If your Outlook desktop app keeps asking for the password again and again even after you have successfully logged in, it can be due to a recent Windows update or your Outlook settings. Windows updates are aimed to improve your system's performance, offer better functionality and much more stability, however, sometimes these updates can cause certain issues to pop up. This issue can be taken as an example where outlook keeps troubling you with the login prompts.

Outlook Desktop App

Outlook has to be one of the most used online webmail service providers developed by Microsoft. Most of the people use the desktop app provided by Microsoft in Windows 10. The said problem affects most of the Outlook versions like Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, etc. Therefore, to help you circumvent the issue, we have made a list of the most effective solutions which will solve your problem.

What causes Outlook to Keep Asking for Password on Windows 10?

When your Outlook app keeps asking for the password, it can be due to the following factors —

  • Outlook settings: Sometimes, there is a problem with your Outlook app settings that is causing the issue.
  • Windows update or upgrade: In some cases, a Windows update or upgrade can reset your intentionally set preferences for certain apps that can cause the issue.

Before moving on with the solutions, check if removing the Windows password (or putting a blank password) solves the issue. Moreover, confirm if clearing the internet options solves the issue. Additionally, check if logging out of any of the office applications (like Word or Excel) and then logging back in the application solves the issue. Furthermore, confirm if disabling the IPV6 solves the issue. Also, make sure that the Windows user account type is set to the administrator (some users reported a change of account type to standard from administrator due to a buggy update) as it can create security issues in the Credential Manager if set to standard and thus cause the issue.

Solution 1: Clear Cached Passwords

The first thing you need to do in order to fix your issue would be to clear your cached passwords located in the Control Panel. Here's how to do it:

  1. Go to the Start Menu and open up the Control Panel.
  2. Set the View By, located under the address bar on the right-hand side, to Large Icons.
  3. Navigate to User Accounts.
    Windows Control Panel
  4. On the left-hand side, click on 'Manage your credentials'.
    User Accounts – Control Panel
  5. Select the credentials for Lync, Outlook, and Microsoft in both the Windows Credentials and Generic Credentials.
  6. Click on Details and then select Remove from Vault.
  7. Exit the Control Panel and then restart your system.

Solution 2: Enable the Remember Password Option

In some cases, the issue is due to a simple mistake. If you haven't checked the Remember Password option while logging in, that might be causing the problem. In such an event, you will have to enable the option. Here's how:

  1. Run Outlook, go to the File tab and click on Account Settings.
  2. Select your account under the Email tab.
  3. A window will appear, scroll down to the bottom and locate the 'Remember Password' option. Make sure it is checked.
    Checking the Remember Password Option

Solution 3: Uncheck the 'Always Prompt for Logon Credentials' Option

Your outlook application might be prompting you to enter the password again and again because you have configured it as such. To eliminate such a possibility, you will have to do the following:

  1. Launch Outlook.
  2. Go to the File tab and then select Account Settings.
  3. In the Account Settings section, select Account Settings.
  4. Highlight your account and click on Change.
  5. Click on the More Settings button.
    Outlook Account Settings
  6. Switch to the Security tab.
  7. Unselect the 'Always prompt for logon credentials' option under user identification.
  8. Click OK and then close your Outlook.

Solution 4: Creating a new Profile

Sometimes, the issue can be due to a corrupt/damaged profile or due to a bug with it. In such a scenario, you will have to create a new profile. Here's how to do it:

  1. Make sure that you have closed Outlook.
  2. Go to the Start Menu to open the Control Panel.
  3. Click on Mail.
  4. Click the Show Profiles button and then select Add.
    Mail Settings
  5. Enter the name of the new profile and then select OK.
  6. Afterward, enter your name and email.
  7. Hit Next and then click Finish.
  8. Lastly, select your profile as the 'Always use this profile' and then click OK.

