why do I keep getting duplicate emails in my Outlook inbox?

Question

Why do I keep getting duplicate emails in my Outlook inbox?

Answer 1

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft community and letting us know what’s going on. To help me understand better, could you confirm if your email account is set up as POP or IMAP, and whether you check your mailbox on more than one device? This will help us figure out if the issue is related to POP settings, which often cause repeated downloads, or if it’s a syncing problem across devices.

In the meantime, here are some common reasons why duplicate emails appear in Outlook and what you can do about them:

Sometimes the same account is added more than once, for example as both POP and IMAP, which causes Outlook to download messages twice. You can fix this by going to File > Account Settings > Email and removing any duplicate accounts.

If you’re using POP, it might be leaving copies of messages on the server. When multiple devices use POP, each one can download the same message. Disabling the “Leave a copy on the server” option or switching to IMAP usually solves this.

Rules can also cause duplicates if they’re not set up correctly. Check your rules under Home > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts and make sure they’re configured properly.

Interrupted send/receive processes can lead to re-downloading messages. Review your settings under Send/Receive > Define Send/Receive Groups to ensure everything is correct.

A damaged PST or OST file can cause duplication too. Running the Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe) or recreating the OST file often fixes this.

Lastly, antivirus programs or certain add-ins can interfere with mail flow. Try turning off email scanning in your antivirus or disabling any suspicious add-ins to see if that helps.

Let me know if this helps and need clarification, I'm happy to help!

Warm regards,

Edward

Answer 2

Hi,

Thanks for your response, if need guidance, please don't hesitate to post back. Happy to help!

Warm regards,

Edward