Sending, receiving, and organizing email in Outlook.com
First sign in directly to Xfinity Email to determine whether the Comcast mailbox still exists; deleting it from Outlook removes only Outlook’s connection and does not delete or deactivate the mailbox itself.^1^
1. Verify the Comcast mailbox and password
- Sign in through the Xfinity Email website using the full Comcast email address.
- If the password is rejected, reset it through Xfinity—not Microsoft—because Comcast/Xfinity manages that mailbox and password.
- If Xfinity says that the address is no longer available, contact Xfinity support. Outlook cannot reinstate a mailbox that the email provider has disabled.
For former Xfinity customers, the mailbox can be retained only if Xfinity Email was accessed during the 90 days before service was disconnected. Former customers also cannot create new Xfinity email accounts or modify existing addresses.^2^
2. Permit Outlook to access the mailbox
If Xfinity webmail works:
- In Xfinity Email, open Settings → Security.
- Enable the option allowing access by third-party email programs.
- Save the change.
Outlook is a third-party email program, and Xfinity can block its connection even when the same password works in webmail.^3^
3. Re-add it if you use the Outlook app on Windows
These menus apply to the Windows application, not Outlook.com in a web browser.
New Outlook for Windows
- Open Outlook.
- Select View → View settings.
- Select Accounts → Your accounts.
- Under Email accounts, select Add Account.
- Enter the complete Comcast address and select Continue.
- Enter the working Xfinity password and select Done.^1^
Classic Outlook for Windows
- Open Outlook.
- Select File → Add Account.
- Enter the complete Comcast address and select Connect.
- Enter the Xfinity password.
- Select OK → Finish.^1^
If automatic setup fails and Outlook requests manual settings, use Xfinity’s current email-program settings. Xfinity documents IMAP as imap.comcast.net, port 993, with SSL enabled; obtain the complete incoming and outgoing settings from its setup page before proceeding.^4^
If you mean Outlook.com in a browser
The Windows steps above do not apply. Specify whether you are using:
- Outlook.com in a web browser,
- New Outlook for Windows, or
- Classic Outlook for Windows.
The available information does not establish a current Outlook.com-web procedure for reconnecting an external Comcast mailbox, so applying Windows menus or Credential Manager steps there would be inappropriate.
If Xfinity webmail works but the Windows Outlook app repeatedly asks for the password, close Outlook and remove saved Comcast/Outlook entries from Windows Control Panel → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials, then reopen Outlook and add the account again. This is a fallback specifically for a cached-credential/password loop.^5^
References