Outlook for Mac is not showing sent emails to reception box since 3 days ago

Question

Outlook for Mac is not showing sent emails to the Outlook inbox.

I would like to uninstall and reinstall but that did not fix the problem.

Answer 1

Hi Belle Fine,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Since a full uninstall/reinstall didn’t change anything, this is usually caused by sync or folder mapping, a filter/view hiding items, or the account being set up to save sent mail to a different folder (common with IMAP, Gmail, or custom domains). Reinstalling Outlook doesn’t reset those server or sync settings.

New Outlook for Mac

1) Reset the folder view (Saved Views can get corrupted)

• Go to View > Reset View (or Current View > Reset) to force the folder to redraw and reveal items that may be hidden.

2) Confirm where the sent mail actually is

• Check Sent Items and Outbox.
• If this is Gmail, your sent message may show in Sent Mail or All Mail (Gmail often doesn’t duplicate it into the Inbox, this can be expected behavior).

3) Compare with webmail

Sign in in a browser (Outlook on the web / Gmail web):

• Shows on the web but not on Mac = Mac sync/view issue
• Not on the web either = send/connectivity or account-side behavior

4) Check Sync Frequency

Make sure the account is allowed to sync frequently enough (a very long sync interval can make Sent items appear “missing” until the next sync cycle).

5) IMAP accounts: confirm Folder Subscriptions (Sent may not be subscribed)

On some IMAP setups the Sent folder won’t sync unless it’s subscribed. In Classic/Legacy Outlook for Mac, you can check this under: Tools > IMAP Folders > ensure Sent (and any provider-specific Sent folder) is checked/subscribed.

6) Rule out VPN/Proxy/network interference

If you’re on a VPN/proxy/corporate network, test sending while connected to a different network to rule out interrupted outbound connections affecting sync.

7) Check the “Sync Issues” folder

If available, check the Sync Issues folder, look for Sync Issues for logs that explain why items aren’t syncing.

8) If still not fixed

Remove and re-add the account (this resets sync + folder mapping more effectively than reinstalling Outlook).

If you share your account type (Outlook.com / Gmail / custom IMAP) and whether Sent items appear in webmail, I can point you to the most likely exact fix.

Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like further assistance.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

If Outlook for Mac is not showing sent emails in the inbox, it could be due to issues with the synchronization of your mailbox or problems with the folder hierarchy. Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

1. Check the Sent Items Folder: Ensure that your sent emails are actually being sent and stored in the correct Sent Items folder. Sometimes, the folder hierarchy may become corrupted, causing confusion about where emails are being sent.
2. Reset Folder Names: You can reset the default folder names using Outlook Web App or the Outlook for Windows application. This can help restore the correct folder structure.
   • Using Outlook Web App: Sign in, go to Settings > Options > General > Region and time zone, and change the language settings to reset the folder names.
   • Using Outlook for Windows: You can use the /resetfolders switch to restore missing folders.
3. Check Cached Mode: Sometimes, emails may not appear in the inbox due to issues with cached mode. Ensure that your Outlook is properly synchronized and that you are not experiencing any connectivity issues.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

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References:

• Email messages are stuck in Outbox in Outlook 2016 for Mac
• Sometimes emails do not appear in Cached mode Inbox even if they were synchronized down from mailbox