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Hosted Exchange: Outlook (Windows) Keeps Asking for a Password

Note: This help article applies only to Hosted Exchange. If you are not sure which email service you use, you can find more information in the following article.

https://www.green.ch/en/which-email-service-do-i-use

 

If Outlook on Windows repeatedly asks you to enter your password, there may be various causes. The cause is often not the Hosted Exchange service itself, but locally stored Outlook, Exchange or Windows credentials.

 

Possible Causes

  • Outdated Outlook versions
  • Incorrect or outdated Windows credentials
  • Local Outlook configurations
  • Problems with Microsoft Autodiscover
  • Firewall or antivirus software
  • Outdated passwords on individual devices

 

Check the Password in Webmail

First, check whether the password is correct.

  1. Open Outlook Web Access (OWA).
  2. Sign in with your full email address and current password.

https://ch.exg7.exghost.com/owa

If you can sign in to webmail, the email address and password are correct. The cause is then often on the local device or in Outlook.

If you cannot sign in to webmail, reset the password first.

https://www.green.ch/en/reset-email-password-hosted-exchange

 

Check the Outlook Version

Make sure that Windows and Outlook are up to date.

Older Outlook versions may cause connection and authentication problems.

Note: When experiencing problems with Hosted Exchange, using a current version of Outlook is recommended. Outdated Outlook versions may no longer receive security and compatibility updates.

 

Check Antivirus and Firewall Software

Certain antivirus or firewall products may affect Outlook authentication.

  1. Temporarily disable the antivirus or firewall software for testing.
  2. Restart Outlook.
  3. Check whether the repeated password prompts still occur.

If the password prompt disappears, check the relevant exceptions and settings in your security software.

Note: Enable your antivirus software again after the test.

 

Remove Stored Windows Credentials

Outdated or corrupted credentials are a common cause of repeated password prompts.

  1. Close Outlook completely.
  2. Check in Task Manager that Outlook is no longer running.
  3. Open Windows Credential Manager.
  4. Back up the existing credentials using Back up Credentials.
  5. Look for entries related to Outlook, Microsoft Office or your email address.
  6. Remove these entries.
  7. Restart Outlook.

 

Resolve Autodiscover Problems

In some cases, Outlook uses incorrect or outdated Autodiscover information.

This may cause Outlook to attempt to connect the mailbox using an incorrect configuration.

Typical signs:

  • The account works only temporarily after being set up again.
  • Outlook uses an incorrect sender address.
  • The setup fails repeatedly.
  • Password prompts continue to appear despite the correct password.

You can find further information in the following article:

https://www.green.ch/en/hex-outlook-autodiscover-issue

 

Update the Password on All Devices

After changing the password, you should update the new password on all devices.

These include, for example:

  • Outlook
  • Apple Mail
  • iPhone and iPad
  • Android devices
  • Other email applications

If devices continue to use the old password, repeated authentication attempts and renewed password prompts may occur.

 

Typical Outlook Problems

Repeated password prompts may occur together with other symptoms.

These include:

  • Temporary Exchange error messages
  • Incorrect Outlook profiles
  • Incorrect Exchange configurations
  • Outdated stored credentials

If Outlook continues to ask for the password even though the OWA sign-in works and the credentials have been updated, also check your Outlook profile or set up the Hosted Exchange account again.

https://www.green.ch/en/hosted-exchange-automatically-set-up-lite-full-in-outlook

https://www.green.ch/en/outlook-windows-manually-set-up-a-hosted-exchange-account

 

Further Information

Hosted Exchange overview:

https://www.green.ch/en/all-about-hosted-exchange

Reset password:

https://www.green.ch/en/reset-email-password-hosted-exchange

Connection details:

https://www.green.ch/en/email-connection-details-hosted-exchange

Connection details and instructions:

https://www.green.ch/en/read-hex-connection-data-and-instructions/links

 

Check Version

First, check which version of Outlook you are using. Make sure that you have downloaded and installed all current updates for the Windows operating system and Outlook.

Note: We recommend that you use the latest version of Outlook. The following versions are recommended:

  • Classic Outlook: Microsoft Outlook for M365 MSO.
  • Outlook (New)

The versions Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016 are already outdated or will soon become outdated. The end-of-life dates (after which no further software updates are available) are as follows:

  • Outlook 2013: 11 April 2023.
  • Outlook 2016: 14 October 2025.

After these dates, we strongly advise against continuing to use the application, as Microsoft will no longer provide new security updates. Switch to a newer version instead.

 

Antivirus Software

To ensure that no antivirus software is affecting Outlook’s behaviour, temporarily disable the program.

Restart Outlook and check whether the behaviour has changed. If the repeated password prompts no longer appear, this indicates that the antivirus program is affecting the authentication process, for example through its firewall.

Note: Remember to reactivate your antivirus program after testing. Some products reactivate themselves automatically after a certain period of time.

Registry Editor (Advanced Users)

If Outlook still prompts you to enter your password even with the antivirus software disabled, proceed as follows:

Note: These steps are recommended only for advanced users. If you are unsure, ask someone who is familiar with computers for assistance.

  1. Close Outlook completely:
    The icon must no longer be visible in the navigation bar at the bottom. Use the Task Manager to check whether the application has been closed.
     
  2. Open Windows Credentials:
    Search for Credential Manager using the keyboard shortcut: Windows + S: Credential Manager.
     
  3. First, back up the credentials by clicking Back up Credentials.
     
  4. Remove the listed Windows credentials relating to Outlook, Microsoft Office and your email address.
    Click the grey arrow to the right of each entry and then click Remove.
     
  5. After all relevant entries have been removed, save the .zip file shown below locally on your computer.
     
  6. Extract the .zip file to the desktop, then run the extracted HexExchangeUpdateFix file by double-clicking it.
     
  7. Restart your computer and open Outlook again.