Are you receiving—Couldn’t sign you in. This browser or app may not be secure. Try using a different browser. If you’re already using a supported browser, you can try again to sign in—when trying to connect your Gmail account with Outlook? Then, follow this easy guide to fix the problem.
Why Outlook cannot connect with Gmail?
1] Conflict or incompatibility between 3rd Party App and Google Account
Conflicts between Google Account and third-party Apps like Outlook may occur in many cases, especially when 2-step authentication is enabled. In such cases, app-specific passwords and their compatibility with the version of Outlook being used are common issues.
2] Less secure App access not enabled
The Access to Less Secure Apps option allows older or less secure authentication methods to connect Gmail with Outlook. If the version of Outlook is old or outdated, it may not support the updated authentication methods. Hence, the Less Secure App access option allows older or less secure authentication methods to connect Gmail with Outlook.
3] Incorrect date, time and Security settings
The validity of security certificates might be affected if the system date and time settings are incorrect. In such cases, the login service may not consider the connection trustworthy and deny access even if the correct login credentials are entered.
Cannot add Gmail to Outlook: This browser or app may not be secure
To resolve the error, changing the mail settings on both the Gmail account as well as Outlook can help us resolve the problem, as detailed below:
- Change default Browser (for Outlook web version)
- Add the Gmail Account to Outlook from scratch
- Check for incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) mail server settings
- Turn on Less Secure App Access.
Before you begin, restart your PC and router and try again and see if it works.
1] Change default browser (for Outlook Web version)
Problems in the browser can sometimes lead to the above error if we use the web version of Outlook. Hence, changing the default browser to Microsoft Edge can help us resolve the problem. To do so,
- Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots (…) at the top right corner to open the Browser Settings.
- In the Settings window, click on the default browser section in the left pane to open the Default Browser settings.
- Click on Make Default to set Microsoft Edge as the Default Browser.
- Select Don’t Allow from the drop-down list beside Allow Sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer Mode.
- Once done, add the Gmail account to Outlook to check if it works fine now.
2] Add the Gmail Account to Outlook from scratch
- Open Outlook and click on the File option at the top left corner.
- Click on Account Settings and then on the Email Tab
- Click New to Add a new account
- Enter the Name, Email Address, and Password as prompted, and click Next to complete the process.
Read: Configure Microsoft Outlook For Gmail – Manual Settings
3] Check for incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) mail server settings
Incorrect mail server settings can also be a primary cause of the error. Hence, the below-mentioned changes in the incoming and outgoing mail server settings can help in resolving the issue as described below:
Enable IMAP
IMAP must be enabled in Gmail before we can connect your account.
- Open the concerned Gmail mailbox.
- Click on Settings -> See All Settings -> Forwarding and POP/IMAP
- In the Forwarding and POP/IMAP section, click Enable IMAP beside IMAP Access.
- Click on Save the Changes to save the settings.
Change SMTP & other settings in your email client
Once the above changes are made to the Gmail account, the incoming and outgoing mail server settings need to be configured as well in Outlook using the below-mentioned steps:
- Open Outlook and click on File > Account Settings
- In the Account Settings window, select the concerned email address and then click on Change
- Enter imap.gmail.com as the Incoming Mail Server and smtp.gmail.com under Outgoing Mail Server in the Account Settings window.
- Once you have made the above changes, click the More Settings button at the bottom left corner and then click the Advanced Tab.
- In the Server Port Number section, enter 993 as the IMAP port number and 465 as the SMTP port number.
- Ensure SSL is selected for Use the following type of encrypted connection for both IMAP and SMTP.
Read: Outlook cannot connect to Gmail, keeps asking for password
4] Turn on Less Secure App Access
- Log in to the Gmail account and open the Security option.
- Scroll down to the Less Secure App Access section, and then click Turn on Access.
- Once done, add the Gmail account to Outlook and check if the error persists.
I hope the post was easy to follow and that you could add Gmail to Outlook.
Read: Outlook not receiving emails from Gmail
Why is Gmail no longer supporting Outlook?
Gmail supports Outlook. But issues can occur when using an old method to connect Outlook and Gmail. Since we have many new features, such as oAuth and a passwordless system, older methods will not work.
