Does Microsoft Outlook keep asking for your password for your Comcast / Xfinity email account… even though you KNOW you are entering the correct password, and you KNOW you have the Comcast IMAP/SMTP and SSL settings correct?
No matter what you try, Outlook keeps displaying a window like this:
The first thing to do is make absolutely certain the password you are trying is correct. It’s easy to develop a false sense of confidence about this. Nothing beats trying to make sure. So go to the Comcast / Xfinity web mail page and login to make sure you really are using the right password.
Once you have logged in, go ahead and check your email on the website. The page you are on should look something like this:
Now, look for “Third Party Access Security” and make sure the check box next to “Allow access…” is checked.
This box MUST be checked for programs like Microsoft Outlook to be able to interact with your email.
Comcast rolled this out as a security upgrade to their email. But unfortunately, the feature is turned off by default for most users… and they didn’t do a great job notifying their customers about the change. As a result, many Comcast customers who have only been accessing their email through Microsoft Outlook woke up one day to find Outlook not working, and making them think their password was the problem.
Instead, Outlook simply sees that it cannot connect to Comcast’s mail server anymore and doesn’t know why. For many people, this simple but elusive setting is the reason – and the fix.
Do you have a different problem related to your Comcast email? Tell us about it in the comments below.
I have allow third party access checked and I still keep getting the password pop up. I know the password is correct as it works on my Iphone and when I logon to xfinity and view mail. This started a week ago and I can’t seem to get it fixed.
Hi Tom, I have one client who has the exact same issue which cropped up in the past week. His email works on his iPhone but stopped working in Outlook. Stranger still, when I connect to his email in Outlook on a different computer, it connects fine. But no amount of reconnecting – even with a new Outlook profile – will work on his computer. I’ve still not pinned down the exact cause, but it appears to be something to do with a problem in his Windows user profile. Very annoying. I’ll post back here if/when I discover more.
I have had the same issue for at least a week or two. I have tried everything that I can think of… If you have an answer, please advise. Many thanks!
I have the same exact problem. I stopped receiving e-mails in Outlook on 12-19-22. Strangely, on that same day I got an e-mail at my alternate Gmail account from Comcast saying I needed to change my password as they suspected a security breach. When I went to do this, I could not sign in. I also saw that a completely different e-mail address had been entered as my alternate. Obviously, I had been hacked. After jumping through some hoops, I managed to change my Comcast password. I can now receive e-mails through Xfinity Connect, but nothing in Outlook. I even set automatic forwarding to my Comcast address, but nothing is coming through Outlook.
I’ve had this problem for some time now. I’ve tried everything I’ve read about to try to fix it. I sure hope someone comes up with the fix because it sure is frustrating.
I purchased a new laptop and Microsoft Office 365 mainly because I wanted to use Outlook for my Comcast email. I receive Comcast email successfully on my iPhone. I verified that the third party access on Xfinity is checked and the password is correct. Still, I am not able to connect Outlook to Comcast. I’ve spent several hours/ days on this and it’s really disappointing.
Has a reason / fix been found for this issue?
Have the same problem on my Outlook app on my Android phone. The only solution is to delete the account and recreate it. I have to do this every few months. Nothing changes on my account side, just Comcast doing Comcast things.
Here it is September 2023. Same problems on new desk top as described above, Windows 11/ Outlook.live.. Spent hours trying all of the fixes on the web. Still not working. STILL? why hasn’t this been addressed? Please enlighten me.
I have the same issue as above. Just started spontaneously after successfully using Outlook to access my Comcast accounts for over a year. My wife lost access at the same time, but as I’m on the record for both Windows 365 and our grandfathered access to Comcast emails, I’m not surprised. The error message I get is -ERR [AUTH], with a 0x800CCC92 code. There’s also a line about “Temporarily blacklisted IP address – try again later.” No problem accessing Comcast email via my browser so I know the name and password is correct, and Outlook does have my permission to access my Comcast accounts.
Exact same issue as above, tried all the suggested fixes and nothing seems to work. It’s a Microsoft issue I believe. Android phone and tablet have no issues with the exact same settings. Frustrated and angry.
Same issue here.
Security tab within email settings using a browser to view email states 3rd party access.
Last night my phone stopped receiving email and today MS Outlook will not connect to the server.
The message I am receiving on my phone states “Couldn’t verify account, Check your account and server information, then try again”
A different email account on xfinity (Comcast) works fine on both PC and phone without issues.
Old Outlook works . . . new outlook keeps asking for my “imap password”. I gave up, will just use the old outlook! 🙁
as of 02-10-24, i had this issue pop up on my laptop, desktop, running outlook 365, and iphone.
i have third party box checked.
deleted account on all devices and still same issue..
I was away from home from 2-9-24 until I returned and accessed my home computer on 2-23-24. I can receive email but I get the password popup box when I try to send email through a pop/smtp connection that has worked for years. I tried re-entering the password that worked for the browser mail interface but it still kept bringing up the box.
In January of 2024 I was required by Comcast to change the password on one of my accounts. My other account is still working fine on both desktop and mobile Outlook but the account I changed the password to will not connect. Outlook is saying the password is incorrect. Any idea on this? Password is correct, Comcast has no idea and I’ve done several “fixes” I’ve found online with no luck…
This just started happening to me a couple of weeks ago. Third party access security box was checked. I tried unchecking and rechecking, still no luck. So frustrating! I’m stuck using the new Outlook. Don’t like it because I have lost some functionality, namely no Task icon and no Send/Receive button. There’s a lot that seems to be missing. I hope some comes up with a fix.