How to fix "unable to send message at this time" in Outlook web based (@live.com)

Diane Z 0 Reputation points
2025-03-13T13:25:10.5433333+00:00

When trying to send an email with an attachment I get the error message "there was a problem sending this message. Please try again later." The message does not send but I can still receive emails to my account.

I was still able to send a test email that had no attachment and that went through but I mainly use this account with attachments so I need to fix this.

I am able to receive emails with attachments, also. One of which is an attachment that came through when received, but now I can not forward it on to my usual group (the reason for this email account).

What do I need to do to fix this issue?

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business
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  1. Joan Hua-MSFT 5,300 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff
    2025-03-14T02:42:21.2866667+00:00

    Hi @Diane Z

    Welcome to our forum!

    Does the issue occur recently on Outlook for Web? Do you have any specific operation before the issue occurred? 

    Are you unable to send all of your emails with attachments, or are you just unable to send specific emails with attachments?

    Would you please provide a screenshot of the error?  (In order to avoid privacy leakage, please remember to hide your personal information.) 

    If you are unable to send all of your emails with attachments, you may take the following steps:

    • Go to Settings>Account>Storage, make sure you still have enough storage space to send emails, and if that's not enough, consider deleting some unwanted emails and attachments.
    • If you have enough space but still cannot send, it is recommended to change to a different browser or device and do the same test to see if the problem persists.
    • If it persists, the issue may be more related to your outlook.com account, It's suggested that you could post your case in dedicated forum for Outlook.com for more professional advice.

    If you are unable to send specific emails with attachments, please refer to the following suggestions:

    • The default maximum message size for an attachment is 10 megabytes (MB). Ensure that the total size of your attachments does not exceed the limit set by your email service. While the limit for many services is around 25MB, it can vary. If your attachments are larger, consider compressing them or using a file-sharing service like OneDrive.
    • If you can't forward messages with attachments, as a workaround, you might consider saving those attachments separately (and compressing them), drafting emails separately with attachments instead of forwarding.

    Hope it helps! 


    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

    Note: Please follow the steps in our [documentation] to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.  


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