The 0x801941f7 error means that Windows Live Mail 2012 won’t connect to Outlook.com. This is due to the fact that since June 2016, Microsoft Outlook started using a new infrastructure, which is one that Windows Live Mail doesn’t work with. Due to the fact that the new infrastructure offers better performance, as well as security, there is no solution available for this issue, and you will have to find another way to use your e-mail.
You will start seeing this message as soon as your e-mail account is upgraded to the new Outlook. The application will stop synchronizing emails, calendar events and contacts altogether, and you won’t be able to use your e-mail with the Windows Live Mail 2012 application.
However, there are several alternatives that you can switch to, and they will all offer the same or greater functionality compared to Windows Live Mail 2012. Finding an alternative is by no means the ideal solution, but given that Microsoft has no intentions of making WLM 2012 compatible with the new Outlook, you don’t have much choice.
Option 1: Use Outlook as your mail client
If you’d rather avoid Metro apps, which is the other option, you can simply access your mail account via Outlook’s website. It gives you everything you need for your e-mail, and is the best option without installing anything, especially given the fact that you can practically access it from anywhere.
Option 2: Use the built-in Mail app for Windows 8/8.1/10
The built-in app is Microsoft’s recommended replacement for WLM 2012. It comes with all aforementioned versions of the operating system.
- Press the Windows key on your keyboard and type Mail, then select the result.
- Press the Settings button (gear icon in the bottom), then Manage Accounts and Change mailbox sync settings. Here you will have control of how much of your past data you want to synchronize with the new app. You can restore everything from the WLM 2012, and use it in this app.
Option 3: Use Outlook 2016
Outlook 2016 is part of the Office suite for Windows, and as such requires an Office subscription. There are a number of other software applications that you get with this subscription, so it is worth looking at if you use your device for productivity. You will be prompted to enter your mail account information the first time you start it, and afterwards it’s fairly straightforward to use.
Even though this is a substantial change that caught a number of users by surprise, it is true that the new methods for using Outlook mail are far more useful and offer better security features than Windows Live Mail 2012. It is something that should be taken as a way of Microsoft improving its services, and you have a number of alternatives to choose from, as mentioned above.