Configuration.exe- A Complete Guide to Fix When Outlook Cannot Connect to Gmail in 2023 ( For All Versions)

| Updated on February 13, 2024

If one has to count the number of developers that made Gmail, it can be done on fingertips, but if you take into account how many active users Gmail has, that becomes a different ballgame altogether. Gmail has more than 1.5 billion users in the world, and it is arguably the best email service the world has ever seen. 

But that does not mean that the email service is perfect by any means. Gmail issues are pretty common in the modern world, and users often find it difficult to configure the service in a third-party application such as Outlook. 

The simplest symptom of this issue is when you are unable to access your account even though you have entered the email address and password correctly on several occasions. 

In case you cannot connect your Gmail account to Outlook for some reason, worry not as we have the perfect solutions for you. Follow the blog till the end to know how to get rid of these configuration issues without much fuss.

Effective Troubleshooting Methods to Fix Gmail Configuration Issues with Outlook

Below are some of the most appropriate solutions to this issue. Just make sure that you are signing in to your Gmail account correctly and you will be fine. 

Via Checking the SMTP and other Settings in Gmail

  • Begin by accessing Outlook and go to the option of “connected accounts”. 
  • For the next step, you need to make sure that you are entering the correct information. Cross-check the information for SMTP settings of Gmail in Outlook with the use of the table mentioned below;
IMAP (Incoming Mail Server)imap.gmail.com
SSL: tick yes for this field
Port: type 993 in this field
SMTP (Outgoing Mail Server)smtp.gmail.com
SSL: tick yes for this field
TLS: tick yes, provided that it is available
Authentication: tick yes for this field
SSL port: type 465 in this field
Display Name or Full Nametype your name correctly for this field
Username, Account Name, or Email Addressfill in your complete email address
Passwordenter the password for your Gmail account 

Via Enabling the Folders

In order for Gmail to work properly with Outlook, Outlook needs to have access to some specific folders. The steps mentioned below can help users to give access to the folders that come in handy while using IMAP for Gmail in Outlook. 

  • Open your web browser and log in to your Gmail account, to begin with. 
  • From there, you will need to access the settings icon available in the top right corner of your screen. 
  • In the next window, simply click on the “labels” tab to proceed further.
The labels tab in Gmail
  • Next, simply select the “show” option in case it is not already selected for the Inbox, Sent Mail, Trash, and All Mail. 
the show and hide options for the labels tab in Gmail
  • You also need to make sure that you have selected the “show” in the IMAP tab for all the labels that you want to use in Outlook. 

Via Enabling the IMAP Settings on Gmail

Almost everyone knows that IMAP is better than POP, but only a few know the actual reason. This is because POP is pretty outdated and users often complain about sync issues while using the protocol. IMAP on the other hand is preferable out of the two since it allows users to manage their accounts on different devices along with a much better server sync. 

Let us help you better understand the same with an example.

With the use of IMAP, users do not have to worry about updation as everything is already up-to-date. IMAP marks the emails that have been read the same as they are in Outlook to ensure that there is no confusion. On the other hand, POP can often leave you confused, hence it is not worth the effort. 

It is common knowledge that IMAP is used by Gmail for every email, which is why users do not have to enable it manually, but if you have enabled it manually, you can be sure that the protocol is working from your end. In case it is disabled, users may face several issues. 

Here is how one can enable IMAP on Gmail. Simply follow the steps mentioned below in the correct order;

  • Open your web browser and visit this link, to access your Gmail account, to begin with.
  • After you have accessed your account, locate the settings option by clicking on the gear icon from the top right corner of your screen.
The settings option for Gmail
  • From the same, select the option of “all settings”.
see all settings option in Gmail
  • In the next window, simply locate and access the “forwarding and IMAP/POP” tab.
the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab for Gmail
  • For the next step, locate the “IMAP Access” menu and click on “enable IMAP.” Hit the save button to make the changes permanent.
the enable IMAP option for Gmail

Via Enabling Less Secure Applications for Gmail

Security often plays a significant role in a situation where you are unable to configure Gmail in Outlook. Just follow the steps mentioned below;

  • Begin by accessing the Gmail account and click on the profile picture icon that is available in the top right corner of your screen to select the “manage your Google account” option.
the manage your Google account option in Gmail
  • For the next step, simply select the “security” option available in the left menu, and after doing so, select the “less secure apps access” option to proceed further.
the security option in gmail
  • Simply enable the feature by locating the option that says, “allow less secure apps” and hit save to make the changes made by you permanent. 
the less secure option in Gmail

And just like that, it’s done. 

Via Checking the Connectivity for TCS Ports of Gmail

Users also complain about connection issues with Gmail. In case you find yourself in a similar situation, check to make sure that your internet service provider and your system is not responsible for blocking the ports that are used for accessing Gmail.

Simply make good use of the Test-Netconnection PowerShell cmdlet in PowerShell to take a look at the ports in Windows 10. After doing so, you will need to check for the availability of Gmail servers as SMTP over TLS (587) and IMAP over SSL (993) respectively. 

Launch the command by simply pressing the Windows+X keys simultaneously and run the following commands;

  • Test-Net Connection imap.gmail.com- port 993
  • Test-Net Connection smtp.gmail.com- port 587

If the result looks something like this, “TcpTestSucceeded=False”, this implies that your Gmail account is being blocked by a firewall. To get rid of this, simply check the firewall of your system along with all the other protective measures to ensure that no networking filters are enabled. 

Also, allow the Outlook.exe process to ensure that all the traffic that is outgoing gets directed over the TCP ports of 993 and 587. Instantly contact your internet service provider if either of these ports are blocked, since some internet equipment may be blocking the ports. 

