If Outlook won’t complete the automatic Google sign-in, a reliable workaround is to set the account up manually using IMAP + an App Password.

This guide walks you through the exact steps.

⚠️ Important: This method uses an App Password, which is a special password generated within the Google Worspace User Account. Your Google Workspace admin must allow 2-Step Verification and App Passwords for this to work.Google Help+2Google Help+2

Step 1 – Turn on IMAP in Gmail

First, make sure the mailbox actually allows IMAP connections.

  1. Log in to the user’s Google Workspace Gmail in a browser.
  2. Click the ⚙️ Settings icon → See all settings.
  3. Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
  4. In IMAP access, choose Enable IMAP.
  5. Scroll down and click Save changes.

Step 2 – Turn on 2-Step Verification (2FA) for the Google Account

App Passwords only exist if 2-Step Verification is turned on.

  1. Go to the user’s Google Account:
    https://myaccount.google.com/security
  2. Under “Signing in to Google”, click 2-Step Verification.
  3. Follow the prompts to enable this feature

Once 2FA is enabled, the App Passwords option becomes available if the Workspace security policy allows it.

Step 3 – Generate an App Password for Outlook

Now we create a one-off password just for Outlook.

  1. Still in the user’s Google Account, use the search bar to look for “App passwords” and select this.
  2. Sign in again if prompted.
  3. Create an app password by giving it a name (i.e. Outlook) and click next
  4. Google will show a 16-character password with spaces (e.g. abcd efgh ijkl mnop). Copy the password into a text file so you can recall if if need be. In Outlook, you’ll enter it without spaces (e.g. abcdefghijklmnop).

Step 4 – Add the Account Manually in Outlook

On the computer where Outlook is installed:

  1. Open Outlook (Microsoft 365 desktop).
  2. Go to File → Add Account.
  3. Enter the full email address (e.g. name@yourdomain.com).
  4. Tick “Let me set up my account manually” (or Advanced options → Let me set up my account manually).

This forces Outlook into manual mode instead of trying (and failing) to auto-detect everything.

Step 5 – Enter the IMAP & SMTP Server Settings

Use these settings exactly:

Incoming mail (IMAP)

Outgoing mail (SMTP)

Click Next

Step 6 – Complete the Google Prompt (If It Pops Up)

In many cases, after you enter the app password and click Next, Outlook will also:

If that happens:

  1. Sign in with the normal Google Workspace password (not the app password).
  2. Approve any 2-Step Verification prompts.
  3. On the permissions screen, tick/allow options such as:
    • Read, compose, send, and permanently delete all your email from Gmail
  4. Click Allow / Continue.

Once this is done, Outlook finishes the setup and starts syncing the mailbox.

Step 7 – Test Everything

Finally, send a couple of test emails:

  1. From this new account to your own email.
  2. From another address back to this Google Workspace mailbox.

Check:

If all of that works, you’re done 🎉

Troubleshooting Tips

If something still isn’t working: