guide or provider-specific guides for AT&T and Gmail.

Is AOL Email the Same as Yahoo Email?

AOL is owned by Yahoo (both part of Apollo Global Management), and AOL email runs on Yahoo infrastructure — but AOL and Yahoo are separate email services with different domains and login portals.

Feature	AOL Email	Yahoo Mail
Domains	@aol.com, @aim.com	@yahoo.com, @ymail.com
Login portal	login.aol.com	login.yahoo.com
IMAP server	imap.aol.com	imap.mail.yahoo.com
SMTP server	smtp.aol.com	smtp.mail.yahoo.com
Infrastructure	Yahoo servers	Yahoo servers
App passwords	Same system	Same system
OAuth in Outlook	Yahoo/AOL sign-in page	Yahoo sign-in page

Both services use the same backend authentication and app password system. If you have both AOL and Yahoo accounts, you can add them both to Outlook using the same setup method. AT&T email also runs on Yahoo infrastructure — see our AT&T email in Outlook guide for those specific settings.

If you need Outlook desktop with full AOL email support, Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus ($199.99) includes the classic Outlook application.

Frequently Asked Questions

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