How to Add a New Email Account to Your Device or App

The fastest way to add an email account

Most devices and email apps can add a new account in under five minutes if you have your email address and password ready. The exact steps depend on whether you are adding the account to your phone, computer, or a standalone app like Outlook or Gmail — but the process is similar across all of them. You will need your full email address, your password, and sometimes a security code if your email provider uses two-factor authentication.

The most common mistake is entering the wrong password or forgetting that your email provider requires an app-specific password instead of your regular login password. Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all have this requirement if you have turned on two-factor security. We will walk through how to handle that below.

Key Takeaways

You need your full email address and password before you start, and some providers require an app-specific password instead of your regular one.
On phones and computers, go to Settings or Preferences, find the Accounts or Mail section, and select Add Account or the plus icon.
If the app does not recognize your email provider automatically, you may need to enter the incoming and outgoing server addresses manually.
Two-factor authentication requires you to generate an app-specific password from your email provider's security settings before adding the account.
Test the account by sending yourself a test email and checking that it arrives in both the inbox and the sent folder.

Adding an email account on iPhone or iPad

Open Settings and scroll down to find Mail. Tap Accounts, then tap Add Account. You will see a list of common email providers — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, and others. Tap the one that matches your email address. If your provider is not listed, tap Other at the bottom.

Enter your full email address and password, then tap Next. Your device will try to connect and verify the account. If it succeeds, you will see a confirmation screen. If it fails, check that you typed your password correctly. If you have two-factor authentication turned on, you will need to use an app-specific password instead — see the section below on how to generate one.

Once the account is added, you can choose which types of mail to sync — Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Notes, and Reminders. Most people leave all of these turned on. Tap Save when you are done. The account will now appear in your Mail app.

Adding an email account on Android

Open Gmail or your email app. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left corner, then tap Settings. Scroll down and tap Add Account. Choose your email provider from the list, or tap Other Email if yours is not shown.

Enter your email address and tap Next. Enter your password and tap Next again. The app will verify your account. If verification fails, double-check your password. If you use two-factor authentication, you will need an app-specific password — instructions are in the section below.

You may be asked to allow the app to access your contacts and calendar. These permissions let the app sync your information across devices. Tap Allow or Skip depending on what you want. Your account is now added and ready to use.

Adding an email account on Windows or Mac

On Windows, open the Mail app (search for "Mail" in the Start menu). Click the gear icon in the bottom left, then click Accounts. Click Add Account. Select your email provider or choose Other Account if yours is not listed. Enter your email address and password, then click Next.

On Mac, open Mail from the Applications folder. Go to Mail menu at the top, then Preferences. Click Accounts, then click the plus icon at the bottom left. Select your email provider or choose Other Mail Account. Enter your email address and password, then click Continue.

Both systems will attempt to verify your account automatically. If the verification fails, you may need to enter server information manually. This is most common with older email providers or corporate email systems. If you see a prompt asking for incoming and outgoing server addresses, contact your email provider's support — they can give you the exact addresses to enter.

What to do if you have two-factor authentication turned on

Two-factor authentication adds a security layer by requiring a code from your phone or a security app in addition to your password. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and most other major providers support it. If you have it turned on, you cannot use your regular password to add the account to a new device or app — you must generate an app-specific password first.

For Gmail: Go to myaccount.google.com, click Security on the left, scroll down to App Passwords, and click it. Select Mail and your device type (iPhone, Android, Windows, or Mac). Google will generate a 16-character password. Copy this password and use it instead of your regular password when adding the account to your device.

For Outlook: Go to account.microsoft.com, click Security, then App Passwords. Select the app and device you are using, and Microsoft will generate a password. Copy and use this password when adding the account.

For Yahoo: Go to account.yahoo.com, click Account Security on the left, then App Passwords. Select Mail and your device, and Yahoo will generate a password to use.

Manually entering server information when automatic setup fails

If your device or app cannot find your email provider automatically, you will need to enter the incoming and outgoing server addresses by hand. This is most common with corporate email, older providers, or less common services.

You will typically need four pieces of information: the incoming mail server address (usually starts with "imap." or "pop."), the incoming port number (usually 993 for IMAP or 995 for POP3), the outgoing mail server address (usually starts with "smtp."), and the outgoing port number (usually 587 or 465). Your email provider's support page or documentation will list these. Search for "[your email provider] IMAP settings" or "[your email provider] SMTP settings" to find them quickly.

When you enter these manually, make sure the incoming security type is set to SSL or TLS, and the outgoing security type is also SSL or TLS. Use your full email address as the username for both incoming and outgoing. If you have two-factor authentication, use your app-specific password instead of your regular password.

Testing your new email account

After you add the account, send yourself a test email from another account or device. Check that it arrives in your inbox within a few minutes. Then open the email and reply to it, and check that your reply appears in the Sent folder of the new account.

If emails arrive in the inbox but replies do not appear in Sent, your outgoing server settings may be wrong. If emails do not arrive at all, check that you entered the correct password and that two-factor authentication is not blocking the connection. If the problem persists, remove the account and add it again, paying close attention to each field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my password keep getting rejected?

The most common reason is that you have two-factor authentication turned on and need to use an app-specific password instead of your regular one. Check your email provider's security settings to see if two-factor authentication is active. If it is, generate an app-specific password and use that instead. Also check that Caps Lock is not on — passwords are case-sensitive.

Can I add multiple email accounts to the same device?

Yes. Repeat the steps above for each account you want to add. Most devices and apps let you switch between accounts by tapping your profile picture or the account name at the top of the screen. You can also set one account as your default for sending new emails.

What is the difference between IMAP and POP3?

IMAP keeps your emails on the provider's server and syncs them across all your devices — if you read an email on your phone, it will show as read on your computer too. POP3 downloads emails to your device and removes them from the server, so each device has its own copy. IMAP is better if you use multiple devices. Most modern providers default to IMAP.

Do I need to remove the old account before adding a new one?

No. You can have multiple accounts in the same app or device at the same time. You only need to remove an account if you no longer want to receive emails from it or if you are troubleshooting a connection problem.

Why is my email app showing an error about the server?

This usually means the incoming or outgoing server address is wrong, the port number is incorrect, or the security type (SSL/TLS) is not set correctly. Check your email provider's documentation for the exact server addresses and settings. If you are using a corporate email system, contact your IT department for the correct information.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.