Setting up an email account in Microsoft Outlook

Overview

In this article, you’ll learn how to set up your SpeedIT email account in Microsoft Outlook. We’ll show you where to find the connection details in your KeyHelp Control Panel and guide you through the setup process step by step.

Important note: This article applies exclusively to the classic version of Microsoft Outlook (Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or Outlook from Microsoft 365). We do not support the ‘New Outlook’ for Windows for serious data protection reasons. See the section ‘Warning: Avoid the “New Outlook”’ for more information.

Finding connection details in KeyHelp

You can find your email connection details directly in your KeyHelp Control Panel. Here’s how to access it:

1. Log in to the customer portal
2. Go to the desired hosting plan -> Then log in to the web server management
3. Navigate to Email → Email Accounts
4. Select the desired domain
5. Click on ‘Connection details’ for the relevant email account (link in the right-hand column)

A dialogue box will open containing all the information you need to set up your email client.

Your server settings

Tip: The exact server name is displayed in the connection details dialogue. This depends on which server your hosting is on.

IMAP vs. POP3 - What’s the difference?

• IMAP (recommended): Emails remain on the server and are synchronised across all devices. Ideal if you check your emails on multiple devices (PC, smartphone, tablet).
• POP3: Emails are downloaded and (by default) deleted from the server. This is only useful if you use just one device.

We recommend using IMAP with SSL/TLS encryption (port 993).

Set-up in Outlook 2016 / 2019 / 2021 / Microsoft 365

Automatic setup (Autodiscover)

Outlook usually attempts to detect the server settings automatically. For SpeedIT accounts, this usually works without any problems:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to File → Add Account
3. Enter your email address and click Connect
4. Enter your password
5. Outlook will automatically detect the settings and set up the account

If the automatic setup fails, use the manual configuration.

Manual setup

If automatic detection does not work:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to File → Add Account
3. Enter your email address
4. Click on Advanced Options and tick ‘I want to set up my account manually’
5. Click Connect
6. Select IMAP as the account type
7. Enter the server settings:

Inbox (IMAP):

• Server: Your server from KeyHelp (e.g. merkur.web.de-serv.de)
• Port: 993
• Encryption method: SSL/TLS

Outgoing mail (SMTP):

• Server: same as for incoming mail
• Port: 465
• Encryption method: SSL/TLS

8. Enter your password and click Connect
9. Once set up successfully, click ‘Done’

Set-up in older versions of Outlook (2013 and earlier)

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to File → Info → Add Account
3. Select ‘Manual configuration or additional server types’ and click ‘Next’
4. Select POP or IMAP and click Next
5. Fill in the fields:
   • Your name: Your display name
   • Email address: Your full email address
   • Account type: IMAP
   • Incoming mail server: Your server from KeyHelp
   • Outgoing mail server (SMTP): same as above
   • Username: Your full email address
   • Password: Your email password
6. Click on ‘Further settings’
7. Switch to the Outgoing mail server tab:
   • Tick the box next to ‘The outgoing mail server (SMTP) requires authentication’
   • Select ‘Use the same settings as for the incoming mail server’
8. Switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab:
   • Incoming mail server (IMAP): 993, Encryption: SSL/TLS
   • Outgoing mail server (SMTP): 465, Encryption: SSL/TLS
9. Click OK and then Next
10. Outlook will test the connection - if successful, click Finish

Configuration for Apple devices

KeyHelp offers a particularly convenient solution for Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac): in the connection details dialogue, you’ll find links for automatic configuration. Open the relevant link in the Safari browser, and the email account will be set up automatically with the correct settings.

Alternatively, a QR code is available which you can scan with your iPhone or iPad.

⚠️ Warning: Avoid ‘New Outlook’

With Windows 11, Microsoft has introduced the so-called ‘New Outlook’, which is intended to replace the classic Windows Mail app and, in the long term, the classic Outlook as well. We strongly advise against using this new Outlook, particularly for business email accounts.

Limited IMAP support - no guarantee of functionality

In addition to the serious data privacy issues, there is another important reason to avoid the new Outlook: Microsoft is increasingly restricting IMAP support. The new Outlook is primarily optimised for Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts - traditional third-party IMAP accounts are now only supported to a limited extent.

In practice, this means:

• Certain features, such as folder synchronisation, filter rules or signatures, work only to a limited extent or not at all with IMAP accounts
• Microsoft is consistently developing the new Outlook to align with its own cloud services - IMAP is no longer a priority
• Error messages and connection issues with IMAP accounts are becoming more frequent, with Microsoft failing to provide solutions
• There is no guarantee that IMAP will still be supported at all in future versions

For this reason, we cannot guarantee that the new Outlook will function correctly. Our support team can only provide limited assistance with issues relating to the new Outlook, as the causes often lie within the Microsoft software itself. We therefore strongly recommend using the classic Outlook or alternative email clients.

