send/receive error

Question

I am getting a send/receive error when I try to retrieve messages

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

To help narrow down the issue:

1. Are you getting any specific error message?
2. Have there been any recent events, such as a hacking incident or password change?
3. What troubleshooting steps have you already taken? This will help me avoid recommending them again.

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If you haven't tried anything yet, I recommend checking out this Microsoft support article: "Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com" https://support.microsoft.com/office/can-t-send-or-receive-email-in-outlook-com-d39e3341-8d79-4bf1-b3c7-ded602233642

• Please scroll down and take a look at the sections titled "Can’t send mail in Outlook.com" and "Can’t receive mail in Outlook.com". It walks you through some helpful steps that usually resolve this kind of issue.
• Make sure your Focused Inbox is turned off, so all messages show in one place.
• Check your mailbox settings to confirm nothing is filtering or blocking those emails.

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If issue persists:

Can you please check if your Outlook (Attachments) storage is full?

If your mailbox is near or over the storage limit, new emails might not arrive in your inbox https://onedrive.live.com/managestorage in the same page, please check your OneDrive storage as it's linked to your Microsoft account and can sometimes affect email services if it's full.

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If issue still persists, please provide more details by answering my questions.

Click "Add comment" below to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

Use the built-in Outlook troubleshooting steps for send/receive errors.

1. Verify password and account

• If the email account password was changed on the provider’s website, update it in classic Outlook as well. See guidance under Have you changed your password recently?

2. Check antivirus and security software

• Some antivirus products scan email and can block sending/receiving if they detect an issue. Contact the antivirus vendor’s help desk or temporarily disable email scanning (not the whole antivirus) to test.

3. Repair Outlook data file (.pst/.ost)

• Classic Outlook often stores mail in a Personal Folders File (.pst). Corruption can cause send/receive errors.
• Run the Inbox Repair Tool as described in Run the Inbox Repair Tool. For detailed steps, see Repair your Outlook personal folders file (.pst) in the linked article.

4. Repair the Outlook installation

• If the Outlook program itself is damaged, repair Office:
  • Follow the steps in Repair your classic Outlook program (uses Repair an Office application).

5. Repair or recreate the Outlook profile

• A damaged mail profile can cause send/receive failures.
  • Follow Repair your classic Outlook profile to repair the profile.
  • If issues persist, create a new profile as described in Create an Outlook profile, then add the email account again and test send/receive.

6. Start Outlook in Safe Mode (to rule out add-ins)

• Some add-ins can block sending/receiving.
  • Press the Windows key, type outlook.exe /safe, press Enter.
  • If send/receive works in Safe Mode, create a new Outlook profile and disable problematic add-ins.

7. If using Outlook.com in a client

• If the account is Outlook.com and connected via a third‑party or older Outlook client, ensure it supports modern authentication and IMAP as described in Can't receive mail in Outlook.com.
• If IMAP/POP are enabled and causing issues with a connected app, disable them and reconnect as per POP, IMAP, and SMTP settings for Outlook.com.

If a specific error code appears (for example 0x8004210a, 0x800ccc0e, 0x80042109), use the troubleshooting methods in the Error list section of the classic Outlook article.

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References:

• I can't send or receive messages in Outlook
• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com