TechTipsApp

Technology tips blog

  • Articles
    Categories
    • Tech news
    • Internet
    • Social Network
    • Google
    • Geeky Tips
    • Android
    • Windows 10
    Top Posts
    • Install Windows XP from USB
    • Install Windows 7 from USB
    • Open Facebook When It's Blocked
    • Partition Hard Drive Without Formatting
    • Reset Windows 7 Password
    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy policy
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Conduct & Copyright Policy

Solve IMAP Server Has Closed The Connection Error in Outlook 2010

Tanmay Windows Leave a Comment

Perhaps one of the most annoying things about Outlook 2010 is the fact that some of its functions don’t work with IMAP server connections. When you add an IMAP account to Microsoft Outlook 2010, you end up with a number of problems; one of the most annoying being that the notifications don’t work. I’ll teach you how to add those notifications in a later article. Today, I want to talk about a dilemma many people face with their IMAP accounts on Outlook 2010 involving an error that says that the IMAP server has closed the connection.

Understanding The Problem

IMAP connections aren’t like POP3 connections. They’re much more complicated. An IMAP transaction usually involves a handshake, a retrieval, and a steady connection that consistently retrieves new mail. Because of this, the connection is sometimes severed, either by the server (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) or Outlook itself. There are a number of reasons why this happens.
Gmail users complain the most about IMAP issues in Outlook 2010. This happens because Google’s mail retrieval system works slightly different than what Outlook’s used to. In order to solve this problem, you would have to modify the connection timeout value present in Outlook. We’ll get to that in a minute.
Another cause: Anomalies found by Outlook often provoke the IMAP server to close the connection. In this instance, you should check for duplicate folder names, duplicate contact entries, or anything else that doesn’t add up in your email account. This is by far the most necessary step to take before assuming that the problem could be caused by something else.
Here’s one problem that can’t be solved at all: Outlook 2010 tends to open more than one IMAP session in many instances. Some servers don’t like this. In this case, you’ll just have to wait until either your email provider works around it, or Microsoft compensates for this in the next version of Outlook.

Fixing The Gmail Problem

You can’t really “fix” the problem found in Gmail if you’re using Outlook 2010. There is, though, a way to try to reduce the amount of errors that appear. I personally had this error appear on me like every hour or so. I managed to reduce the error instances to once per day with the following workaround:

  • Go to “File” and “Account settings.”
  • Select the email account you’d like to change the settings for and click “Change.”

  • Click “More settings” near the bottom right side of the dialog window.
  • Click the “Advanced” tab and move the slider under “Server Timeouts” to the far right. This makes the timeout last 10 minutes, meaning that Outlook will wait for a data stream from Google for that amount of time.


And once you click “OK,” you’ll be all set! But before you sigh a breath of relief, do know that it might not always work. For some reason, there are mysterious forces that act behind this. Google’s always tweaking its stuff, so it might just stop working at one point, and start working again after a week. Been there, done that. But at least, for now, the errors become much more tolerable, and sometimes are completely eliminated. If I find a better solution, I’ll be posting it up on the comments section below. Don’t hesitate to write some suggestions yourself!

Post Tags: Outlook-2010
Similar Articles from This Blog
A handy and Secured Way to Hide Files and Folders in Windows XP
A handy and Secured Way to Hide Files and Folders in Windows XP
Useful Tricks to Defragment Your System Drives in Windows
Useful Tricks to Defragment Your System Drives in Windows
Set Programs to Run Automatically at Windows Startup
Set Programs to Run Automatically at Windows Startup

Comments

  1. Mike :

    This DOES NOT eliminate the problem. It only causes it to happen less frequently.
    No one has a solution to this.

    Reply
    • Huxley :

      I tried numerous suggestions off the web to fix IMAP time out problem on Outlook with no success. I eventually gave up and tried using alternative free email products. I tried Thunderbird at first which handled IMAP ok with no time out problems but formatting emails when composing was frustrating. I am now using eM Client which is available as a free version for individual use (well, so far anyway) or purchasable in pro version. I find it much better than Thunderbird; it sets up easily, readily importing all the necessary server settings, past emails and contacts, and with no IMAP time outs. The eM Client is easy to configure and has a nice clean presentation. I can recommend switching from Outlook to eM Client.

      Reply
  2. Miguel Leiva-Gomez :

    Perhaps, in your case, it would happen less frequently. I did mention a disclaimer that this might not entirely solve the problem. But, on some mailboxes, it seems to do so. On two email accounts I have, this problem was eliminated.

    Reply
  3. Virginia Robertson :

    I was at my wits end with getting a Imap server error where server closes. I read your article. I followed your steps by setting server time out to 20. So fare no annoying errors. Thanks for your great assistance. I have been error free for more than a day. You are the expert.

    Reply
  4. William Sowa :

    It didn’t work! I did exactly what you said to do and nothing changed, I still get the pop up messages (always 2) constantly. Can you help?

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Us

Tech Tips App is a technology blog, looking forward to broaden the mental horizons of technical geeks round the web. Striving hard to quench your technical thirst, we have put our best efforts on the line of exhaust to satisfy your versatile technical vocabulary.

Recently Published

  1. Partitioning Hard Drive in Windows 7 Without Formatting
  2. How to Find My Contacts on Google Map
  3. Introducing SMS Organizer by Microsoft is the Best SMS App
  4. How to Fix Windows Update When It Gets Stuck
  5. How to Get Rid of Windows 10 Automatic Repair Loop [Solved]
  6. Best Antivirus for Windows 10 (Is Windows Defender Good Enough?)
  7. Best Facebook Messenger Bots to Get more out of Messenger
  8. How to Fax a Document From Your Smartphone
  9. Top Social Media Platforms You Should Always Know About
  10. Bitcoin vs Altcoin: Where to Invest? – Guide For Dummies

© 2021 Tech Tips App All Rights Reserved  Post Sitemap