Unable to get emails in my inbox, no notifications (Outlook for Windows)

Question

I am not receiving emails, but when I search I find them.

[Moderator note: thread updated with version of Outlook]

Answer 1

Dear Ingrid, 

Nice to meet you!  

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Community. I understand you're experiencing an issue where emails aren't appearing in your inbox or generating notifications, but you’re able to locate them by searching. I’d be glad to help troubleshoot this for you. 

To assist you effectively, could you please provide the following details: 

• Email Account Type: Is this a Microsoft 365 (Exchange) account, Outlook.com, or another provider?
• Email Platform: Are you using Outlook on the web, desktop app, mobile app or a combination?
• Date Range of Affected Emails: Do you notice this issue only for recent messages or older ones too?
• Folder Behavior: Are the emails possibly being auto-routed to other folders like Focused, Other, Junk, Archive, or Clutter?
• Rules or Filters Applied: Do you have any inbox rules set up that may move or hide messages?
• Search Details: When searching, are the emails marked as read/unread, or do they show any unusual tags?
• Notification Settings: Have you recently changed any mail alert or notification preferences?

Once we have this information, we’ll investigate mailbox routing, filtering, and notification settings to determine the root cause. In many cases, the issue may relate to Focused Inbox settings, conditional formatting, or synced mobile apps. 

Look forward to your response! 

Warm regards, 

Chris-DKN - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist.

Answer 2

I think Microsoft 365 outlook, desktop app

Only recent after 3:30pm yesterday Wednesday

Emails not auto routed

No inbox rules

emails are marked read when searched

Haven't changed any settings

Answer 3

Dear Ingrid,  

Thank you for your response and for providing the detailed information. 

Based on your description, this may be caused by one or more of the following Outlook features or conditions, which can silently affect mail display and notifications. 

1. Check Focused Inbox 

Outlook’s Focused Inbox splits your inbox into “Focused” and “Other” tabs: 

• Go to View → Show Focused Inbox to enable/disable the feature.
• Switch to the Other tab and check if recent messages appear there.

If this feels unnecessary for your workflow, you can turn it off via: 

• File → Options → Mail → Focused Inbox → Uncheck “Show Focused Inbox.”

NOTE: Focused Inbox only works with Exchange accounts**.** If you're using POP/IMAP or another provider, the option won’t appear. 

2. Inspect View and Filters 

It’s possible that a custom view or filter is hiding recent emails: 

• Go to View → View Settings → Filter and click Clear All.
• Also check Sort settings,  make sure emails aren’t sorted in a way that hides recent ones.

3. Review Auto-Marking as Read 

You mentioned that searched emails appear as “read” Outlook may be auto-marking them as read upon preview: 

• Go to File → Options → Mail → Reading Pane.
• Uncheck “Mark items as read when viewed in Reading Pane” if you prefer manual control.

4. Check Desktop Notification Settings 

Even if emails arrive, desktop alerts might be off: 

• In Outlook: File → Options → Mail → Message Arrival
• Make sure “Display a Desktop Alert” and “Play a sound” are checked.
• In Windows: Settings → System → Notifications → Outlook
• Confirm that notifications are allowed for the Outlook app.

5. Run Outlook in Safe Mode 

To rule out add-in conflicts: 

• Press Win + R → type outlook.exe /safe → Press Enter.
• See if emails appear normally and alerts trigger in this mode.
• If they do, we can disable specific add-ins via File → Options → Add-ins.

6. Rebuild Outlook Profile (If Needed) 

If none of the above resolves the issue, rebuilding your Outlook profile may help: 

• Go to Control Panel → Mail → Show Profiles.
• Create a new profile and configure your Microsoft 365 account.
• Test to see if email flow and notifications work normally.

Please let us know the results of these steps, and if the issue persists, we can assist with a deeper mailbox diagnostic.  

Warm regards, 

Chris-DKN - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist.

Answer 4

Dear Ingrid,   

Hope you're doing well! 

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful. Have you had a chance to review the responses provided? Any update would be appreciated. 

If the issue has been resolved, please mark the helpful replies as answers. Your input not only helps improve our suggestions but also assists others in the community who might have similar questions.  

Please know that we're here to help and happy to provide any additional guidance needed to ensure everything is resolved smoothly. 

Let us know how we can assist you further! 

Warm Regards,   

Chris-DKN - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist.