Question
What is an O365 app password and how do I use it?
Answer
What is an App Password?
After you turn on MFA or set up the Authenticator app, you may run into issues if you use apps or older devices (like Windows Phone 8 and Xbox 360) that don't support MFA verification.
If you have MFA verification turned on and an app isn't prompting you to enter a security code when you sign in, you may be able to sign in with an app password instead. An app password is a long, randomly generated password that you provide only once instead of your regular password when signing in to an app or device that doesn't support two-step verification.
You only need to create an app password if you have two-step verification turned on and are using an app that doesn't support it.
To Create the App Password:
To create a new app password for an app or device, take the following steps. You can repeat these steps to create an app password for as many apps or devices as you need.
- Go to the Security basics page and sign in to your Microsoft account.
- Select Add Method.
- The Add Method screen pops up, then select the APP Password method from the drop-down list. A new app password is generated and appears on your screen.
- Enter this app password where you would enter your normal password.
APP Password will be required for the following applications, as MFA is not supported:
-
Outlook Desktop App
-
Outlook.com email app on iPhone
-
Default email app on Android Phone
-
Windows Phone
-
Outlook.com on Blackberry devices
-
Microsoft Office 2010
- Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
To use the app password in Outlook, you will need to do these steps one time.
-
Open Outlook
- Wherever you are prompted for your password, paste the app password in the box. For example, if you've already added your account to Outlook, when prompted, paste the app password here:
- Or, if you're adding your Office 365 account to Outlook, enter your app password here:
- Restart Outlook.