Why do Outlook Notifications Keep Failing (And How do I Fix It)?

Question

Why do Outlook Notifications Keep Failing (And How do I Fix It)?

Carmen Jurden (Biolumina Group) 0

This is a reoccurring issue, where the notifications feature periodically stops working in Outlook on a Mac (OS: 15.7.3) for no apparent reason, then either wks or months later starts working.

Confirming, all the settings are set correctly (i.e., Notifications & Sounds are turned on, Focus/Do not disturb is off, etc.).

Is there a way to fix this issue?

2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Charlie Losiewicz 0

What about calendar notifications? They were working fine on my Mac until a recent update. I have notifications turned on for Outlook (although there is no option for ads/banners), but receiving notifications has stopped.

Dora-T 11,285 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-28T13:51:55.2933333+00:00

Hi Charlie Losiewicz

Thank you for sharing your issue.

Since this appears to be a different scenario, I recommend creating a new thread and including details such as your macOS version and Outlook version. This will help avoid mixing multiple issues in one discussion and allow moderators to focus on your specific case more effectively.

Creating a separate thread will also enable us to request additional information via private message if needed, while helping protect personal or organizational data.

Thank you for your understanding.

Answer 2

Dora-T 11,285 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Carmen Jurden (Biolumina Group)

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum.

Based on your description, I understand that Outlook notifications on your Mac stop working intermittently for no apparent reason and then start working again after weeks or months, even though all notification settings are correctly configured.

In many cases, this type of behavior is not caused by incorrect settings, but rather by how Outlook interacts with macOS in the background. When this interaction becomes unstable, notifications may stop working temporarily even though Outlook continues to receive emails.

I tested this behavior in my own environment and experienced a similar issue where notifications stopped working. After reinstalling Outlook, notifications started working normally again, so you may consider trying this if possible.

Reference link: Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac - Microsoft Support

Also, please check your macOS notification settings and make sure notifications are enabled for Outlook. Go to System Settings > Notifications > Outlook, turn on Allow Notifications, and set the alert style to Banners or Alerts.

If the issue persists after trying the steps above, could you please let me know:

Have you recently installed any macOS or Outlook updates?
Has this issue been happening for a long time, or did it start only recently?
Which version of Outlook are you using, and what type of subscription do you have?

Please let me know how you get on, as your feedback is valuable to the community.

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.

Dora-T 11,285 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-12T06:15:15.8833333+00:00

Hi Carmen Jurden (Biolumina Group)

Just following up to see if you had a chance to try the steps above. Please feel free to share any updates so I can assist you further if needed. Thank you.
Carmen Jurden (Biolumina Group) 0 Reputation points

2026-01-12T13:46:32.9033333+00:00
Thank you Dora for getting back to me.

Sadly the reinstall did not work, and confirming the MacOS notifications are set correctly.

As this may be a OS issue, will update to Tahoe to see if the situation is rectified.

To answer your questions:

Have you recently installed any macOS or Outlook updates?

Not including OS, the apps are primary kept update via agency Enterprise subscription

Has this issue been happening for a long time, or did it start only recently?

The issue started last year
Dora-T 11,285 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-13T06:54:12.92+00:00

Hi Carmen Jurden (Biolumina Group)

Thank you very much for your update and for taking the time to share the details.

Since the issue is still persisting, I would recommend raising a support ticket with Microsoft Support for further assistance. I’m sorry that I’m not able to offer any additional solutions at this time, as I do not have access to backend systems or your specific environment to investigate this further. For this reason, contacting Microsoft Support would be the most appropriate next step.

For Business accounts, please ask your Microsoft 365 administrator to raise a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. You can refer to this article: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.
James Stock 0 Reputation points

2026-02-24T18:30:07.2833333+00:00

I just had this happen AGAIN today. I updated my OS yesterday and the outlook notifications stopped working. This is at least the 5-6th time this has happened and it has happened to our tech at least a few time already. We know we have out setting correct as they were working yesterday. In the past I have toggled them on and off at both outlook and OS, often with a restart. I managed to get the banner back but not yet the sound notification and YES the setting are all on. This time the teams chat notifications and sounds were still working. In past they would often both stop. It happens so often it is a running joke with my Tech and myself.
Dora-T 11,285 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-25T03:31:03.8633333+00:00

Hi James Stock
Thank you for sharing your experience here.

I understand how frustrating this must be, especially when everything is configured correctly and the notifications still stop working intermittently.

As a forum moderator, I don’t have access to internal systems or your environment to investigate further. If you’re using a business account, I recommend asking your Microsoft 365 administrator to raise a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center so the support team can look into this more closely. You can refer to this article: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

I also encourage you to submit feedback through Ideas · Community portal so the product team can review this recurring behavior.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

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Why do Outlook Notifications Keep Failing (And How do I Fix It)?

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