'Please wait to send' error Outlook

Question

'Please wait to send' error Outlook

J Neale 50

Error received is 'Please wait to send - Inline images are still loading. You can send your message after they've loaded'

User's image

The appears 95% of the time a user sends an email, in both Outlook on the web and the new desktop client, on multiple devices.

The only images in the email are from a signature, however the error will still appear if the signature is removed.

Does anyone know what the cause of this could possibly be?

Jake Marks 5 Reputation points

2025-09-12T14:44:25.2733333+00:00

We have this same issue today for one user. Tried repairing the profile, creating a fresh profile, and it still happened. We will try switching back to Outlook Classic today.
Curtis Kutzan 0 Reputation points

2025-09-12T15:40:22.2233333+00:00

We also have this issue in our tenant, reported by approx. 50 users so far over past week.

Only does NOT occur when using Outlook Classic. OWA, New Outlook, Outlook for Mac can all be affected.

Happens intermittently throughout the day to the users. Can be new emails, replies, or forwards. Usually there are inline images in the emails (whether sig or inserted by the user) though we do have a few reports that was happening with plain text emails as well.

So far the only perm fix is for users to use Outlook Classic for now.
Meagan A 0 Reputation points

2025-09-15T04:51:13.78+00:00

I have had the same issue for days, i do not want to remove my email signature to resolve this issue/ test. Its very frustrating as i am part of a government organisation and this is slowing down my response time
Joe Rodan 45 Reputation points

2025-09-18T08:16:51.9133333+00:00

That “Please wait to send – inline images are still loading” message is usually Outlook being overly cautious about attachments or signatures not finishing their background sync before sending. Even if it’s just a signature logo, Outlook still treats it like an image that has to load from somewhere.

A couple of things you can try:

Check the signature image source. If your signature image is hosted online (like pulling from a web link), Outlook may pause while it tries to fetch/verify it. Try embedding the image directly in the signature instead of linking it.

Clear the Outlook cache. Sometimes cached signatures or old settings keep causing issues. Clearing and re-adding your signature can fix it.

Test with a plain-text or image-free signature. Since you mentioned it still happens without a signature, test with just plain text and see if the error repeats. If it doesn’t, then the issue is definitely tied to how Outlook is handling images.

Disable “New Outlook” (as a test). The new Outlook client is still rolling out updates and has bugs. If you switch back to classic Outlook or just use Outlook Web App, does the issue still happen? That’ll tell you if it’s a client-side bug.

Update Outlook fully. Microsoft has been patching these “inline image” glitches fairly often. Make sure both Windows and Outlook are on the latest build.

If none of that works, it’s probably a known bug with the new Outlook client—so raising a support ticket with Microsoft 365 admin might be the cleanest way to confirm.

3 answers

Your answer

Jake Marks 5 Reputation points

2025-09-12T14:44:25.2733333+00:00

We have this same issue today for one user. Tried repairing the profile, creating a fresh profile, and it still happened. We will try switching back to Outlook Classic today.
Curtis Kutzan 0 Reputation points

2025-09-12T15:40:22.2233333+00:00

We also have this issue in our tenant, reported by approx. 50 users so far over past week.

Only does NOT occur when using Outlook Classic. OWA, New Outlook, Outlook for Mac can all be affected.

Happens intermittently throughout the day to the users. Can be new emails, replies, or forwards. Usually there are inline images in the emails (whether sig or inserted by the user) though we do have a few reports that was happening with plain text emails as well.

So far the only perm fix is for users to use Outlook Classic for now.
Meagan A 0 Reputation points

2025-09-15T04:51:13.78+00:00

I have had the same issue for days, i do not want to remove my email signature to resolve this issue/ test. Its very frustrating as i am part of a government organisation and this is slowing down my response time
Joe Rodan 45 Reputation points

2025-09-18T08:16:51.9133333+00:00

That “Please wait to send – inline images are still loading” message is usually Outlook being overly cautious about attachments or signatures not finishing their background sync before sending. Even if it’s just a signature logo, Outlook still treats it like an image that has to load from somewhere.

A couple of things you can try:

Check the signature image source. If your signature image is hosted online (like pulling from a web link), Outlook may pause while it tries to fetch/verify it. Try embedding the image directly in the signature instead of linking it.

Clear the Outlook cache. Sometimes cached signatures or old settings keep causing issues. Clearing and re-adding your signature can fix it.

