Fix 0x8004011c Outlook error when trying to set up email account

When trying to set up a new email account or an IMAP account in Microsoft Outlook, you may encounter the 0x8004011c error. The pop-up says, An unknown error occurred, error code: 0x8004011c. If you use the wizard, the error message reads, Something went wrong and Outlook couldn’t set up your account.

Why does Outlook error 0x8004011c occur?

The error 0x8004011c in Outlook usually appears when trying to set up an email account (IMAP) for a domain user and so shows up on profiles that were logged into the domain. It’s an Outlook connection issue with the Exchange Servers, and since it’s a server issue, your email account will fail to connect.

Some of the reasons why you may see the Microsoft Outlook error are:

When trying to create an ActiveSync profile in Outlook on a domain-joined machine.
If the internet connection is not working properly.
The type of Outlook account you are trying to set up.
If there’s a compatibility issue with Outlook.exe.
If there’s a Microsoft server outage.
Firewall blocking the email servers.

Fix Outlook error 0x8004011c when trying to set up an email account

While the below-listed methods are foolproof solutions for the Outlook error 0x8004011c, you may try a few preliminary steps first. However, if all these steps fail to work, you can try the methods to fix the Outlook error 0x8004011c when trying to set up an email account.

Preliminary steps
Create a new registry key
Disable compatibility mode IF it has been enabled
Create a shortcut to make Standard User run as Administrator
Edit the Outlook location string
Repair Office

1] Preliminary steps

Before we proceed with the main troubleshooting methods below, we should try some of the prelim steps:

Restart your computer and router
Make sure that all the data in the fields that are required is correct.
Check the internet connection stability
Ensure that Windows Firewall is not blocking Outlook.exe
Visit the Microsoft Service health page to check the Outlook server status
Update Outlook to the latest version.

2] Create a new registry key

This problem occurs when you do not have the ProtectionPolicy enabled, so you need to enable it. Before making any changes to the registry data, ensure you have created a backup of the registry settings to restore any lost data.

Press the Win + R keys together to launch the Run dialog.
Type regedit in the search bar and hit Enter.

In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the below path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\Protect\Providers\df9d8cd0-1501-11d1-8c7a-00c04fc297eb

Next, right-click on an empty space on the right side, and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Rename the new DWORD Value as ProtectionPolicy. Double-click to open the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value dialog.
Now, change the Value data field to 1 and press OK. This should fix the Outlook error code 0x8004011c.

Read: Fix Credential Manager Error 0x80090345

3] Disable compatibility mode IF it has been enabled

It could be possible that you see the error 0x8004011c when trying to set up an email account because the Compatibility mode for Outlook is enabled. This can interfere with the functioning of the email account and prevent you from creating an IMAP account. Here’s what you can do to fix the issue:

Press the Win + E keys together to open File Explorer.
Here, navigate to either one of the below locations based on where you have saved the Microsoft Office folder:
- C:\Program Files (x86)
- C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office
Now, look for the Outlook.exe file, right-click, and select Properties.
In the Properties dialogue, select the Compatibility tab, and then deselect the option – Run this program in compatibility mode for. Press Apply and OK.

Read: Outlook cannot synchronize subscribed folders, Error 0x800CCC0E

4] Create a shortcut to make Standard User run as Administrator

Although a bit long, this method has been proven to be very useful for many users. We can either sign in as Admin and run Outlook as Admin, or we can create a new local profile, change the Outlook icon, and then open Outlook using the new profile:

Generate a local profile

Firstly, you need to create a local profile with the same username and password as the domain account. Now, open Outlook and set up the IMAP account as you would normally.

Once done, check if it’s working. If it is, then exit Outlook, sign out of the local account, and sign in to the domain account.

Create a new shortcut

Right-click on the desktop, select New > Shortcut.
In the Create Shortcut window, go to Type the location of the item field and type in with john as the local name:
- ```
runas /user:ComputerName\Administrator /savecred "C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\outlook.exe"
```
We must replace “ComputerName” with our device name, for example, DESKTOP-LJ8CVL0. Make sure to verify the correct syntax and path of the Outlook.exe file. Press Next.
Next, go to Type a name for this shortcut, and add a name. For example, My Outlook. Click Finish.

Change icon

Once the new desktop shortcut is created, go to Desktop, right-click on it, and select Properties.
Next, in the Properties dialog, select the Shortcut tab, and click on the Change icon button.
Now, click on Browse, navigate to the Outlook.exe file, select it, and select the Outlook icon. Press OK.

Open Outlook with a local account

Now that you have successfully created a new Outlook desktop shortcut, double-click on it to open the app. Enter the password for the local account once when asked.

Outlook will now open in the new profile that you created in the local account earlier.

Read: Can’t change Local account to Microsoft account, 0x80010002

5] Edit the Outlook location string

Please note that if the new Outlook skips the password, and instead, a Command Prompt window just opens and closes, then follow the below instructions:

Right-click on the icon, and remove /savecred from the location string as mentioned in the earlier point.

While the user would need to enter his password every time he opens Outlook, this will fix the Outlook 0x8004011c error for good.

6] Repair Office

If none of the above methods work, we can try to repair the Outlook app as we would do for other Microsoft Office products. Here’s how:

Type Apps and Features in the Windows search and select the result to open the Apps & features page in Settings.
Here, search for Outlook in the App list, click on the ellipsis (three dots) on its right, and select “Advanced option“.
On the next screen, scroll down and under Reset, click on Repair.
Now, we must wait for Windows to repair Outlook and once done, the 0x8004011c error should be gone.

Besides, if the Outlook error arises due to compatibility issues, it would be better to run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter tool to detect the cause and fix it on the spot.

How do I fix error code 0x800CCC0E in Outlook?

The error code 0x800CCC0E often shows up if you have added new folders to the Outlook account/s, or changed your password, This, in turn, distorts the data in the mailbox database, thus, leading to the error. However, there could be other reasons as well that may trigger the Outlook error.

In this case, you can check if the internet connection is working fine, delete any suspicious-looking emails, unblock any Firewall restrictions, or disable the antivirus temporarily.

What is error code 0x8004011d in Outlook?

When trying to connect or synchronize an Outlook account, you may encounter the 0x8004011d Outlook error. Some of the factors that may affect the synchronization process are, the internet not working properly, incorrect installation of Outlook, default gateway configuration, and more. However, you can turn on the exchange cache mode or create a new Outlook profile to fix the Outlook error.