Email Not Working?
Outlook, Bigpond & Optusnet
Settings for Perth (2026)

1. POP3 vs IMAP — Which Should You Use?

Before we dig into specific settings, you need to understand the difference between these two email protocols. Choosing the wrong one is actually one of the most common reasons people lose emails or end up with messages on one device but not another.

Still using POP3 from an old setup? We can migrate you to IMAP without losing a single email. It's one of the most common jobs we do.

2. Server Settings for Every Australian Provider

Here are the correct incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) server settings for every major email provider Australians use. We've verified these as of April 2026. If your email stopped working recently, double-check these against what's currently in your client — providers do change them.

* All providers require authentication (your full email address and password). Always use the SSL/TLS encrypted option where available.

POP3 Settings (If You Must)

If you have a specific reason to use POP3, swap the IMAP server for the POP3 equivalent and use port 995 with SSL. For most providers, the server address is the same — just change the port and protocol type in your email client. The SMTP (outgoing) settings stay identical.

3. Setting Up Outlook Step by Step

Whether you've just bought a new computer or you're setting up Outlook on a fresh Windows install, here's the process. This works for Outlook 2019, Outlook 2021, and the Microsoft 365 (subscription) version.

New Outlook (Windows 11 / Microsoft 365)

1. Open Outlook and click "Add Account"

   If Outlook is brand new, it'll prompt you automatically. Otherwise, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > New.

2. Enter your full email address

   Type your complete email (e.g., john@bigpond.com or sarah@optusnet.com.au) and click Connect.

3. Choose IMAP (if prompted)

   Outlook may auto-detect your provider. If it asks you to choose between POP3 and IMAP, always select IMAP unless you have a specific reason not to.

4. Enter the server settings manually

   If auto-detection fails (common with Bigpond and Optusnet), click "Let me set up my account manually" and enter the IMAP and SMTP settings from our table above. Set incoming port to 993, outgoing to 587, encryption to SSL/TLS.

5. Enter your password

   Use your email password — not your internet login. For Bigpond, this is the password you set at my.telstra.com.au. For Gmail, you'll need an App Password (not your regular Google password) if you have 2FA enabled.

6. Test the connection

   Outlook will attempt to send a test message. If it succeeds, you're done. If it fails, double-check server addresses, ports, and that your password is correct.

How to Set Up Email on a New Computer

If you've just bought a new PC or laptop and need your email working, the process above is exactly what you'd follow. The key thing people miss is that your emails aren't stored on the old computer if you were using IMAP — they're on the server. Just set up Outlook with the same credentials and everything will sync down automatically. This is exactly why we recommend IMAP.

If your old computer was using POP3, those emails are only on that machine. You'll need to export them as a .pst file and import them on the new one. If the old machine is dead, we can often recover that data — check our data recovery service.

4. Email Won't Send — Causes & Fixes

You can receive emails fine, but nothing goes out? This is almost always an SMTP (outgoing server) issue. Here are the most common scenarios we see in Perth:

5. Email Won't Receive — Causes & Fixes

Email not receiving is the issue we hear about most. People can send fine, but nothing new comes in. Here's what to check:

6. Common Outlook Error Codes Decoded

Outlook error codes look intimidating, but they actually tell you exactly what's wrong — if you know what they mean. Here are the ones we see most often in Perth:

If you're seeing an error code not listed here, take a screenshot and book a session with us. We've seen hundreds of Outlook error codes and can usually diagnose the issue from the code alone.

7. Bigpond & Optusnet — Known Issues in 2026

These two providers cause more email headaches in Perth than all other providers combined. Here's why, and what you can do about it.

Bigpond / Telstra Email

What's changed for Bigpond users:

• The old server mail.bigpond.com no longer works for many accounts. Use imap.telstra.com and smtp.telstra.com instead.
• Two-factor authentication is now required for some accounts — you may need to generate an app-specific password.
• Your password may have been force-reset during the migration. If Outlook keeps asking for your password, reset it at my.telstra.com.au.
• Some users report intermittent sync failures — Telstra's mail platform has had several outages during the transition period.

Optusnet Email

Common Optusnet issues we see:

• The IMAP settings change without notice. Always use mail.optusnet.com.au for both incoming and outgoing.
• Optusnet accounts have a 200MB inbox limit (yes, really). If you're not receiving emails, your inbox might be full. Clean it out via webmail.optusnet.com.au.
• SMTP authentication must be enabled — some older Optusnet configurations didn't require it, but it's mandatory now.
• Optusnet's spam filter is aggressive. Legitimate emails from new senders often get caught. Check your webmail spam folder regularly.

8. Setting Up Email on Your Phone

Email not syncing on your phone is incredibly common — and incredibly annoying. Here's how to set it up properly on both iOS and Android.

9. When to Call a Tech

We've written this guide to help you fix things yourself where possible. But some email issues genuinely need a professional. Here's when to stop Googling and book a tech:

• Corrupted Outlook data files (.ost / .pst) — the built-in repair tool (scanpst.exe) doesn't always work. We have professional recovery tools.
• Email migration — moving from Bigpond/Optusnet to Gmail or Microsoft 365 without losing years of emails, contacts, and calendar entries.
• Business email setup — configuring Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for your team, including DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
• Outlook profile corruption — when nothing else works and Outlook keeps crashing or throwing error codes.
• Email across multiple devices — getting everything syncing properly across your PC, laptop, phone, and tablet.
• You've been locked out — can't reset your password, don't have access to recovery options, or your account may have been compromised.
• You've already spent more than 30 minutes — your time has value. Our techs fix this stuff daily and can usually sort it in a single visit.