How to Sync AOL Mail with Windows 11

To sync AOL Mail with Windows 11, create an AOL app password on your AOL Account Security page, then add your AOL address in Outlook: in new Outlook for Windows go to View > View settings > Accounts > Your accounts > Add Account, or in classic Outlook go to File > Add Account. When Outlook asks for a password, paste the app password instead of your regular AOL password.

Applies to: Windows 11 with new Outlook for Windows or classic Outlook for Windows, and AOL Mail accounts. Checked against Microsoft Support and AOL Help on October 7, 2026.

Why the old Windows Mail steps no longer work

Many AOL guides for Windows 11, including the earlier version of this one, tell you to open the built-in Mail app and pick AOL from a list. That route is gone. Microsoft ended support for Windows Mail, Calendar and People on December 31, 2024, and those apps can no longer send or receive email. Microsoft now points Windows users to the new Outlook for Windows, which you can get from the Microsoft Store, or to Outlook.com in a browser.

That leaves two desktop options for AOL Mail on Windows 11:

• New Outlook for Windows. The app Microsoft recommends in place of Windows Mail. If you only need email at home, start with this one.
• Classic Outlook for Windows. The traditional desktop Outlook that comes with Microsoft 365 and Office. Use it if you already have it and prefer it. You can tell it apart because it has a File tab in the top-left corner.

Either way, your AOL messages stay in your AOL account. Outlook connects to it and shows the same mailbox you see in AOL webmail.

What you need before you start

• Your full AOL email address and the password you use to sign in to AOL Mail on the web.
• A web browser you normally use for AOL Mail. AOL says app passwords should be created in a browser you have used to sign in to AOL Mail for several days in a row, and not in an Incognito or private window.
• Outlook for Windows. If new Outlook is not on your PC, install it from the Microsoft Store. If you still have the old Mail app, opening it and selecting Open Outlook also takes you to new Outlook.

An app password is a randomly generated code that AOL creates for one email app. It lets that app reach your mailbox without knowing your real password. AOL Help says email apps that do not use the AOL Mail sign-in page need an app password, and Microsoft’s own instructions for adding an email account send AOL users to AOL’s app password steps. You only need to enter it once, when you add the account.

Step 1: Create an AOL app password

1. In your browser, sign in to AOL and open your AOL Account Security page.
2. Click Generate app password or Generate and manage app passwords. The wording depends on whether you already have app passwords.
3. Click Get Started.
4. Type a name for the app so you can recognize it later, for example “Outlook on my laptop.”
5. Click Generate password. AOL shows the new app password. Copy it, or keep the page open while you set up Outlook.
6. After you have used it in Outlook, return to this page and click Done.

AOL’s full instructions are in Create and manage 3rd-party app passwords on AOL Help.

Step 2: Add AOL Mail to new Outlook for Windows

1. Open Outlook from the Start menu. If you see a File tab in the top-left corner, you are in classic Outlook; use the next section instead.
2. Select the View tab, then View settings. You can also open the File tab and select Account info if your version shows it. The Settings window opens.
3. Select Accounts, then Your accounts. You see the accounts already added to Outlook.
4. Under Email accounts, select Add Account. Type your full AOL address, or pick it from the suggestions if it appears, and select Continue.
5. When Outlook asks for the account password, paste the AOL app password from Step 1, not your normal AOL password, and select Done.
6. Close Settings. Your AOL account appears in the folder pane on the left, and its Inbox, Sent and other folders fill in as Outlook downloads your mail. A large mailbox can take a while.

Microsoft notes that for some non-Microsoft accounts, such as Gmail and Yahoo, new Outlook synchronizes a copy of your mail, calendar and contacts with Microsoft data centers so features like search and Focused Inbox work, and that your experience in the provider’s own apps stays the same. If Outlook shows a notice like this while you add your AOL account, read it before you continue.

Microsoft’s step-by-step instructions for both versions of Outlook are on Add an email account to Outlook for Windows.

Add AOL Mail to classic Outlook for Windows

Use these steps if your Outlook has a File tab. Create the app password first, as described in Step 1.

1. Open classic Outlook and select File > Add Account.
2. Enter your full AOL address and select Connect.
3. When Outlook asks for the password, paste the AOL app password, then select OK > Finish. Your AOL folders appear in the folder pane and start downloading.

If automatic setup fails: set up IMAP manually

Microsoft notes that most manual setups use IMAP, the connection type that keeps Outlook working directly with the mailbox on AOL’s servers. AOL publishes the server names and ports Outlook needs.

1. Select File > Add Account.
2. Enter your AOL address, select Advanced options, check Let me set up my account manually, and select Connect.
3. Choose IMAP as the account type.
4. Enter AOL’s incoming and outgoing server settings exactly as AOL lists them in Use POP or IMAP to sync AOL Mail on a third-party app, then select Next.
5. Enter the AOL app password and select Connect.

