I lost ability to access my att.net email account via desktop and outlook mobile

Question

I lost ability to access my att.net email account via desktop and outlook mobile

Ruben Martinez 5

My att.net email account is not authentication (syncing) on my desktop MS 365 and mobile outlook account.

Maria Turner 0 Reputation points

2026-10-06T15:19:44.6633333+00:00

I can't even get logged in because Outlook upgraded the software and it gets stuck trying to login. If I try to re-add the account, it tells me it already exists. I don't get past the install-like screen that pops up telling me it's finishing the update. So, there's no way to go in and delete the account and re-add it.

2 answers

Your answer

Maria Turner 0 Reputation points

2026-10-06T15:19:44.6633333+00:00

I can't even get logged in because Outlook upgraded the software and it gets stuck trying to login. If I try to re-add the account, it tells me it already exists. I don't get past the install-like screen that pops up telling me it's finishing the update. So, there's no way to go in and delete the account and re-add it.

Answer 1

Hi Ruben Martinez

Since the issue is occurring in both Outlook desktop and Outlook mobile, the first thing to verify is whether you can still sign in directly to your AT&T webmail account. If webmail works, try removing and re-adding the account in Outlook using AT&T's current IMAP settings and a Secure Mail Key instead of your regular password, as AT&T requires this for many third-party email apps.

If authentication still fails after re-adding the account, the issue is likely on the AT&T account or mail-service side, and you would need to contact AT&T support for account-specific assistance.

Answer 2

For an att.net account failing in both Classic Outlook on desktop and Outlook mobile, the supported guidance is:

Update or re-add the account using Modern Authentication
- In non-Microsoft email apps, older authentication methods can stop working.
- If the app offers an Outlook.com option when adding the account, use that.
- If the app does not support Modern Authentication, switching to the Outlook app is recommended.
In Outlook mobile, reset the account first
- Open Outlook app > Settings > tap the account that is not syncing > Reset Account.
- Check whether mail starts syncing again.
If reset does not help, delete and re-add the account in Outlook mobile
- In Outlook app > Settings > tap the affected account > Delete Account > Delete From This Device.
- Then add the account again.
If calendar or contacts are also affected, make sure the account is not added as IMAP or POP
- IMAP and POP do not sync calendars and contacts.
- Re-add the account as Exchange ActiveSync or Exchange if that option is available.
If the issue started suddenly after it worked before, check whether the problem is service-side or app-specific
- If mail works on a computer but not on mobile, the issue may be with the email app.
- For Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 accounts, Microsoft recommends checking service status for outages. For non-Microsoft providers such as att.net, provider support may also be required.
If sign-in prompts keep recurring in Outlook mobile, install the latest Outlook app version
- Recurring prompts can happen after security standards are updated.

Because att.net is a non-Microsoft account, if re-adding the account still fails, the next step is to contact the att.net email provider for account-specific sign-in or server-setting issues.