Fix: socket error: 10060, 0x800CCC0E

Socket Error 10060 generally indicates that whatever is trying to connect to the destination server has timed out. This error usually appears in e-mail clients or when attempting to access websites. Now, timeouts can occur for many reasons, but for e-mail clients, it is often due to the port and settings, whereas for websites, possible reasons include the website being down, or the website blocking your access if you can visit other websites but not a specific one.

In this guide, I will be focusing on this specific error in relation to email clients such as “Outlook & Windows Live Mail” because these are the clients most commonly affected since users are usually required to enter the settings manually. Personally, I would never suggest anyone use Outlook or Windows Live Mail because the support is limited, and there are numerous errors. I’ll tell you which one I would suggest at the end of this guide.

Ensure that you are only running one anti-virus software, not two. If there are two, uninstall one, as you do not need both. Two programs scanning a single connection or file could lead to blocking and result in a timeout error.

Next, call your ISP and ask them for the following details:

SMTP server address, port, and the SSL option.                                                                                                      IMAP or POP server address, port, and the SSL option. 

Once you have this, open your email client:

1. If it is Windows Live Mail, right-click the account in the left pane and select ‘Properties.’

2. Check the Advanced tab for port settings, and ensure they match the ISP’s suggestions, as well as the General tab for server addresses. Click Apply/OK if you have made any changes.

See the image below for port settings, which are the same for both Windows Live Mail and Outlook.

If this is on Outlook, then:

1. Go to Tools -> Account Settings.

 2. Select your account and click ‘Change.’

 3. Go to the Advanced tab to confirm port settings.

4. Ensure that the server settings from the other tabs are correct.

 As discussed above, my suggested and favorite email client is Thunderbird. It is free and open source, has a large community of users supporting it, and offers a huge number of plug-ins and add-ons.

When you first install it, setting up emails is extremely easy. It fetches all the settings by itself.