Password error when configuring Alibaba Mail in Outlook and Foxmail-Alibaba Mail(Alibaba Mail)-阿里云帮助中心

Problem

When configuring an Alibaba Mail account in Outlook or Foxmail using POP3/SMTP, you get a "username or password incorrect" error even though the password is correct.

Solution

This error has two causes. Identify which applies to you, then follow the corresponding fix.

Cause A: POP3/SMTP service is disabled for the account

Log in to the Alibaba Mail web portal with an administrator account, then enable the service using one of the following options:

Single account: Go to Organization and users > Employee account management, click the user's name, and update the settings under Permissions.
Multiple accounts: Go to Organization and users > Bulk settings > Export/Import, export the target accounts, and check their status. Then use the POP3/SMTP service switch to enable the service.

Cause B: Username format is incorrect in the email client

The username must be the full email address — for example, user@yourdomain.com. An address without the domain name (the part after @) causes authentication to fail.

Open your email client's account settings and verify that the username field contains the complete email address, including the domain name. Update it if needed.