The problem: your login details and emails end up with Microsoft

Unlike the classic Outlook, which retrieves emails directly from your mail server, the new Outlook routes all data via Microsoft servers:

• Login details are transmitted: When setting up an IMAP account, your username and password are sent to Microsoft’s servers.
• Emails are copied: All your emails are copied to Microsoft’s cloud servers and stored there.
• Microsoft gains full access: Microsoft actively uses the transmitted login details to log in to your mail server and retrieve emails.

This was uncovered and documented in November 2023 by the specialist magazine c't/heise online. The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) described the reports as “alarming”.

Why this is a serious problem

If you use SpeedIT for your hosting, your emails are stored on servers in a German data centre - in compliance with the GDPR and under your control. The new Outlook negates these benefits:

• Data protection: Your emails and login details end up on Microsoft servers, which could constitute breaches of the GDPR.
• Confidentiality: Microsoft has the technical capability to read and analyse all your emails.
• Security risk: Centrally stored login details are an attractive target for attackers.
• Loss of control: You relinquish complete control over your business communications.

Particularly critical for businesses: those who use their own email server or GDPR-compliant hosting do so deliberately for data protection reasons. The new Outlook undermines this decision by forwarding data to Microsoft without sufficient transparency. This may breach IT security policies and data protection regulations.

How to recognise the new Outlook

• It has a more modern, simplified interface (similar to the web version of Outlook.com)
• In the top right-hand corner, there is a ‘Try the new Outlook’ toggle (if enabled, you are already using the new Outlook)
• In the Start menu, the app is often simply called ‘Outlook (new)’ or just ‘Outlook’
• The old Windows Mail app has been replaced by the new Outlook

What you should do

1. Use the classic Outlook (Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or Outlook from Microsoft 365)
2. Do not switch to the new Outlook if you are prompted to do so in the classic Outlook
3. Toggle off the ‘Try the new Outlook’ switch, if it appears
4. If you are already using the new Outlook and have set up an IMAP account:
   • Use the button in the top right-hand corner to switch back to classic Outlook
   • Delete the account in the new Outlook: Settings → Manage accounts → Remove account → ‘Remove from all devices’
   • Change your email password immediately in the KeyHelp Control Panel, as Microsoft has stored your login details

Alternative email clients

If you are looking for a secure alternative that retrieves emails directly from your server:

• Mozilla Thunderbird (free, open source) - retrieves emails directly, no cloud redirection
• eM Client (free for personal use) - a modern client with a direct server connection
• Classic Outlook from Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365 (with ‘New Outlook’ disabled)

Sources and further information

• heise online: Microsoft is hoarding login details: Beware of the new Outlook (November 2023)
• heise online: New Outlook: Microsoft takes a stance on the transfer of login details (November 2023)
• TU Berlin Data Protection Blog: New Outlook app transfers login details to the Microsoft cloud

Common problems and solutions

Error message: ‘Destination principal name is incorrect’

This message appears if the SSL certificate does not match the server name entered.

Solution: Use the exact server name from your KeyHelp connection details (e.g. merkur.web.de-serv.de) - not your domain name.

→ Detailed guide: Resolving the Outlook error message ‘Destination principal name is incorrect’

Authentication failed

Possible causes:

• Incorrect password entered
• Username is not the full email address
• Special characters in the password are not being transmitted correctly

Solution:

• Check your login details in the KeyHelp Control Panel
• If necessary, reset your password (avoid special characters such as äöü or €)
• Ensure that you are using your full email address as your username

Unable to connect to the server

Possible causes:

• Incorrect port or encryption type
• Firewall or antivirus programme is blocking the connection
• IP block due to too many failed attempts

Solution:

• Check the port and encryption (see table above)
• Temporarily disable your firewall/antivirus
• Check whether your IP address has been blocked → Server unreachable / IP block

Emails are being sent but not received (or vice versa)

Solution: Check that the correct ports are set for the incoming and outgoing mail servers. Common error: SMTP port 465 with STARTTLS instead of SSL/TLS - this combination does not work.

Related articles

• Fixing the Outlook error message ‘Destination principal name is incorrect’
• Server unreachable / IP block
• Configuring and enabling DKIM
• Email forwarding & delivery issues
• How our self-learning spam filter works
• How does the webmail client work?

Need help?

If you’re having trouble setting things up, please contact our support team. We’ll be happy to help - including via remote support.

Contact support