Via Creating an App Password

It is known to many users that creating an app password along with the login password for Outlook is a pretty effective method, as it helps users to avoid configuration issues in case they are unable to configure Gmail in Outlook 2010 or any other versions. 

Creating an app password is pretty easy. Keep in mind that the two-step verification mode should be on for you to proceed with this method.

  • Start by opening your Google account by clicking on this link.
  • From the same page, move down a bit to find the option of “signing in to Google” and choose the “app password” option.
the app password field for Gmail
  • In the next window, you will need to enter the password for your Gmail account. 
Enter your Password for Gmail
  • Next, click on the “mail” button from the select app drop-down menu and select the option of “device” as well. 
the mail option for Gmail
  • For the next step, simply click on the “generate” option and copy the 16-digit password from there to access your Gmail account in Outlook. 
the 16 digit code generated for Gmail

Via Reconfiguring Gmail in Outlook

To Configure Gmail in Outlook 2019

Troubled and unable to configure Gmail in Outlook 2019? Follow the simple steps in the correct order to set up your account in Outlook 2019 with relative ease;

File<Add account<type email address<connect button<enter one-time password<allow Outlook access
  • Start by clicking on the file option after you have launched Outlook.
  • From there, you will need to click on the option of “add account”.
  • Move forward with the process by entering your email address in the given field correctly. 
  • For the next step, click on the “connect” button and after the same, a new window will pop up for the two-step authentication method. It is suggested that you use the one-time password instead of using your primary password. Finish the process by allowing Outlook to access your Gmail account. 

To Configure Gmail in Outlook 2016

Unable to configure your Gmail account in Outlook 2016? Worry not, as the steps mentioned below are to be followed in the correct order to configure your Gmail account in Outlook 2016 with relative ease.

File<Manual setup or additional server types<IMAP or POP<More settings<my outgoing server requires authentication<fill in port numbers to finish
  • Similar to the method mentioned above, click on the “file” option and select the option of “Add account”, to begin with.
the file option in Outlook
the add account option in Outlook
  • In the next window, select the “Manual setup or additional server types” and hit the next button.
the manual setup or additional server types
  • After this, choose either POP or IMAP and click “next”.
the POP or IMAP account type in Outlook
  • For the next step, you will need to enter your email address and first name. Once you have done the same, fill the incoming mail server (IMAP) as imap.gmail.com and smtp.gmail.com for the Outgoing mail server (SMTP).
the fields for email address, first name, and servers of Outlook
  • Now, click on the” more settings” option and avoid selecting the option of “require logon using secure password authentication” (SPA) since Gmail does not support it. The reason is that the protocol is based on the NTLM authentication by Microsoft. 
the more settings button for Outlook
  • Visit the outgoing server and choose My Outgoing server (SMTP)  requires authentication. Following this, access the advanced tab and opt for SSL to enable encryption for the incoming server (IMAP). Fill out the IMAP field with 993 and enter either 587 or 25 in the port field after you have selected TLS for the outgoing server. Save the settings by hitting “ok”.
the my SMTP server requires authentication option
the advanced tab of Outlook

Via Fixing the Revoked Access of Gmail in Outlook

Canceling the access of your Gmail account will restrict you from accessing your Gmail account in Outlook. 

  • Launch the application of Outlook and click on the “file” option. From the same, click on the “manage profile” option.
  • From there, you will need to select the “email accounts” option. 
  • In the next window, click on the “account settings” option and choose the email tab to select “new”.
  • Now, enter the details of your email account such as username, email address, and application password. After entering the same, click on the next button to let Outlook establish a connection. 
  • Next, a new window will pop up for verification purposes. Simply enter your primary account password for the two-step verification. Hit the “Done” button to complete the process.

This is it. Now that you know all about the basic troubleshooting methods, let us take a look at some other additional info that may be of use in case you are still unable to configure Gmail in Outlook.

Additional Ways to Restore Gmail Access in Outlook

Even though the chances are slim, in case you are unable to configure Gmail in Outlook 2007 or any other version after making good use of the troubleshooting tips, the steps mentioned below might help you in getting the job done;

  • Open the settings of Outlook and do not select the option of “enable connected experience”. After this, move to the file option of Outlook and select the account privacy to access the manage settings tab. Restart the application of Outlook once you have done all this. 
  • Next, access the account setting to change the IMAP server. Change it to imap.googlemail.com from imap.gmail.com and change the SMTP from smtp.gmail.com to smtp.googlemail.com
  • Following this, disable the simplified account creation in Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, and Outlook for Office 365 to come up with a new 32-Bit DWORD parameter by the name of DisableOffice365SimplifiedAccountCreation within the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\setup and change the value of the parameter to 1. After you are done, use the command given below;

REG ADD HKEY CURRENT USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Office\16.0\ Outlook\Setup /v
DisableOffice365SimplifiedAccountCreation /t REG DWORD /d 1 /f.

Simply access the command prompt as an administrator and execute the command that has been mentioned above;

  • Move to the homepage of Outlook again and click on the add-ins option to disable the add-ins.
  • In order to create the configuration for Outlook, access the control panel and access the mail option, click on show. From the show menu, locate the profiles option and click on the “Add” option. Finish by opening Outlook and setting up your Gmail account in the same. 

And there you have it. These are some of the best methods that can be used to fix the issues of Gmail when a user is unable to access their Gmail account in Outlook due to configuration issues. The configuration may take some time depending upon the size of your mailbox and once you have configured your account again, you can start managing your daily chores and mails again without breaking a sweat.

There it is. This is all that one should know about the configuration issues of Gmail with Outlook. We hope that the blog has everything that you were looking for.


Kanika Singh

Webmail and Internet Expert


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