Solution 5: Update Outlook

If none of the solutions given above have worked out for you, there might be something wrong with your Outlook application. Therefore, you will have to update your Outlook application to the latest version. Here's how to do it:

  1. Open up Outlook, go to File and then select About Outlook.
  2. Select Office Account and then click on Update options.
    Checking for Office Updates
  3. Finally, select the Update now entry from the list to search for any new updates.

Solution 6: Use the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA)

You may encounter the error at hand if Outlook is encountering some configuration issues. In this case, using the Microsoft SaRA utility (that uses the advanced system diagnostics to check and solve the known Outlook configurations issues) may solve the problem.

  1. Launch a web browser and navigate to the SaRA download page.
  2. Then click on Advanced Diagnostics-Outlook (under Installing Sara heading) to download SaRA.
    Download SaRA
  3. Now launch the downloaded file as administrator and follow the prompts on your screen to complete the SaRA procedure (you can get guidelines from the SaRA download page mentioned in step 1).
    Select Outlook or Advanced Diagnostics in SaRA
  4. Then reboot your machine and upon reboot, check if your system is clear of the password issue.

Solution 7: Disable UEFI Secure Boot

UEFI Secure Boot is the security standard used to make sure that a device boots only using legitimate software (trusted by the OEM). You may encounter the error under discussion if the UEFI Secure Boot is hindering the operation of Outlook or credentials manager of your system. In this case, disabling the Secure Boot may solve the problem.

Warning: Proceed at your own risk as disabling UEFI Secure Boot may expose your system and data to threats that are not limited to viruses, trojans, etc.

  1. Make sure all the applications of your system are closed and click on the Windows button.
  2. Then, select the Power icon and click on the Restart button while holding the Shift Key.
    Hold the Shift Key and Restart Your System
  3. Now, in the menu shown, choose Troubleshoot and select Advanced Options.
    Open Advanced Options in the Troubleshoot Window
  4. Now select UEFI Firmware Settings and confirm to reboot the system. Then wait for the system to boot into BIOS settings.
    Open UEFI Firmware Settings in Advanced Options
  5. Now, in the left pane of the window, expand the option of Secure Boot, and select Secure Boot Enable. Then, in the right pane of the window, select Disabled.
    Disable UEFI Secure Boot
  6. Then save your changes and exit BIOS.
  7. Now power on your system and check if the Outlook password issue is resolved.

Solution 8: Use the Registry Editor

You may encounter the error at hand if the relevant registry values of your system are misconfigured. In this context, editing the registry values may solve the problem. Some of the keys mentioned in this solution might or might not be available to you  (skip the entry that is not available in the registry) depending upon the Windows version you are using.

Warning: Proceed with extreme caution as editing the system's registry requires a certain level of proficiency and if not done properly, you may cause everlasting damage to the OS, system, and data.

  1. Create a backup of your system's registry.
  2. Hit the Windows key and in the Windows Search bar, search for Registry Editor. Then, right-click on the Registry Editor (in the search results) and choose Run as Administrator.
    Open Registry Editor as Administrator
  3. Then navigate to the following path:
    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
  4. Now, in the right pane of the window, double-click on disabledomaincreds and change its value to 1.
  5. Then double-click on LmCompatibilityLevel and change its value to 3.
    Change LSA Registry Keys
  6. Then exit the Registry Editor of your PC and reboot the system.
  7. Upon reboot, check if the password issue is resolved.
  8. If not, check if changing the LmCompatibilityLevel value to 2 solves the issue.
  9. If not, open the Registry Editor (step 1) and navigate to the following path:
    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office
  10. Now, in the left pane of the window, expand the number folder (referring to the office version number) and then select Outlook, e.g.:
    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\
  11. Then select AutoDiscover and then, in the right half of the window, right-click and select New.
  12. Now select DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it as ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint.
    Set ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint Value to 1

    Then double click on ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint and set its value to 1. If AutoDiscover is not available in the Outlook registry, check in other number folders at step 10 and add the ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint there.

