How do I Fix Microsoft Outlook Keeps Asking for Password Issue?

Microsoft Outlook allows its users to configure passwords to prevent unauthorized account access. However, it can be frustrating when Outlook keeps prompting for password, despite providing it several times. This Microsoft Outlook password prompt issue may occur due to various reasons.

Why Outlook Keeps Asking for Password?

Some common causes behind the ‘Outlook keeps asking for password’ problem are:  

• Incorrect Outlook settings
• Corrupt Outlook profile
• Incorrect cached password
• Bad Internet connection
• Conflicting antivirus software
• Shared calendar

How to Fix Microsoft Outlook Password Prompt Issue?

You can try the following easy fixes to resolve the issue of password prompts in Outlook 2019, 2016, or any other version (including Office 365).

1. Switch to Stable Network Connection

If your network connection is poor or unstable, Outlook may lose mail server connectivity. When trying to reconnect with the mail server, it may ask for your Outlook credentials. So, you can switch to a stable internet connection to resolve the problem of Outlook 2010 needs password.

2. Disable the Antivirus

Sometimes, antivirus programs interfere with Outlook and may cause MS Outlook keeps asking for password problem. So, disable the antivirus program on your system and see if this resolves the issue.

3. Unselect Shared Calendars

Shared calendars can also interfere with Outlook credentials. If you are using a shared calendar, unselect it and see if it fixes the Outlook password problem.

4. Disable Prompt for Logon Credentials

Often, Outlook keeps asking for password because you have configured it to perform the task. To verify and disable the prompt for logon credentials in Outlook, follow these steps:

• Launch Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
• Select your account and enter the password, if prompted.
• Click the Change button and then click More Settings button.
• Open the Security tab.
• If Always prompt for logon credentials checkbox is selected, deselect it and click OK.

Always prompt for logon credentials checkbox

• Click Close and restart Outlook. The problem of Outlook asking for password will be resolved now.

5. Clear Your Cached Passwords

MS Windows stores user credentials locally for a wide range of applications, including MS Outlook. If these cached credentials are incorrect, you may face the Outlook asking for password issue. To fix the issue, you can remove the Outlook credentials from the Credential Manager. Follow these steps:

• Close the Outlook application, if open.
• Go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Credential Manager.
• Identify the credentials that have Outlook in their name. Click on those credentials and then click Remove from Value or Remove.
• Restart Outlook and see if the issue is resolved.

6. Create New Outlook Profile

Sometimes, Outlook password prompt issue occurs when your Outlook profile becomes corrupt. If that’s the case, you need to create a new Outlook profile. To do so, follow these steps:

• Go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Mail (Microsoft Outlook 2XXX) (32-bit).
• In the Mail Setup window, click the Show Profiles button.

Show Profiles in Mail Setup window

• Click the Add button and enter a name for your profile. Then click OK.
• In the Add Account window, enter your credentials and click Next.
• Once your profile is created, click Finish.
• Reopen Mail Setup window and click Show Profiles. 
• Under Always use this profile, open the dropdown menu and select the new profile you just created and click OK.

Always use this profile option in Mail window

Lost the PST Password?

Outlook also allows the users to set passwords for PST files. When a PST password is enabled, Outlook asks for the password whenever it is launched (unless you have allowed Outlook to save the password).

If you have lost the PST password, you can use an advanced Outlook PST password recovery tool, such as Stellar Password Recovery for Outlook to recover it. This software comes with the following features:

• Recovers lost PST passwords in all MS Outlook versions
• Provides a set of 6 usable PST passwords
• Advanced algorithm guarantees 100% success in password recovery
• Automatically finds PST files on your system
• Supports Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and Vista

How to Recover PST Password by using Stellar Password Recovery software?

To recover lost PST password by using the software, follow these steps:

• Launch the software and select the PST file. You can either drag-and-drop the PST file or click the Add PST button to locate the file. If you don’t know the location, click the Find PST button.

Stellar Password Recovery for Outlook home tab

• After selecting the PST file whose password you want to recover, click the Find Password button. The software will generate a series of passwords that you can use to access the PST file.

Generated passwords in Stellar Password Recovery for Outlook

Note: You can use the software to solve PST password problem in all Outlook versions, including Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007.

Conclusion

The Outlook keeps asking for password problem in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, or any other version may occur due to various reasons, such as incorrect Outlook settings, wrong cached password, etc. To fix the Outlook password prompt issue, you can follow the solutions covered in this blog post.

However, if you’ve lost or forgotten PST file password, you can use a trusted Outlook PST password recovery tool to recover it.  

Also Read:

• How to recover emails from Password Protected PST File?
• Outlook Repair Tool Keeps Crashing: What can I do?
• How to Prevent PST File Corruption?
• How to deal with ‘Outlook not working’ error?

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About The Author

Abhinav Sethi

Abhinav Sethi is a Senior Writer at Stellar. He writes articles, blog posts, knowledge-bases, case studies, etc. for different technologies. He also has a keen interest in digital forensics and helps forward-thinking companies fight different threats with apt solutions.