emails show sent but arent making it to the recipient, also cannot recieve emails

Question

emails show sent but arent making it to the recipient, also cannot recieve emails

Answer 1

Hi @Estimating Dept 

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to sharing your situation. 

I understand how important it is for your email to function smoothly. From what you described, issues where messages show as sent but never arrive, along with not receiving new mail, can happen when Outlook has trouble syncing in the background. 

To help fix both the sending and receiving issues, here are the steps I recommend following: 

1/ Restart Outlook completely 

Sometimes Outlook gets stuck running processes in the background, preventing mail from syncing normally: 

1. Close Outlook. 
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc (or right-click on the task bar > choose Task Manager) to open Task Manager. 
3. Look for Outlook.exe under “Processes.” 
4. If you see any, right‑click > Select End task. 
5. Reopen Outlook. 

This helps clear temporary hangs or stalled sync sessions. 

2/ Confirm Outlook is online 

Outlook may look fine but silently switch to “Work Offline,” stopping all mail flow. 

Please check the steps below: 

1. In Outlook, go to Send/Receive at the top. 
2. Look for the Work Offline button. 
3. If it’s highlighted, click it to return to online mode. 
4. Then watch the bottom-right corner, it should say Connected. 

Also ensure your internet connection is stable by testing any website: Outlook not receiving emails: Fixing Inbox not updating issues 

Please note that this information is being provided by the moderator solely for your convenience. The referenced sites are not managed or overseen by the moderator, and therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy, security, or suitability of any software or content available there. We recommend reviewing all information carefully and ensuring you understand any associated risks before following suggestions from the provided link. 

3/ Check Junk Email, spam, and "Other" inbox 

Your incoming email may be arriving but getting auto‑filtered. 

Please try these steps: 

1. Go to the Junk Email folder. 
2. Look inside for any expected messages. 
3. If using Focused Inbox, click the Other tab at the top of your mailbox. 
4. If you find legitimate messages there, right‑click and choose Mark as Not Junk so Outlook learns your preference. 

These filters can sometimes incorrectly flag good emails: How do I fix my Outlook not receiving emails? (updated 2026) 

Please note that this information is being provided by the moderator solely for your convenience. The referenced sites are not managed or overseen by the moderator, and therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy, security, or suitability of any software or content available there. We recommend reviewing all information carefully and ensuring you understand any associated risks before following suggestions from the provided link. 

4/ Update Outlook to the latest version 

An outdated Outlook version can break syncing with Microsoft’s mail servers. 

To update Outlook, check the following steps: 

1. Go to File > Office Account 
2. Click Update Options > Update Now 
3. Allow the update to finish 
4. Restart Outlook afterward 

This resolves many send/receive issues caused by older builds. 

5/ Check your Mailbox storage 

A full mailbox can block both incoming and outgoing email. 

To review it, please try these steps: 

1. Go to File > Info 
2. Under “Mailbox Settings,” check your storage bar 
3. If storage is full, empty Deleted Items, Junk Email, or old large messages 

Freeing space often restores normal mail flow: Outlook Not Receiving Emails? 17 Proven Fixes [2026 Guide] 

Please note that this information is being provided by the moderator solely for your convenience. The referenced sites are not managed or overseen by the moderator, and therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy, security, or suitability of any software or content available there. We recommend reviewing all information carefully and ensuring you understand any associated risks before following suggestions from the provided link. 

6/ Verify your account password 

If your email password was updated anywhere (Microsoft account, Gmail/Yahoo if connected), Outlook may stop syncing. Here are steps to fix it: 

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings 
2. Select your email account 
3. Choose Repair or Change to enter your current password 
4. Restart Outlook 

Incorrect or outdated passwords block both sending and receiving: Outlook not receiving emails: Fixing Inbox not updating issues 

Please note that this information is being provided by the moderator solely for your convenience. The referenced sites are not managed or overseen by the moderator, and therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy, security, or suitability of any software or content available there. We recommend reviewing all information carefully and ensuring you understand any associated risks before following suggestions from the provided link. 

7/ Review email rules & blocked senders 

Review Email Rules: Sometimes a rule automatically moves, deletes, or redirects messages. 

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts 
2. Look for rules that move or delete incoming mail 
3. Disable any suspicious rules temporarily  

Review Blocked Senders to ensure the recipients or senders aren’t blocked 

1. Access Home tab > Block > Junk E-mail Options
2. Go to Blocked Senders
3. Remove any incorrectly blocked email addresses 
4. Add important contacts to Safe Senders list 
5. Save your changes 

Misconfigured rules can cause disappearing messages. 

8/ Start Outlook in safe mode 

This helps identify whether add‑ins or antivirus software are interfering. 

To start Outlook in Safe Mode: 

1. Press Windows + R 
2. Type: outlook.exe /safe 
3. Press Enter 

If email works normally in Safe Mode, an add‑in or antivirus is blocking sync. 

9/ Test using Outlook on the web 

This helps determine whether the problem is local to your desktop Outlook. 

Please visit: https://outlook.office.com 

Then check if: 

• Sent emails appear correctly 
• New incoming messages arrive 

If everything works on Outlook Web but not desktop Outlook, the issue may is on Outlook on the device, not the mailbox. 

As moderators, my role is to provide general guidance and assist with common troubleshooting steps. While I do not have access to internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues but I’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.    

I hope this information helps. Please try the steps and let me know whether they resolve the issue. If the problem persists, we can work together to find a solution.   

As other users will also search for information in this community, your vote can significantly help those with similar inquiries quickly locate the most relevant resources.  

Thank you for your kindness and for contributing to the forum.    

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Answer 2

If emails are showing as sent but are not being delivered to the recipient, and you are also unable to receive emails, there could be several potential issues at play. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can consider:

1. Check Email Configuration: Ensure that your email account is properly configured in Outlook. This includes verifying the server settings and ensuring that your account is not set to use a temporary email address.
2. Temporary Mailbox Issue: If you are using a temporary mailbox, as indicated in some scenarios, you may need to reconnect your Exchange Server mailbox properly. Steps to do this include:
   • Close Outlook completely and ensure no Outlook processes are running in Task Manager.
   • Create a fresh Outlook profile to connect to your hosted Exchange.
   • Ensure that only your Exchange account is listed and set as default.
3. Email Notifications: If you are sharing documents or collaborating on files, ensure that your user profile in Microsoft Entra ID has a valid email address assigned, as missing email properties can prevent notifications from being delivered.
4. Spam Filters: Check if your email address has been flagged as spam by the recipient's email provider, which could prevent emails from being delivered.
5. Network Issues: Ensure that there are no network connectivity issues that might be affecting your ability to send or receive emails.

If the problem persists after these checks, you may need to consult with your IT department or email service provider for further assistance.

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References:

• Emails sent from Internet or application created emails are not delivered to users
• Email notifications from sharing events aren't delivered to recipients