Why can I not receive password reset links from several different companies

Hello Donna,

Thank you for reaching out. It is incredibly frustrating when you're locked out of an account and the reset emails don't arrive. I can certainly understand your concern.

The good news is that since this is happening with all websites, it means we can focus on fixing the problem in one place: your email account. It's very likely that your email service is accidentally blocking or misfiling these automated messages before you can see them.

Let's walk through a few simple checks, starting with the most common culprits.

Step 1: Check Your "Junk" or "Spam" Folder

This is the number one reason these emails go missing. Your email service might think the password reset email is junk mail.

• In your email, look for a folder on the left-hand side named "Junk," "Junk Email," or "Spam."
• Click on it and look carefully for any of the missing emails. They might be from addresses like "@company.com" or "@company.com".
• If you find one, click on the email and look for a button at the top that says "Not Junk," "Not Spam," or "Report as safe." This tells your email service to trust these messages in the future.

Step 2: Check if Your Mailbox is Full

If your email storage is full, it will stop accepting any new mail.

• Look for a message somewhere in your email, often at the bottom of the page, that says something like "You are using 14 GB of 15 GB."
• If it says you are at or near 100% full, you will need to delete some old emails to make space. The best ones to delete are old emails with large attachments. Important: After deleting emails, you must also empty your "Trash" or "Deleted Items" folder to free up the space.

Step 3: Check Your "Blocked Senders" List

It's possible you may have accidentally blocked emails from certain companies.

1. Look for a Settings menu, often represented by a gear icon (⚙️).
2. Inside Settings, look for an option called "Blocked Senders," "Blocked Addresses," or something similar.
3. Review the list. If you see any addresses that belong to the websites you're trying to get resets from, remove them from the list.

Step 4: A Quick Final Check: Spelling

When you request a password reset on a website, double-check that you are typing your email address perfectly, with no typos.

If you have tried all of the above and are still not receiving the emails after a few hours, the issue may be a temporary problem with your email provider (like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.). In this case, the only solution is to wait or to contact their customer support directly for help.

I hope these steps provide some immediate relief and guidance. I recognize the importance of your email account to you, and I'm here to help you through these troubleshooting steps.

Please let me know how these suggestions work for you, or if you'd like assistance in navigating Microsoft's support channels.

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