Hello Mariane Fountain,
Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A. I understand you are experiencing syncing and search issues with your Hotmail account on your iPhone, despite it functioning perfectly on your Mac.
Since your Mac is displaying your emails correctly, the great news is that your Hotmail account is completely healthy. The syncing issue on your iPhone simply means that the local mail database has likely developed a corrupted "sync token."
Here are the steps to refresh that connection and get your iPhone working flawlessly again:
Step 1: Delete the Corrupted Connection
- Open your iPhone Settings > Mail > Mail Accounts > your Hotmail account.
- Tap Delete Account and confirm. (Note: Please do not worry, this will not delete your emails. Your emails live safely in the cloud, which is why your Mac can still see them).
Step 2: Reconnect Account
- Still in the Mail Accounts menu, tap Add Account.
- Enter your Hotmail account.
- A Microsoft login screen will pop up. Enter your Hotmail password.
- It will ask if you want to let the app access your info. Tap Yes or Accept.
- Make sure the toggle for Mail is green, and tap Save in the top right corner.
Step 3: Fix the Search History
By default, iPhones try to save battery and storage by only downloading the last 30 days of emails. If you search for something older than that, the phone will come up blank.
- Once the account is re-added, go back to Settings > Mail > Accounts > [Your Hotmail Account].
- Look for the setting called Mail Days to Sync.
- Change this to No Limit.
Open your Mail app and give it a few minutes to download the fresh index. Your new emails will flow in, the older messages from 2021 will return to the archives, and your search function will work properly again!
Please let me know if this resolves the sync issue or if you need any further assistance. I will be happy to help you further.
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