How to Fix Outlook Error 0x800ccc92

When syncing your folders or sending mail, Microsoft Outlook may repeatedly prompt for your password or output the following error: “Receiving reported error (0x800ccc92): Your e-mail server rejected your login. Verify your user name and password for this account in Account Settings.”

This error indicates that the incoming mail server (POP3 or IMAP) has rejected your login credentials, blocking access to sync your mailbox contents.

1. What Causes Outlook Error 0x800ccc92?

This authentication failure is triggered by the following root causes:

• Stale or Corrupt Password Cache: Outlook is sending an old password stored in the operating system’s credential vault.
• Basic Authentication Deprecation: Major email providers (Gmail, Microsoft 365, Yahoo) have disabled Basic Authentication (username/password logins) in favor of Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0).
• Missing App Password: If you use POP/IMAP on accounts that require Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Outlook requires a unique App Password rather than your account’s primary password.
• ADAL Registry Keys Disabled: Modern authentication (Active Directory Authentication Library) registry subkeys are disabled on Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 clients.

2. Verify Credentials and Enable App Passwords

If your email provider requires Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), a standard account password will be rejected. You must generate an App Password.

For Google Workspace / Gmail Accounts

1. Go to your Google Account security panel.
2. Ensure 2-Step Verification is turned on.
3. Search for App Passwords in the settings search bar.
4. Generate a new app password for “Mail” and “Windows Computer” (or “Mac”).
5. Copy the generated 16-character code and paste it into the password box in Outlook.

Step 1: Force Close Outlook

Run the following taskkill command in Command Prompt to ensure no locked Outlook database files are holding on to credentials:

taskkill /f /im outlook.exe

Step 2: Clear Credential Manager Entries

1. Press Windows Key + R, type control keymgr.dll, and click OK.
2. Select Windows Credentials.
3. Under Generic Credentials, find all entries containing MicrosoftOffice16 or your incoming mail server address (e.g., imap.gmail.com).
4. Click Remove on each entry.
5. Re-open Outlook. The application will prompt you for your updated credentials; enter the correct email password or the newly generated App Password.

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Identity" /v EnableADAL /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Identity" /v Version /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity" /v EnableADAL /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

killall "Microsoft Outlook" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -s "Microsoft Outlook" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -l "Exchange" 2>/dev/null

Step 2: Re-add Account with OAuth 2.0

1. Open Outlook, go to Tools → Accounts.
2. Highlight the problematic account and click the Minus (-) button to remove it.
3. Click the Plus (+) button → Add an Account.
4. Type your email address. Outlook should redirect you to a browser page (Gmail, Microsoft 365, etc.) to complete the secure OAuth 2.0 sign-in.
5. Complete the sign-in and click Open Microsoft Outlook when prompted.

6. Summary Diagnostics Checklist