How to resolve IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E?

Pritam Majumdar | Updated On - September 05, 2022 |

Read time 8 minutes

John had been using Outlook for as long as he could remember. It was his go-to application for email, and he had never had any problems with it until now. He was getting an IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E – and he didn’t know how to fix it.

It has been a never ending struggle for users like John. The error 0x800CCC0E is probably the most common error that MS Outlook, Outlook Express or similar email client users face while performing the email communication. This error can occur due to various reasons such as incorrect server settings, incorrect username or password, etc. But to your’s & John’s rescue, this article discusses the exact error that looks as followed:

The connection to the server has failed. Account: ‘your_account’, Server:’your_SMTP_server’, Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure (SSL): NO, Socket error: 10061, Error Number: 0x800ccc0e

After getting this error, it is always good to know why the error has occurred and how it can be resolved. The error message: 0X800CCC0E pops up because of number of reasons. This article thoroughly explains the causes of the error and some guidelines to easily fix the issue. Let’s talk about the cause first.

Reasons behind getting the Error 0x800CCC0E

The main reason behind the error 0x800CCC0E is a disturbed Internet connection. Any configurational changes that are blocking Outlook connection can also be a reason behind this error.

Some of the most common reasons behind 0x800CCC0E are listed below:

• Loss of connectivity to the Internet
• Antivirus settings restricting the connection
• Windows Firewall blocking certain features of Outlook
• Suspicious emails
• SMTP authentication error
• Faulty Add-ins
• Corrupted files
• Incorrect configuration with wrong port numbers

You should know the exact culprit in order to fix the issue quickly.

To fix the error, do the actions mentioned in the steps given below.

1. Check the Internet Connection
   If you are facing the IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E, it is possible that your internet connection is not working properly. To resolve this issue, please check your internet connection and make sure that it is working properly. Once you have verified that your internet connection is working properly, you should be able to resolve the IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E.
2. Check the settings for the Email Account in Outlook
   If you encounter the IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E while using Microsoft Outlook, it is likely that your email account settings are incorrect. To resolve this issue, please follow the steps below:
   1. Open Microsoft Outlook and go to the “File” tab.
   2. Select “Account Settings” from the drop-down menu.
   3. Click on the “Email” tab.
   4. Double-click on your email account to open the “Account Settings” dialog box.
   5. Ensure that the “Incoming mail server (IMAP)” setting is correct. It should be set to imap.yourdomainname.com (replace yourdomainname with your actual domain name).
   6. Ensure that the “Outgoing mail server (SMTP)” setting is correct. It should be set to smtp.yourdomainname.com (replace yourdomainname with your actual domain name).
   7. Click on the “OK” button to save your changes and close the dialog box.
   8. Close Microsoft Outlook and restart it. You should now be able to access your email account without any issues.
3. Delete email messages if they look suspicious
   If you are receiving the IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E, it is likely that you have received a suspicious email message. To resolve this error, simply delete the email message from your inbox. If you are unsure about the message, you can always check with the sender to confirm its legitimacy before deleting it.
4. Check the antivirus application & disable it

   If you are encountering IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E while trying to access your email account, then there might be some issue with the antivirus application installed on your computer. This error usually occurs when the antivirus program blocks the required ports for accessing the email account.

   To resolve this issue, you need to check the settings of your antivirus program and disable it temporarily. Once the antivirus program is disabled, try accessing your email account again and see if the error still persists. If the error is resolved, then you can enable the antivirus program and add an exception for the email application in its settings.

5. Check firewall configurations
   Make sure that your firewall does not block Outlook.exe from accessing Internet. However, this method has some security risks associated with it. So follow this method, only with caution.
6. Start Outlook in Safe Mode

   Launching outlook in safe mode can resolve many outlook errors.

   • In latest Windows versions like 10/8.1/8/7/Vista,
     In the Search bar, type outlook.exe/safe and hit Enter.
   • In Windows 2003, 2000 and XP,
     In Start>Run, type outlook.exe/safe and click OK.
7. The Outlook application will be opened in safe mode. Now, click on File>Options. Click the Add-ins option from the left panel and then click the Go option against the Manage Com Add-ins section from the right panel. Unselect the Add-ins and click OK to eliminate any issue through the add-ins.

1. Verify your Outlook profile
   To verify the working of your Outlook, create a new profile and send/receive messages with the new profile. If it is working fine, make the new profile as the default profile.

   Creating a new Outlook profile and setting it as the default profile will help you in fixing many Outlook errors.

2. Clean all the messages stuck in Outbox
   • Select the Work Offline mode under Send/Receive tab

     

   • Select the Outbox folder, move the messages to the Draft folder or Delete the message stored in Outbox folder.
3. Increase server timeout setting

   Server timeout setting can be modified by following the steps:

   • Launch Outlook.
   • Got to File>Info>Account Settings>Account Settings

     

   • Select the target account and click on Change.

     

   • Select More Settings and click on Advanced tab.
   • Increase the server timeout settings until the error is resolved.
     
4. Third party tools causing a problem
   There are various third -party products like Net Nanny, Marketscore (Netsetter) Internet Accelerator, and Panicware Pop-Up Stopper that may cause errors in Outlook. So just be aware of them.
5. SMTP server settings

   The IMAP error 0x800ccc0e can happen due to SMTP server settings and email configuration settings. There are 2 methods to modify the SMTP settings.

   Method 1: Change the outgoing server settings

   • Go to Outlook>File>Account Settings>Account Settings.
     
   • Under Email tab, select your email account and double-click on it.
     
   • In the new dialogue box, select More Settings.
     
   • Under the Outgoing Server tab, select the checkbox ‘My outgoing server(SMTP) requires authentication. Click OK.
     

   Restart Outlook and check if the error persists.

   Method 2: Change server port number

   • This process is almost same till you reach More Settings option while doing Method I.
   • Now, under the Advanced tab write the value for Outgoing server (SMTP) as 587. Click OK

   

6. Try Outlook recovery tools

Additionally, you can start Outlook in safe mode and can try the free PST repair tool (scanpst.exe). It is sure that the after trying all these steps, you will be able to fix the error. However, if you are not able to resolve the Outlook error 0x800ccc0e by utilizing the methods as described then it is ideally recommended to try a third party Outlook Recovery software like Kernel for Outlook PST Repair.

It is the best PST recovery software for MS Outlook 97, 98, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 versions. To repair Outlook PST files with best software to repair PST databases, download the free evaluation version to evaluate and test the features and functions. Later, you can download the licensed version to avail the software without any restrictions.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it. We’ve walked through the methods that should help you resolve the IMAP error – 0X800CCC0E. Hopefully one of these solutions worked for you and your email is now up and running smoothly again. If not, you can try to fix some PST corruption issues with Outlook. Try our recommended tool as it is an efficient and reliable tool that repairs corrupt or damaged PST files within minutes. You can try the free trial version of the software to evaluate its performance.