How to unblock send restriction and all to Junk folder

Question

Was hacked last year, now all emails go to junk and can not fwd an email either.

Answer 1

Hi Jon S,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, it looks like your Outlook account was previously compromised, and as a result Microsoft may have temporarily restricted your ability to send email. In many cases, attackers also leave behind mailbox rules or Junk settings that cause all incoming messages to go directly into the Junk folder. Please follow the steps below to restore normal mail flow and sending.

1. Secure your account

To ensure your account is fully protected:

• Change your Microsoft account password.
• Turn on Two-step verification (2FA).
• Sign out of all devices at: https://account.microsoft.com/security > Sign out everywhere.
• Check Security info and remove any phone numbers or recovery emails you don’t recognize.

2. Clean up unwanted mailbox rules and Junk settings

In Outlook on the web:

• Settings > Mail > Rules
  • Remove any rules you did not set up, especially those moving all mail to Junk or Deleted.
• Mail > Forwarding
  • Disable any forwarding that looks unfamiliar.
• Mail > Junk email
  • Remove suspicious entries in Blocked senders and domains.
  • Add trusted senders to Safe senders if needed.

Note: During this time, you may still see messages like ‘Your account is temporarily restricted from sending’, which is normal after unusual activity is detected, and once the restriction clears and the mailbox rules are cleaned up, please send yourself a test message to confirm emails are going to your Inbox again.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thank you.

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