If you can't add iCloud Calendars, Mail, or Contacts to Outlook

Try these steps if you need help with your iCloud Calendars, Mail, and Contacts in Outlook, and learn about iCloud features that work differently in Outlook than they do on your Apple device.

Things to check first

Outlook

If you don't see recent changes, or iCloud for Windows doesn't support your version of Outlook, learn what to do.

If you don't see recent changes made in Outlook

If you recently made changes in Outlook that aren't updating on your other devices, or changes on your other devices that aren't updating in Outlook, click Refresh in Outlook.

If the installed version of Outlook isn't supported

If you receive an error that says the Installed version of Outlook is not supported by iCloud, uninstall the version of Office that you got from the Windows store. Then, follow these steps to install Office 365.

Mail

If you need help setting up or sending your iCloud Mail, learn what to do below.

If the Mail option in iCloud for Windows is grayed out

If you didn't set up an iCloud Mail account when you set up iCloud, the Mail option in iCloud for Windows might be grayed out.

  1. Set up an @icloud.com email address.
  2. Close and reopen iCloud for Windows.
  3. If you still don't see the Mail option, sign out and back in to iCloud for Windows.

If you have emails that stay in your Outbox

  1. Move the message from the Outbox to the Drafts folder, or delete it.
  2. Open the message in the Drafts or Deleted Items folder, then click Send again.

If you can't send or receive mail

If your mail doesn't sync across your devices

If you notice you need to delete emails from your inbox on all of your devices, your mail might not be synced between your iOS device and iCloud for Windows. To sync your devices, follow these steps:

  1. Open iCloud for Windows.
  2. Deselect Mail.
  3. Click Apply.
  4. Reselect Mail.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. Sign out of iCloud for Windows, then sign back in again.

If your devices still don't sync, learn how to update your folder list or troubleshoot other syncing issues.

If you want iCloud as your default account for sending mail

You can change your Outlook settings so that emails are automatically sent from your iCloud account. To make iCloud the default account, follow these steps in Outlook 2010 or later:

  1. Go to File > Account Settings.
  2. On the Info tab, click Account Settings.
  3. Choose your iCloud account from the list, then click Set as Default. If you can't click Set as Default, then your iCloud account is already the default account.

If you need help with your Calendar, Contacts and Reminders with iCloud for Windows, try these steps.

Turn iCloud Calendar, Contacts and Reminders off and back on

  1. Close Outlook.
  2. Open iCloud for Windows.
  3. Deselect the Mail, Contacts, & Calendars checkbox and click Apply.
  4. Wait a few seconds. Select Mail, Contacts, & Calendars, and click Apply.
  5. Open Outlook.

Make sure that the iCloud Outlook Add-in is on

The iCloud Outlook Add-in transfers your content between iCloud and Outlook. Follow these steps in Outlook 2010 and later to check and turn on the Add-in:

  1. Select the File menu.
  2. Click Options in the left panel.
  3. Click Add-ins in the left panel of the Outlook Options window.
  4. Look at the list of add-ins in the Active Application Add-ins section. If the iCloud Add-in is listed uner Inactive or Disabled Add-ins, make sure that Com Add-ins is selected in the drop-down menu next to Manage at the bottom of the window. Then click Go.
  5. Select the iCloud Outlook Add-in checkbox, then click OK.
  6. Restart Outlook.

Make sure that iCloud isn't your default account in Data Files

When iCloud is set as your default account in Data Files, your data won't sync between your devices.

  1. Select File > Info > Account Settings > Data Files.
  2. If iCloud is listed as the default account in the Comments column, select a different account.
  3. Click Set as Default.

After you've tried the above steps, restart your computer.

iCloud features that work differently in Outlook

Some iCloud features in Outlook work differently than they do on your Apple device. Here are a few tips to help you use Outlook with iCloud for Windows.

Mail and Notes

  • VIP Senders folders aren't available in Outlook.
  • Any mail rules that you create in Outlook aren't available in the mail applications for your other devices or on iCloud.com.
  • Signatures are saved locally to your device. You won't see signatures you create in Outlook on your other devices.

Notes isn't a separate application. Your notes are stored in a mail folder.

  • You'll find Notes that you create on your other devices in this folder.
  • Notes that you post to this folder from Outlook won't appear on your other devices, but you'll see them on any other computer using Outlook and iCloud for Windows signed in with the same Apple ID.
  • You can delete notes from this folder and they'll be deleted from your other devices.

Contacts

  • Outlook will only import the first contact in a vCard set.
  • If you need to add a vCard set to Outlook, import the set directly into iCloud.com or macOS Contacts. We will bundle the entire set for you and add them as individuals to your Contacts.

Calendars

  • When you add Calendar attachments to a Calendar entry in Outlook, you won't see them in Calendar for iOS or Calendar for macOS (or the other way around).

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