Test with a plain-text or image-free signature. Since you mentioned it still happens without a signature, test with just plain text and see if the error repeats. If it doesn’t, then the issue is definitely tied to how Outlook is handling images.

Disable “New Outlook” (as a test). The new Outlook client is still rolling out updates and has bugs. If you switch back to classic Outlook or just use Outlook Web App, does the issue still happen? That’ll tell you if it’s a client-side bug.

Update Outlook fully. Microsoft has been patching these “inline image” glitches fairly often. Make sure both Windows and Outlook are on the latest build.

If none of that works, it’s probably a known bug with the new Outlook client—so raising a support ticket with Microsoft 365 admin might be the cleanest way to confirm.

Answer 1

Henry-N 16,325 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @J Neale,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Regarding that you receiving the error "Please wait to send". I’d like to ask a few quick questions to better assist you:

Does this issue happen with all types of images, or only with images from the signature?
Have you tried changing the size or format of the signature image? If so, does the issue still occur?
When you removed the signature image, did you reload Outlook or the website before testing if the error persisted?
Does the error occur only when sending emails with images or attachments, or does it also happen with plain text emails?
Have you try sending it in Classic Outlook does the issue persist?
Can you clarify that this only happen to the email with the image of the signature or is it also happen to email that don't have the image?
Can you check any other user have the same user?

Thank you again for your time and understanding. While my initial response may not resolve the issue immediately, I’d like to gather more details about your situation so I can assist you more effectively.

I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response!

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

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User's image

Henry-N 16,325 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-15T09:40:11.5933333+00:00

Hi @J Neale,

I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to follow up and see if you’ve had a chance to review my previous reply. If possible, it would be incredibly helpful if you could share a bit more detailed update of the issue.

It appears that other users in the comment section are experiencing the same issue. If you're an end user, I strongly recommend reaching out to your administrator and reporting the problem through the Microsoft Admin Center

And also I recommend that the admin should raise a support request so that the back end from Microsoft Support could if there is any issue.

A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.

The Global Admin should create a service request with Microsoft support to get advanced technical assistance and diagnostics. For detailed instructions on how to get support, please refer to Get support - Microsoft 365 admin.   

If you’re unsure who the Global Admin is within your organization, you can find guidance on locating them here: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support.  

Thank you again for your time and understanding. If there’s anything else I can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m here to help.

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
C Dart 0 Reputation points

2025-09-15T13:11:28.5433333+00:00

Hi Henry,

I am in the same organisation as @J Neale and we have had a couple of reports of the same issue from other members of staff now. We have logged it through admin centre now. Do you have any other suggestions?
Henry-N 16,325 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-15T14:32:43.3633333+00:00
Hi @C Dart,

I'm sorry for the inconvenience this issue has caused. Since you are the admin of your tenant, I strongly recommend following the steps I mentioned earlier to report the issue and raise a support request through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. This will allow the Microsoft Support team to investigate the issue on the backend using the appropriate tools.

A technical support engineer can:

Start a remote session to review the situation

Check backend configurations

Run necessary synchronization tools

Escalate the case to a specialized team if deeper analysis is needed

This is the most effective way to get advanced technical assistance and ensure the issue is properly diagnosed and resolved.  

Thank you again for your time and understanding. If there’s anything else I can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m here to help.

Answer 2

Ryan Riehle 0

I only have this issue so far when I am using the OpsHub plug in the desktop version of Outlook Office 365.

It seems to occur with replies; initial messages have been ok.

I don't download inline images by default for privacy purposes (there is a setting for this in Outlook), so probably something related to that as well.

Hornblower409 12,260 Reputation points

2026-06-20T22:22:49.34+00:00

@Ryan Riehle said

I only have this issue so far when I am using the OpsHub plug in

The first test would be to run Outlook in Safe Mode (disables all add-ins) to be sure that OpsHub is what is causing your problem.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-outlook-in-safe-mode-f394c2ee-b2af-e97a-64ee-35cd24414811

If that doesn't help, then you need to start a new thread using the "Ask a question" button at the top of this page to create a new Question and include the details for your specific problem. (You can put the link for this page in your new Question for reference)

Answer 3

Mads L 0

I have also encountered this issue at my workplace and i have also made a servicerequest to microsoft so they can look into this issue.
The only semi-fix i have found is to disable the "offline mode" in Outlook New. That has helped some of the users while others still face the same issue. Skærmbillede 2025-09-10 123240

J Neale 50 Reputation points

2025-09-18T08:05:46.28+00:00

This seems to have resolved the issue, thank you!