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I cannot setup my aol.com email account in Outlook

Allan Walker 20 Reputation points
2026-04-23T15:22:54.2166667+00:00

This is the error message i am getting {"SessionId":"[PII]","Timestamp":[PII],"Error":"INTERACTIONREQUIRED"}

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home
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Chloe-L 13,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-04-23T22:16:19.1066667+00:00

Hello Allan,

Thank you for reaching out. AOL requires a special app password (not your regular AOL password) for third-party apps like Outlook.

Here's how to resolve it:

1. Generate an AOL App Password

  • Sign in to your AOL account at https://login.aol.com/account/security.
  • Note: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.
  • Scroll to App Password and select Generate App Password.
  • Label it something like "Outlook" and copy the 16-character password provided.
  • Use this app password instead of your regular AOL password when Outlook prompts you.

2. Add the Account to Outlook 

  • Open Microsoft Outlook and go to File > Add Account. 
  • Enter your AOL email address. 
  • When prompted for the password, paste the 16-character app password you generated from the step 1
  • Follow the remaining prompts to complete the account setup. 

After completing these steps, Outlook should connect to your AOL account, and your ability to send and receive emails should be restored. 

I hope this explanation provides some clarity on what may have transpired. Please let me know how these suggestions work for you, or if you'd like assistance in navigating Microsoft's support channels. 

P/S: Since this is a public forum, I have edited and removed personally identifiable information from photos to protect your privacy. The next time you post, it is safer to hide your personal information in the screenshot beforehand.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-23T15:23:08.63+00:00

    Use the AOL account as a standard Internet (IMAP/POP) email account in classic Outlook and make sure the IMAP settings are correct, then work around the Outlook password/interaction issue.

    1. In classic Outlook, remove any partially added AOL profile for this account.
    2. Start adding the account again, but ensure it is configured as an Internet email (IMAP/POP), not Exchange or Microsoft 365.
    3. On the IMAP details page for the AOL account, make sure Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) is unchecked. This is required for many IMAP providers and avoids Outlook failing to prompt correctly for credentials.
    4. If Outlook still does not prompt for the password or fails with an interaction/credential error:
      1. Close Outlook.
      2. Open Control Panel → Mail → Email Accounts....
      3. On the Email tab, select New.
      4. Enter name, full AOL email address, and the AOL password in Password and Retype Password, then select Next.
      5. Follow the on-screen steps until account setup completes, then select Finish.
    5. After setup, reopen Outlook and allow time for the AOL mailbox to sync.

    If mail stops syncing after setup, sign in to AOL webmail and, if there are many custom folders under Inbox, try renaming those folders or moving mail into new folders as described in the AOL sync workaround.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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