Access Outlook Mail (Outlook.com) in Mozilla Thunderbird

Send and receive your Outlook email in the Thunderbird web browser

Set up the Mozilla Thunderbird email client to connect to your Outlook.com account using IMAP and get access to messages, your online folders, and other Outlook.com features. Or connect to your Outlook.com account using the POP email protocol to download messages from your inbox to Thunderbird.

Instructions in this article apply to the Mozilla Thunderbird web browser. These directions also apply to Microsoft, work, and school accounts that have access to Outlook Online.

Set up Outlook.com in Thunderbird Using IMAP

Follow these steps to set up your Outlook.com email account in Thunderbird using IMAP.

  1. Select Account Settings.

    Account Settings in Thunderbird
  2. Select the Account Actions arrow and choose Add Mail Account.

    The "Add Mail Account" command under the "Account Actions" menu
  3. Enter Your name, the Email address for your Outlook.com account, and the Password.

    If two-step verification is enabled for your Outlook.com account, generate a Microsoft account app password and enter the app password in the Password text box.

    Info box for a new email address in Thunderbird
  4. Select Continue.

    The Continue button
  5. In the Configuration found in Mozilla ISP database section, select IMAP (remote folders).

    The "IMAP (remote folders)" option
  6. Select Done.

    The Done button

If Mozilla Thunderbird did not automatically detect the Outlook.com mail server settings, enter these settings through manual set up:

  • IMAP server name: outlook.office365.com
  • IMAP port: 993
  • IMAP encryption method: TLS
  • SMTP server name: smtp.office365.com
  • SMTP port: 587
  • SMTP encryption method: STARTTLS

Enable POP Access on Your Outlook.com Account

To use POP as the connection protocol to your Outlook.com account, enable it by following these steps:

  1. Go to your Outlook.com account and select Settings > View all Outlook settings.

    "View all Outlook settings" in Outlook
  2. Select Mail.

    The Mail heading in Outlook settings
  3. Click Sync email.

    The Sync Email heading
  4. In the POP and IMAP section, select Yes to let devices and apps use POP.

    The Yes option under POP and IMAP
  5. Choose whether you want devices and apps to delete messages after they are downloaded from Outlook.com.

    • Select Don't allow devices and apps to delete messages from Outlook to keep messages on Outlook.com after Thunderbird downloads them.
    • Select Let apps and devices delete messages to delete messages from Outlook.com after Thunderbird downloads them.
    Device settings for POP
  6. Select Save.

    The Save button

Set up Outlook.com in Thunderbird Using POP

After enabling POP access on your Outlook.com account, follow these steps to connect Thunderbird using POP:

  1. Select Account Settings.

    Account Settings in Thunderbird
  2. Select the Account Actions drop-down arrow and choose Add Mail Account.

    The "Add Mail Account" command under the "Account Actions" menu
  3. Enter Your name, the Email address for your Outlook.com account. and the Password.

    If two-step verification is enabled for your Outlook.com account, generate a Microsoft account app password and enter the app password in the Password text box.

    Info box for a new email address in Thunderbird
  4. Select Continue.

    The Continue button
  5. In the Configuration found in Mozilla ISP database section, select POP3 (keep mail on your computer).

    The POP3 option
  6. Select Done.

    The Done button

If Mozilla Firefox did not automatically detect the Outlook.com mail server settings, enter the following settings through manual set up:

  • POP server: outlook.office365.com
  • POP port: 995
  • POP encryption method: TLS
  • SMTP server: smtp.office365.com
  • SMTP port: 587
  • SMTP encryption method: STARTTLS
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