  13. Upon reboot, check if your system is clear of the password issue.
  14. If not, open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following:
    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity
  15. Now, create a DWORD key here (as discussed in steps 11 and 12) and name it EnableADAL while setting its value to 0.
  16. Then create another DWORD key and name it DisableADALatopWAMOverride while setting its value to 1.
    Set DisableADALatopWAMOverride Value to 1
  17. Now reboot your system after exiting the system's Registry Editor.
  18. Then check if the passwords issue is resolved.

Solution 9: Create a Task in the Task Scheduler

If none of the solutions worked for you, then you can create a task in the Task Scheduler that will keep stopping and starting the Credential Manager service and thus solves the problem.

  1. Hit the Windows logo key and in the Windows Search, type Services. Then right-click on Services and choose Run as Administrator.
    Open Services as Administrator
  2. Now double click on Credential Manager service and expand the dropdown of Startup type.
    Double Click on Credential Manager Service
  3. Then select Automatic and click on Apply/OK buttons.
    Set Startup Type of Credential Manager Service to Automatic
  4. Now reboot your system and check if the Outlook issue is resolved.
  5. If not, press the Windows key and search for Notepad. Then select Notepad.
    Open Notepad
  6. Now copy the following to the Notepad:
    rem Stop and Start Credential Manager  rem This is an attempt to work around an error introduced in  rem Windows 10 update 2004 wherein passwords for  rem   Outlook Email accounts were frequently forgotten  NET STOP "Credential Manager"  timeout 10  NET START "Credential Manager"  timeout 3
    The Command-Line Script to Stop-Start the Credential Manager Service
  7. Then open the File menu of Notepad and click on Save As.
  8. Now change the dropdown of "Save as Type" to All Files and then in the File Name enter any name for the file but add .cmd at its end (e.g. 123.cmd).
    Save the Command-Line Script as .cmd file
  9. Then select the location where you want to save the file (e.g. on your desktop) and click on the Save button. Now click on the Windows button and in the Windows Search type Task Scheduler. Then select Task Scheduler.
    Open the Task Scheduler
  10. Then open the Action menu and select Create Task.
    Create Task in the Task Scheduler
  11. Now, in the General tab, write a name for the Task (e.g. OutlookPasswordRetention) and enable Run with Highest Privileges.
    Enable the option of Run with Highest Privileges
  12. Then, navigate to the Triggers tab and click on the New button.
    Create a New Trigger for the Task
  13. Now select Daily and choose start time ten minutes later than your current time.
  14. Then check the option of Repeat Task every 1 Hour and change the For a Duration of the dropdown to Indefinitely and click on the OK button.
    Set the Triggers Parameters
  15. Now steer to the Actions tab and click on the New button.
  16. Then click on the Browse button of Program/Script and then select the .cmd file (created in step 9) and click OK.
    Browser for the Command File
  17. Now navigate to the Conditions tab and uncheck the option of Start the Task Only if the Computer is on AC Power.
    Uncheck the Option of Start the Task Only if the Computer is on AC Power
  18. Then steer to the Settings tab and uncheck the option of Stop the Task if it Runs Longer than and click on the OK button.
    Uncheck the Option of Stop the Task if it Runs Longer than
  19. Now close the Task scheduler and wait for ten minutes before rebooting your PC.
  20. Upon reboot, hopefully, your system is clear of the Outlook password issue.

If the issue is still there, then as a workaround, you can export the credentials from Credential Manager and after the system restart, import the credentials to the Credential Manager if Outlook asks for the passwords (this will save you from the hassle of typing all the required passwords one by one). If the issue is still there, then check if using SFC and DISM commands solves the issue. If not, then you may have to perform a clean installation of Windows.

Photo of Kevin Arrows

Kevin is a dynamic and self-motivated information technology professional, with a Thorough knowledge of all facets pertaining to network infrastructure design, implementation and administration. Superior record of delivering simultaneous large-scale mission critical projects on time and under budget.