My teams outlook is not working

Question

My team cannot send or receive emails, outlook says it is online but test emails will not go through

Answer 1

Hi @Meade Medaugh, 

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you very much for reaching out regarding your team being unable to send or receive emails while Outlook on the web (OWA) shows as online. I appreciate your patience and the details you provided. 
OWA being “online” confirms users can sign in and connect to Microsoft 365. However, send/receive failures across multiple users usually point to a mail flow disruption at the service/tenant or domain configuration layer (rather than a local client or browser issue). 

Here are my recommendations. Please follow the steps below. 
Please also note that some configurations require admin permissions, so if you don’t have admin rights, kindly contact your IT admin department. 

1/ Domain & DNS validation 

• Go to Microsoft Admin center > Settings > Domains: confirm your domain is Verified/Healthy. 
• 
• Ensure your MX record matches the exact value shown in Admin center (typically <tenant-key>.mail.protection.outlook.com). 
• SPF includes include:spf.protection.outlook.com. If you use third‑party senders, make sure they’re included correctly. 
• (If applicable) Confirm DKIM is enabled and DMARC is not overly restrictive. 
• If DNS was changed recently, allow time for propagation and re‑test. 

For your references: Set up SPF identify valid email sources for your Microsoft 365 domain - Microsoft Defender for Offi… 

2/ Message Trace & Quarantine review 

Use this step to identify where messages are being stopped, delayed, or filtered. 

A - Message Trace (where messages are getting stuck) 

• Exchange admin center > Mail flow > Message trace >Start a trace. 
• 
• Trace 2-3 recent test emails, including: Sender; Recipient; Approximate time sent; Subject line 
• Review the final status, such as: Delivered; Deferred; Quarantined; Rejected 
• Pay attention to any error codes or diagnostic information, which will indicate the point of failure in the mail flow. 

B - Quarantine review (over‑filtering) 

• Go to Microsoft Defender portal > Email & collaboration > Review > Quarantine. 
• Check for any unusual spikes in quarantined messages. 
• Release a few safe test messages to confirm whether overly strict anti‑spam or anti‑malware policies are blocking the flow. 
• If message volume in quarantine is higher than normal, consider reviewing or adjusting the anti‑spam or anti‑phishing policies. 

For your references: 

• Message trace in the new EAC in Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn 
• Manage quarantined messages and files as an admin - Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | Microsoft L… 

3/ Outbound restrictions (spam protection) 

• Check Restricted users/entities at security.microsoft.com/restrictedusers. 
• If any senders are blocked: reset passwords, scan endpoints, ensure MFA, then follow the portal steps to request unblocking. 

For your reference: Remove blocked users from the Restricted entities page - Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | Micros… 

4/ Mail flow rules & Connectors 

• Microsoft Admin Center > Exchange admin center > Mail flow > Rules: look for recent rules that Reject/Drop/Redirect broadly. 
• Mail flow > Connectors: if you use custom connectors (Hybrid or 3rd‑party), validate TLS requirements, certificate validity, and conditions. Temporarily bypass non‑essential connectors to isolate the cause. 

For your reference: Manage mail flow rules in Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn 

5/ Contact Microsoft Support   

In case your IT department cannot access the necessary information or make the required changes, I recommend asking them to open a request with Microsoft Support team through the Microsoft Admin Center. They have access to backend configurations and can perform a more in-depth investigation. At the very least, they can provide the most effective workaround to ensure your experience remains smooth and secure.          

We kindly ask for your understanding that, as moderators, we do not have access to the administrative tools or permissions required to investigate or modify these configurations. We also do not have the capability to initiate remote sessions for direct assistance. Our role is to guide users to the appropriate resources and support channels.     

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out.   

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this. 

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