MS Outlook is one of the best free email clients that have a huge customer base and list of errors.  Occasionally, Outlook users face some specific glitches while using this Microsoft service. The Outlook connect error 10060 is one of the common errors, which occur when there is a problem to connect with the SMTP server. 

This error prevents the system to launch the programs that are running in the background of the computer. It can also slow down the performance of the device. As a result, the system starts to freeze frequently. 

If you are one of the affected users, this article can help you a lot. In this guide, you will know some of the most effective ways, which can help you to solve this error. So, you can take a glance at the rest of the post. 

What Causes the  Connect Error 10060? 

There are a lot of reasons that can lead to this error. Let’s have a look at the causes provided below: 

• Incomplete or improper installation of the Outlook program. 
• Accidental deletion of the essential Outlook related system files. 
• Authentication problems or wrong email settings with the SMTP server. 
• Conflicts with Firewall Security.  
• The presence of viruses or malware often interrupts the connection of Outlook. 
• Damaged registry files or outdated device drivers. 

After identifying the causes, you just need some hacks to troubleshoot this error. 

Easy Tips and Tricks to Solve the Outlook Connect Error 10060

Here are some simple ways which can help you to troubleshoot this error without any technical support. 

Procedure 1: Repair the Corrupted Registry Files

To troubleshoot the connect error 10060, you should check if there are any damaged registry files. To do that, you should perform the steps as follows: 

1. First, you have to launch the Run command box. Press the R and Windows keys both at the same time to open this. 
2. Now, type “cmd” in the Run box and press the Enter key while holding the Ctrl and Shift key simultaneously. 
3. Next, tap on the Yes button from the permission box. Thereafter, you should type “regedit” in the box and hit the Enter key to execute this. 
4. You can choose MS Outlook from the registry editor to create a new backup key. Afterward, go to the File menu and click on the Export option.
5. Now, you will see the “Save In” list. Choose a folder where you want to save the backup key of Outlook. 
6. After that, rename the backup file. Then, choose the selected branch from the Export Outlook box. Tap on the Save button. It will automatically save the file with the ‘.reg’ extension. 

Once you complete the above steps, you should try to access the Outlook account to check if the issue gets resolved. 

Procedure 2: Scan for Virus or Malware

The error code 10060 might be appearing on the system due to a virus or malware infection. You can fix this by running the SFC checker. 

It is an in-built tool of Windows OS that helps the users to scan the entire device for any virus. It also comes with the efficiency to eliminate the virus by itself. 

How to Scan the System for Virus or Malware? 

• First and foremost, launch the Start menu and type “command prompt” in the search bar. 
• Then, choose the ‘Run as Administrator’ option after right-clicking on the first search result. It will open the Command Prompt window with Admin’s privilege. 
• Now, type the command “sfc/scannow” in the command line. Run the command by pressing the Enter key. 
• Now, it will start to scan the entire system for any damaged or corrupted system files. If it detects any virus or malware, it will also eliminate them from the computer automatically. 

Procedure 3: Check the Names of SMTP and POP3 Servers

Now, you should check if the names of the SMTP or POP3 servers are correct or not. Here, you also need to check the Settings and the SMTP port.   

Afterward, allow the authentication of the outgoing SMTP server. Now, open the Settings and select the ‘My server requires authentication option. 

Now, you should log in to your Outlook account. Then, try to send an email. If you see it is sent normally, it’s good! Otherwise, you should check the junks of the system. 

Procedure 4: Clean out the Junk Files of the System

If there are so many junk files on your computer, it also might be the reason behind this error. So, you need to clean the system junks regularly to prevent this error. Check if you have not cleaned the junks for a long time. 

Here are the steps you should follow to do this: 

1. Open the Run window by pressing the R and Windows key simultaneously. 
2. Then, type “temp” in the Run box and hit the Enter key to go to your target page. 
3.  Now, it will open a list of all the temp files of the system. Select all of them and click on the Delete button to remove them from your computer. 

Procedure 5: Update the Device Driver

You can also fix the error code 10060 by updating the drivers of the device. To do that, open the  Device Manager by going to the Start menu. 

Then, click on the ‘Monitors and Network Adapters’ option. Now, find your device name. Once you locate your device’s name, click on the ‘Update Driver’ option. 

Thereafter, you will get the ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ option. Tap on it. If you see that no driver is available to update, you should perform the manual method.   

Additional Method: Uninstall and Reinstall the MS Outlook

If the error is occurring due to the corrupted or incomplete download of the MS Outlook, you can solve this issue by uninstalling and reinstalling a fresh version of the Outlook program. 

How to Reinstall the MS Outlook? 

1. First, open the Control Panel by going to the Start menu. Then, navigate to the ‘Programs and Features’ section. 
2. Now, search for the MS Outlook program by going to the Name menu. 
3. Once you locate MS Outlook, you should tap on the Uninstall button. 
4. Complete the uninstallation process by following the on-screen guidance. 
5. After completing the uninstallation process, you should download an updated version of MS Outlook to perform the reinstallation process. 

After that, you should check if the issue has been fixed. 

Final Recommendation

In the above guide, we have listed down some foolproof solutions to get rid of the connect error 10060. You can easily perform the above methods without any technical knowledge. 

Here, we also included an additional method. So, if all the above methods failed to fix the error code 10060, you can execute this solution.  

After executing the above solutions, it will help you to use the Outlook service in a hassle-free manner.