Outlook and SBCGlobal have a specific friction point that has existed since 2023: Outlook tries to auto-detect SBCGlobal settings and fails, then uses your regular AT&T password and also fails, leaving you in a loop where Outlook keeps asking for your password every time it opens. This is not an Outlook bug. It is not an AT&T outage. It is a configuration issue that takes about four minutes to fix permanently.
SBCGlobal email in Outlook is the most common setup question among US SBCGlobal users — and the most misunderstood. The problem is almost never Outlook itself. The problem is almost always using the wrong password.
Since AT&T introduced mandatory App Passwords in 2023, your regular AT&T account password stopped working in Outlook. Every user who set up SBCGlobal in Outlook before 2023 has seen it break at some point since then. The fix is straightforward once you know what changed.
Step 1 — Generate App Password Before Touching Outlook
Do this first. Everything else depends on having this password ready.
- Open any browser — Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari
- Go to signin.att.com
- Sign in with your full @sbcglobal.net email and your regular AT&T password
- Click your profile name or icon at the top right
- Select Profile
- Click the Sign-in info tab
- Scroll down to App passwords
- Click Get app password
- Type a name: Outlook
- Click Create
- Copy the password — it is shown only once — paste it into Notepad or take a screenshot
How to Add SBCGlobal to Outlook — Manual Setup (All Versions)
Outlook 365 / Outlook 2024 / Outlook 2021
- Open Outlook and click File in the top left
- Click Add Account
- Enter your full @sbcglobal.net email address
- Click Advanced options — check Let me set up my account manually
- Click Connect
- Select IMAP
- Enter incoming server: imap.mail.att.net — Port: 993 — Encryption: SSL/TLS
- Enter outgoing server: smtp.mail.att.net — Port: 465 — Encryption: SSL/TLS
- Click Next
- Enter your App Password when prompted — not your regular AT&T password
- Click Connect — Outlook verifies and completes setup
Outlook 2019 / Outlook 2016
- Open Outlook and go to File — Add Account
- Select Manual setup or additional server types
- Click Next
- Select POP or IMAP — click Next
- Fill in:
- Your Name: as you want it to appear in sent emails
- Email Address: your full @sbcglobal.net address
- Account Type: IMAP
- Incoming mail server: imap.mail.att.net
- Outgoing mail server: smtp.mail.att.net
- Username: your full @sbcglobal.net address
- Password: your App Password
- Click More Settings
- Go to Outgoing Server tab — check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication
- Go to Advanced tab — set Incoming port 993 SSL — Outgoing port 465 SSL
- Click OK — Next — Finish
SBCGlobal Outlook Settings — Quick Reference
| Setting | Incoming (IMAP) | Outgoing (SMTP) |
|---|---|---|
| Server | imap.mail.att.net | smtp.mail.att.net |
| Port | 993 | 465 |
| Encryption | SSL/TLS | SSL/TLS |
| Authentication | Required | Required |
| Username | Full @sbcglobal.net address | Full @sbcglobal.net address |
| Password | App Password only | App Password only |
Outlook Version Compatibility — SBCGlobal 2026
| Outlook Version | Compatible | Setup Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 (Outlook) | Yes | Manual IMAP setup | Auto-detect may fail — use manual |
| Outlook 2024 | Yes | Manual IMAP setup | New Outlook UI — File — Add Account |
| Outlook 2021 | Yes | Manual IMAP setup | Fully supported |
| Outlook 2019 | Yes | Manual setup — POP or IMAP | Fully supported |
| Outlook 2016 | Yes | Manual setup — POP or IMAP | Fully supported |
| Outlook 2013 | Partial | Manual setup | Microsoft ended support — may have SSL issues |
| Outlook for Mac | Yes | Tools — Accounts — Add Account | Same server settings — App Password required |
| Outlook Mobile (iOS/Android) | Yes | Add Account — Other — IMAP | App Password required |
SBCGlobal Outlook Problems — Fix Table
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook keeps asking for password | Using regular AT&T password — App Password required | Generate App Password at signin.att.com and update in Outlook account settings |
| Cannot connect to incoming server | Wrong IMAP server or port | Set imap.mail.att.net port 993 SSL — check spelling carefully |
| Emails send but do not arrive | Wrong SMTP settings | Set smtp.mail.att.net port 465 SSL with authentication enabled |
| Outlook auto-detect fails | AT&T Mail not in Outlook auto-config database | Always use manual setup — never rely on auto-detect for SBCGlobal |
| SSL certificate error | Certificate warning from AT&T server | Click Yes or Accept to trust the certificate — it is legitimate |
| Test account settings fails | App Password not entered or wrong | Delete account and re-add — enter App Password carefully — no spaces |
| Outgoing authentication error | SMTP auth not enabled | In More Settings — Outgoing Server — check My outgoing server requires authentication |
| Emails not syncing — old only | IMAP folder subscription missing | Right-click account in Outlook — IMAP Folders — Query — subscribe to Inbox and other folders |
How to Update SBCGlobal Password in Existing Outlook Account
If you already have SBCGlobal set up in Outlook and it stopped working — update the password without deleting the account:
- In Outlook go to File — Account Settings — Account Settings
- Double-click your SBCGlobal account
- In the Password field — delete the existing password
- Enter your new App Password
- Click Next — Outlook tests the connection
- Click Finish
If Outlook still fails after updating the password — go to More Settings — Outgoing Server and make sure authentication is checked. Then go to Advanced and verify port 993 SSL incoming and port 465 SSL outgoing.
