My Hotmail account is active but the mailbox is dormant. I can log in but I do not receive any emails at all. Please reactivate my mailbox (mail delivery service).

Question

My Hotmail account is active but the mailbox is dormant. I can log in but I do not receive any emails at all. Please reactivate my mailbox (mail delivery service)

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Moved from: Microsoft 365 Insider | Outlook | Windows.

Answer 1

To address the issue of your Hotmail account being active but not receiving emails, you may want to check a few things:

1. Check Spam/Junk Folder: Sometimes, legitimate emails can end up in the spam or junk folder. Make sure to check there for any missing emails.
2. Email Filters: Ensure that you do not have any filters set up that might be redirecting your emails to another folder or deleting them.
3. Mailbox Storage: If your mailbox is full, it may prevent new emails from being received. Check your storage and delete unnecessary emails if needed.
4. Account Settings: Review your account settings to ensure everything is configured correctly. You may want to verify your forwarding settings and ensure that your account is not set to forward emails to another address.
5. Contact Support: If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for assistance with reactivating your mailbox or resolving any underlying issues.

Unfortunately, I cannot perform any actions to reactivate your mailbox directly, but following these steps should help you troubleshoot the problem.

Answer 2

Hello Andre Barros, 

Thank you for your post in the Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand the concern when you can sign in to your Outlook.com (Hotmail) account but are not receiving any emails at all. 

I have reviewed the AI-generated response. The suggestions to check your Spam/Junk folder, email filters, mailbox storage, and account/forwarding settings are excellent foundational steps for any delivery problem. Please start by checking these areas, especially your storage quota and any active forwarding rules. 

For a guide on this issue, please also review the official troubleshooting steps here: Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com - Microsoft Support 

I would like to add important information specific to your "dormant mailbox" description:  A common reason for stopped email delivery on an otherwise accessible account is Microsoft's inactivity policy. To keep the service secure and functional, Microsoft may pause inbound mail delivery for accounts that have not been used to send emails or sign in for a very long time (typically around two years). 

Here is the key step to try: 

1. While signed in to your Outlook.com account, compose and send an email to another email address you own (or to a trusted contact). 
2. After sending, ask the recipient to reply. Also, try signing up for a newsletter or generating a test email from another service to your Outlook.com address. 

This action of sending an email can often restart the mail delivery service. Please try this and wait a short while to see if new emails start arriving. 

If sending an email does not restore functionality, and you have confirmed your mailbox is not full and has no misconfigured filters, you will need to contact Microsoft Support for a direct review of your account's mail service status. 

1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support 
2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Contact support" and press Enter. 
3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears. 
4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option. 
5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products". 
6. For the category, choose "Microsoft 365 and Office". 
7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser". 
8. Confirm your personal email when prompted - this is the email Microsoft will use to communicate with you during and after the support session. 
9. Explain your situation clearly: Be concise but provide all the relevant details.   

Please try these steps and let me know the result. 

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