How to Set Up Microsoft's Outlook Mail Program

Nearly all personal computers operating in a Windows environment come loaded with the capability to send and receive email via Microsoft Outlook Mail. To activate Outlook's functionality and begin sending and receiving email is a snap. Just follow these simple steps to set up the Microsoft Outlook Mail Program

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Open your program. You can locate your Outlook program by clicking "Start" and finding the Outlook icon on the pop-up menu. You may also have an Outlook icon on your desktop or in your system tray. Just click the icon in any of these locations to start your Outlook program.

2. Now that you have Outlook open, click the "Tools" menu tab which is located near the top of the program. Once you have clicked the "Tools" tab, select "Email Accounts." Hang on, because you are on your way to setting up your email program.

3. Click to add. In the setup portion of Outlook, click or select "Add a new email account" and then click "Next" when prompted. From there you will be prompted to choose the email server you are using, this is typically "POP3" (see Tips below). Once you have entered this information, click "Next."

4. Know your ISP settings. This step will require you to enter information from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the appropriate boxes. If you are setting up a Hotmail account, Microsoft has a nifty shortcut that allows you to simply enter your Hotmail address and password and you are all set to go.

5. Take a POP quiz. Many people use POP3 servers and you will want to run a simple test to make sure your account is up and running. Select "Test Account Settings" to verify that your account is indeed set up and ready to accept or send email. If any information is missing, such as a password, you will receive a prompt to enter or correct the information.

6. Cross the finish line! After you have loaded your settings and tested it out, hope everything is working. Just click "Next" and then select "Finish." You are done and have successfully set up your Microsoft Outlook Mail program. Congratulations!

Tips & Warnings

• When entering the information for your email server, you will generally have several options. Try POP3 first, as this is the most common setting. Microsoft Server Exchange will connect you to an Exchange server. IMAP for connecting to an IMAP email server. HTTP for configuring access to Web-based servers such as Hotmail or Gmail.