Inbox problem

Question

New mail does not post to my inbox. Junk mail does post to the junk mail folder. What do I need to do to fix the inbox?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

To help narrow down the issue:

1. Are you using Outlook on the web (outlook.com), Outlook for Windows/Mac, or the Outlook mobile app?
2. Is this happening on one device or on all your devices?
3. Have you checked if Focused Inbox is turned on and if your emails might be going to the Other tab instead of the main Inbox?

---

In the meantime, I recommend checking out this Microsoft support article:

• "Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com" https://support.microsoft.com/office/can-t-send-or-receive-email-in-outlook-com-d39e3341-8d79-4bf1-b3c7-ded602233642 Please scroll down and take a look at the sections titled "Can’t receive mail in Outlook.com". It walks you through some helpful steps that usually resolve this kind of issue.
• Check your mailbox settings to confirm nothing is filtering or blocking those emails.
• Make sure your Focused Inbox is turned off, so all messages show in one place. https://support.microsoft.com/office/focused-inbox-for-outlook-f445ad7f-02f4-4294-a82e-71d8964e3978
• Try adding their email addresses to your Safe Senders list to make sure Outlook doesn’t block or redirect them. https://support.microsoft.com/office/add-recipients-to-the-safe-senders-list-in-outlook-be1baea0-beab-4a30-b968-9004332336ce

---

Check any Outlook rules:

• In https://outlook.live.com/mail go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Rules and Mail > Forwarding to make sure no one has set up rules to forward or delete your messages.

---

If the issue persists, please provide more details by answering my questions.

Click "Add comment" below to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

If new mail is not appearing in your inbox while junk mail is being directed to the junk mail folder, there are a few potential issues to consider:

1. Check Junk Email Settings: Ensure that your Outlook settings are not configured to permanently delete suspected junk emails instead of moving them to the Junk E-mail folder. You can check this by going to the Junk E-mail Options dialog box and ensuring that the option "Permanently delete suspected junk e-mail instead of moving it to the Junk E-mail folder" is unchecked.
2. Spam Addresses: If you are using a mobile device with a default mail application, check if there are any spam addresses listed that might be affecting your inbox. Remove any entries that should not be there, such as your corporate domain.
3. Folder Issues: If the inbox is not functioning correctly, it might be necessary to restore the location of the Junk Email folder or reset folder names using the MFCMAPI tool. This can help resolve issues with default folders in Outlook.

By addressing these areas, you should be able to fix the issue with your inbox not receiving new mail.

---

References:

• Junk e-mail messages are permanently deleted
• New email messages automatically move to the Junk folder in Microsoft Outlook
• Issues with default folders in Outlook