SBCGlobal in New Outlook vs Classic Outlook
Microsoft introduced a new Outlook interface in 2024 that looks different from the classic Outlook. Both support SBCGlobal but the setup path differs:
| Feature | New Outlook (2024) | Classic Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Add account path | Settings gear — Mail — Accounts — Add account | File — Add Account |
| Manual setup option | Advanced — IMAP | Manual setup or additional server types |
| App Password requirement | Yes — same requirement | Yes — same requirement |
| Auto-detect SBCGlobal | Usually fails — use manual | Usually fails — use manual |
| Switch between versions | Toggle at top right of Outlook window | Toggle at top right of Outlook window |
Outlook setup steps verified against Microsoft’s official Outlook account setup documentation and AT&T’s IMAP configuration guide.
First generate an App Password at signin.att.com under Profile — Sign-in info — App passwords. In Outlook go to File — Add Account — enter your @sbcglobal.net email — Advanced options — Let me set up manually — IMAP. Set incoming server imap.mail.att.net port 993 SSL and outgoing smtp.mail.att.net port 465 SSL. Enter your App Password not your regular AT&T password. Auto-detect almost always fails for SBCGlobal — always use manual IMAP setup.
Outlook keeps asking for your SBCGlobal password because you are using your regular AT&T account password instead of an App Password. AT&T required App Passwords for all third-party email clients including Outlook since 2023. Generate an App Password at signin.att.com under Profile — Sign-in info — Manage app passwords. In Outlook go to File — Account Settings — double-click your SBCGlobal account — update the password to the App Password. Outlook will stop asking once the correct App Password is entered.
SBCGlobal IMAP settings for Outlook: incoming server imap.mail.att.net port 993 SSL/TLS encryption authentication required. Outgoing SMTP server smtp.mail.att.net port 465 SSL/TLS authentication required. Username is your full @sbcglobal.net email address for both incoming and outgoing. Password must be an App Password generated at signin.att.com — your regular AT&T password will not work in Outlook. These settings work in Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and Microsoft 365.
Yes. SBCGlobal email works in Microsoft 365 Outlook using manual IMAP setup with an App Password. Go to Settings — Mail — Accounts — Add account in the new Outlook interface, or File — Add Account in classic Outlook. Select manual setup and IMAP, enter imap.mail.att.net port 993 and smtp.mail.att.net port 465 both with SSL, and use your App Password generated at signin.att.com. Auto-detect rarely works for SBCGlobal — always set up manually.
If SBCGlobal is not sending email in Outlook, the outgoing SMTP server needs to be corrected. Go to File — Account Settings — double-click SBCGlobal account — More Settings — Outgoing Server tab — check My outgoing server requires authentication — use same settings as incoming server. Then go to Advanced tab and set outgoing port to 465 with SSL/TLS encryption. Make sure the SMTP password is your App Password not your regular AT&T password.
The SBCGlobal SMTP port for Outlook is 465 with SSL/TLS encryption. Some Outlook versions may work with port 587 with STARTTLS as an alternative if 465 does not connect. The outgoing SMTP server address is smtp.mail.att.net. Authentication must be enabled using your full @sbcglobal.net email as username and your App Password as the password. Port 25 should never be used as it is blocked by most internet providers.
To update your SBCGlobal password in Outlook without deleting the account: go to File — Account Settings — Account Settings — double-click your SBCGlobal account. Delete the old password and enter your new App Password. Click Next to test the connection, then Finish. Generate a new App Password at signin.att.com if your current one stopped working. Each App Password can be revoked and replaced without affecting other devices.
Yes. SBCGlobal email works in Outlook for Mac using the same IMAP settings. Go to Tools — Accounts — click the plus sign — New Account — enter your @sbcglobal.net email. When prompted for server details enter imap.mail.att.net port 993 SSL for incoming and smtp.mail.att.net port 465 SSL for outgoing. Use your App Password generated at signin.att.com. The process is similar to Windows Outlook but the menu path differs slightly on Mac.
- SBCGlobal Email Login 2026 — Sign in guide and password reset
- SBCGlobal Email Not Working 2026 — 10 fixes for all common problems
- SBCGlobal Email Settings 2026 — IMAP SMTP POP3 for all email clients
- SBCGlobal Email on iPhone 2026 — iOS Mail setup and fix guide
- SBCGlobal Email on Android — Android device setup guide
Guide by Robins Antony, Digital Technology Writer, Webova Soft. Outlook setup steps verified against AT&T official email client setup documentation at att.com/support as of September 2026. Official AT&T support: 800.288.2020.
