Why Does Outlook Keep Asking for My Password?

Quick answer

Confirm the same password works in webmail first. If it does, the account is fine and the loop is local: clear the saved credential for that account, check whether the account needs an app password or a browser sign-in, and make sure the option to prompt for logon credentials at every start is switched off.

Identify which Outlook you are using

There are several programs sharing this name, and they fail in different ways. Classic desktop Outlook installed with Office or Microsoft 365 has account settings, data files, and profiles. The newer Outlook app for Windows and the Outlook apps for phones handle sign-in through the system account list instead. Webmail in a browser has no local credential store at all.

Test webmail before anything else. Sign in to the provider's own website with the same address and password. If webmail accepts the password, stop suspecting the password and start looking at the program in front of you. If webmail also rejects it, this is an account or password matter rather than a mail program fault, and the recovery path belongs on the provider's website.

Saved credentials that no longer match

Windows keeps sign-in details in Credential Manager, and macOS keeps them in Keychain. When a password changes, these stored entries can keep offering the old one. The program tries the stale credential, the server refuses it, and you see a prompt. Typing the new password into the prompt does not always overwrite the stored entry, which is why the loop survives restarts.

Removing the stored entries for the mail account forces a clean sign-in on the next start. Note down which entries you remove before deleting them, because other programs sometimes rely on similar entries. If the loop stops immediately after a clean sign-in, a stale credential was the cause and no further changes are needed.

Two-step verification and app passwords

Accounts protected by two-step verification often cannot be used with a plain password box. Some providers issue a separate app password specifically for older mail programs, and that generated string is what the program needs instead of your everyday password. Others require the sign-in to complete in a browser window so a verification code or approval can be handled.

If the prompt you see is a small gray dialog rather than a branded sign-in page, the program may be using an older sign-in method the account no longer accepts. That mismatch produces endless prompts rather than a clear error. Check whether your provider still supports the sign-in method the program is using, and whether an app password is available for the account.

The setting that prompts on every start

Classic desktop Outlook has an option in the account's more settings area that asks for logon credentials each time the program opens. It is intended for shared computers, but it is easy to switch on by accident and it produces exactly the symptom described here: a prompt at every launch, regardless of what you type.

Look for that option and switch it off if it is ticked. While the account settings are open, check the server names, ports, and encryption method for typing errors, particularly if the account was set up manually rather than automatically.

When a damaged profile or data file is the cause

If credentials are clean and the settings look right, the profile itself may be the problem. A mail profile holds the account configuration and points at a local data file; when either is damaged, the program can behave as though the account details are wrong. Creating a fresh profile and adding the account to it tests this without touching the existing one.

Before any profile work, find out whether the account keeps mail on the server or only on this computer. Accounts that sync with a server can be re-added safely. Accounts that store mail locally need a backup of the data file first, because the local copy may be the only copy.

Work and school accounts add other possibilities

An account managed by an employer or school carries policies you cannot see from your own computer. A password expiry schedule, a conditional access rule, a device compliance requirement, a disabled account, or a reassigned license can each produce repeated sign-in prompts. A lapsed personal Microsoft 365 subscription can do something similar, showing sign-in prompts rather than a clear billing notice.

Check the account and subscription status shown inside the program. If the account is managed by an organization, the fastest route is the organization's own support desk, since only they can see the policy that is refusing the sign-in.

Details to collect before asking for help

Write down which Outlook you are using and its version, whether webmail accepts the same password, the exact wording and appearance of the prompt, whether the prompt appears at start or at random intervals, when it began, and what changed that week: a password reset, a new phone, a security prompt, an update, or a renewal date. Never share the password itself, an app password, or a verification code with anyone offering help.

When to ask an expert

Independent online help is worth using before you delete a profile, remove an account, or rebuild a data file, because those steps can remove locally stored mail. It is also useful when the account is shared, when two-step verification is involved, or when the prompt appears on one computer but not another and you want help comparing the two setups. Official password resets, license changes, and account recovery remain actions for the provider's own website.

Important disclaimer

This page is general information only and is not official support for any company or brand. Program names, settings locations, and sign-in requirements change between versions and account types, so confirm current details for your own setup before making changes.