Connecting Your Outlook Account

Gini can protect your Outlook, Hotmail, or Live.com email account from phishing scams. Follow these steps to connect your Microsoft email to Gini.

Email Addresses This Covers

This guide works for email addresses ending in:

  • @outlook.com
  • @hotmail.com
  • @live.com
  • @msn.com

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

  • The Gini Help app installed
  • Your Outlook/Hotmail email address
  • Your Microsoft account password

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Open Email Protection Settings

  1. Open the Gini Help app
  2. Tap Settings at the bottom of the screen
  3. Tap Email Protection

Step 2: Choose Outlook

You'll see a list of email providers. Tap Outlook.

You'll see the description: "Hotmail, Live, or Outlook.com"

Step 3: Sign In to Microsoft

A Microsoft sign-in screen will appear. This is Microsoft's official sign-in page.

  1. Enter your Outlook/Hotmail email address
  2. Tap Next
  3. Enter your password
  4. Tap Sign in

Step 4: Approve the Connection

Microsoft will show you what Gini is requesting permission to do:

  • Read your mail
  • Access your mailbox settings

This is necessary for Gini to scan your emails for phishing threats.

Tap Accept or Yes to approve the connection.

Step 5: Confirmation

You'll see a confirmation message that your Outlook account is now connected. Gini will start scanning your inbox right away.

What You'll See After Connecting

Once connected:

  • Email Protection in Settings shows a green checkmark
  • The status shows "Outlook Connected"
  • Any flagged emails will appear in the Gini app

How It Works

After connecting your Outlook account:

  • Incoming emails are automatically scanned for threats
  • Recent emails are checked for any phishing you might have missed
  • Suspicious emails get flagged with warnings
  • Your Outlook inbox stays the same - Gini works behind the scenes

Your Privacy

When you connect Outlook to Gini:

  • Emails stay in Outlook - We don't copy your messages
  • AI scanning only - No human reads your emails
  • Threat detection focus - We look for scam patterns only
  • Disconnect anytime - Remove access with one tap

Troubleshooting

"Sign in failed" error

  1. Double-check your email address is correct
  2. Make sure your password is right
  3. If you have two-step verification enabled, complete that step when prompted
  4. Try signing in to outlook.com directly first to confirm your account is working

Microsoft asks for verification

Microsoft may want to verify it's really you:

  1. Check your phone for a Microsoft Authenticator prompt
  2. Or enter a code sent to your phone/backup email
  3. This is Microsoft's security protecting your account

"Permission denied" or "Access blocked"

  1. Make sure you tapped "Accept" when Microsoft asked for permission
  2. Try the connection process again
  3. Some work/school Microsoft accounts have restrictions - check with your IT department

Connected but no alerts showing

This is good! It means Gini hasn't detected any phishing emails yet. When a suspicious email arrives, you'll see the alert.

"Already connected" message

If your Outlook account is already connected:

  1. You're all set - protection is active
  2. If you want to reconnect, disconnect first, then connect again

Disconnecting Outlook

To stop email protection for your Outlook account:

  1. Open Gini Help
  2. Tap Settings > Email Protection
  3. Tap Disconnect or Disconnect Outlook
  4. Confirm your choice

After disconnecting:

  • Gini immediately stops scanning your Outlook
  • We no longer have access to your email
  • Your Outlook works exactly as before

Work or School Accounts

If your Outlook email is provided by your employer or school (like yourname@company.com or yourname@university.edu), you may need permission from your IT department. Some organizations restrict which apps can access their email systems.

Questions?

For more help, see:

  • How Email Protection Works
  • Understanding Email Risk Scores
  • Email Protection Is Not Scanning My Inbox (Troubleshooting)