Moving from the old Windows Mail app

If your AOL account was set up in Windows Mail before support ended, it will not sync there again. Mail kept in your AOL account is still there; adding the account to Outlook connects to it again. To switch:

1. Open the old Mail app if it is still installed and select Open Outlook, or install new Outlook from the Microsoft Store.
2. Create a fresh AOL app password for Outlook (Step 1). Using a separate app password for each app makes it easy to cut off one app later without affecting the others.
3. Add your AOL account in new Outlook (Step 2).

Microsoft says email, calendar events and contacts stored locally in Windows Mail and Calendar can still be exported, and links to those export steps from Outlook for Windows: The future of Mail, Calendar and People on Windows 11.

Once AOL Mail is working, you can also put a mail icon on your Windows 11 desktop so Outlook is one click away.

How to check that AOL Mail is syncing

• Compare folders. Open AOL Mail in your browser at mail.aol.com and check that the newest messages in your Inbox also appear in Outlook.
• Send a test message. Send an email from your AOL account in Outlook to another address you own. It should arrive there, and the sent copy should normally show up in the Sent folder in AOL webmail as well.

How to remove AOL Mail from Outlook

Removing the account from Outlook does not close or deactivate your AOL account, and it does not touch the mail stored on AOL’s servers. You simply stop sending and receiving AOL mail in Outlook.

In classic Outlook:

1. Select File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Select your AOL account and select Remove.
3. Read the warning, which says the offline content Outlook stored on this computer will be deleted, then select Yes.

If AOL is your only account in classic Outlook, Microsoft says you need to create a new Outlook data file first. In new Outlook, open the same Accounts > Your accounts page you used to add the account and remove the AOL account from its options there.

Afterward, delete the app password Outlook was using: on your AOL Account Security page, click Generate and manage app passwords, click Delete next to that app password, and click Delete again to confirm. AOL notes that app passwords stay active until you delete them, even if you change your AOL password.

Troubleshooting AOL Mail in Outlook

Outlook says “Please create an app password for Outlook on your email provider’s site”

This message means Outlook reached AOL, but AOL refused your regular password. Create an app password on your AOL Account Security page (Step 1), copy it, and paste it when Outlook asks for the account password. Microsoft lists this message as the sign that you need an app password even though your normal password is correct.

AOL will not let you create an app password

AOL only allows app passwords from a browser you have used to sign in to AOL Mail for several days in a row, and not from an Incognito or private window. Switch to your usual browser and try again later. AOL says its customer care team cannot override this check; until it clears, you can read your mail in AOL webmail or the official AOL app.

Outlook keeps asking for your password or stopped syncing

• If you deleted the app password on the AOL Account Security page, Outlook can no longer connect. Create a new app password and enter it in Outlook.
• AOL Help suggests re-entering the stored password. In classic Outlook, AOL’s path is File, then Account Settings, then Manage Profiles, then Email Accounts; double-click the AOL account, replace the password, and close the window when the status shows it is complete.
• If that does not help, remove the AOL account from Outlook, create a new app password, and add the account again.
• Check that you can sign in at mail.aol.com. If AOL webmail also fails, the problem is with the AOL account rather than Outlook.

You cannot find the File tab or the steps look different

Microsoft notes that if you do not see a File tab, you are probably using new Outlook, so follow Step 2. If the new Outlook steps do not match your screen, you may be in classic Outlook. Both apps are called “Outlook,” which is the most common cause of mixed-up instructions.

Outlook on a work or school PC will not add AOL

Organizations can block personal email accounts in new Outlook, and Microsoft says personal accounts added before such a policy are disabled once it takes effect. By default, new Outlook also stops you from moving messages from a work account into a personal account. If your employer manages the PC, ask your IT department whether personal accounts are allowed, or read AOL Mail in a browser instead.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still use the Windows Mail app for AOL?

No. Microsoft ended support for Windows Mail, Calendar and People on December 31, 2024, and the app can no longer send or receive email. Use new Outlook, classic Outlook, or AOL Mail in a browser.

Do I have to use an app password?

For Outlook, plan on it. AOL says third-party email apps that do not use the AOL Mail sign-in page need an app password, and Microsoft directs AOL users to create one. Your regular AOL password stays the one you use in a browser and in the AOL app.

Will changing my AOL password break Outlook?

Not by itself. AOL says app passwords remain active after you change your account password. If you want to cut Outlook off, delete its app password on the AOL Account Security page.

Can I add more than one AOL account?

Yes. Create a separate app password for each AOL account, then repeat the add-account steps for each address. Each account appears with its own folders in Outlook.

Does removing AOL from Outlook delete my email?

No. Microsoft says removing an account only stops Outlook from sending and receiving that mail and clears the copy stored on your computer. Your messages remain in AOL Mail.

Is there an AOL Mail app for Windows 11?

AOL Help offers AOL Mail on the web at mail.aol.com and the AOL app for Android and iOS as alternatives to third-party email apps. On a Windows 11 PC, Outlook with an AOL app password is the way to get your AOL mail in a desktop app.

If you also use Gmail, Outlook.com or a work account, see how to set up email on Windows 11 to add them to the same Outlook window.