A Required Solution for the Error 17897 as Authentication Failed

The Error 17897 is associated with Outlook for Mac 2011 and occurs while sending email messages through the respective application. As an aftermath, the email failed to reach the recipient and gets stuck in the Outbox folder. Consequently, the user gets Authentication Failed Error 17897.

The detailed description for the workaround methods and procedures has been discussed in the upcoming sections.

Workaround Resolution Procedures-

Resolution 1: Verify Account Settings

To verify account details, sign-in to the corresponding web account to ensure that the user name and password credentials are correct.

Resolution 2: Toggle Authentication

   1.    Launch Outlook for Mac 2011.
2.    Click on ‘Tools’ and select ‘Accounts’.
3.    Select the appropriate email profile.
4.    In the ‘Outgoing Server’ window; click on the ‘More Options’ button and apply the appropriate settings as mentioned herein: 

• If the drop down box associated with ‘Authentication’ is set to ‘None’; apply ‘Use Incoming Server Info’ option by selecting the same from the drop down list and click on ‘OK’.
• If the option corresponding to ‘Authentication’ is set to ‘Use Incoming Server Info’ change the existing setting to ‘None’ from the available drop down menu.
• If the service provider for incoming mail server is different to that of outgoing mail server; then provide username and password credentials in the outgoing mail in the boxes provided with ‘User  Name and Password’ option available with ‘Authentication’ option.

5.    Once done, exit ‘Accounts’ window and then delete all the stuck messages from the Outbox folder.

Further, send a new email message from the Outlook 2011 profile to ensure if Mac Outlook error code 17897 as authentication failed has been resolved or not.

Resolution 3: Change SMTP Port

1. Launch Mac Outlook application.
2. Go to ‘Tools’ menu and then click on ‘Accounts’.
3. Select existing account.
4. Enable the checkbox associated to ‘Override default port’ box available under ‘Outgoing Server’.
5. Type ‘587’ in the provided port box.
6. Enable the checkbox corresponding to ‘Use SSL to connect (recommended)’.
7. Close the existing ‘Accounts’ window.
8. Delete all stuck messages from the Outbox folder and then try to send a test email message.

    Limitations Associated with Workaround Procedures

   The above stated resolutions help rectifying error 17897 as authentication failed message code. But, there are some drawbacks associated with these workaround measures:

•       Requires technical expertise to implement these methods.
•     Time Consuming as well as Possibilities of data loss exists.

     An Alternate Resolution to Rectify Mac Error Code 17897

     The above mentioned procedures are quite complicated, troublesome and time taken as well. Sometimes, inappropriate implementation of these methods might lead to file corruption as well as the inaccessibility of data.

    Therefore, there is an alternate solution available to regain access to data that has been lost due to Mac Outlook authentication error 17897. Outlook Mac Exporter helps to migrate all data from Mac Outlook .OLM file to MS Outlook .PST accounts.