Not receiving new email in my hotmail inbox

Question

I was hacked about 7 days ago. Since then I have not been getting any new emails to my inbox in Hotmail. I have changed my password several times. I have deleted all Junk and Deleted emails and am only using 58% of my storage.

Answer 1

Hi Mike Greco, 

I hope you are doing well ! I just want to check if you have had a chance to test the steps earlier? Please let me know if they helped resolve the issue or if you are still experiencing any difficulties. I am here to assist you further.

Best Regards

Answer 2

Dear Mike Greco, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I’m truly sorry your account was compromised and that you’re still not seeing new emails—after everything you’ve already done, that’s upsetting. I completely understand how important it is to get your Inbox working again. 

Please follow these steps:  

• Confirm whether mail is arriving to the mailbox at all (web check) 
  • Sign in to Outlook.com on the web and see if new messages show up there. If they appear on the web but not on your Mac, the issue is client sync; if they do not appear on the web, it’s mailbox/settings.  
• Check where messages are being diverted  
  • On Outlook.com (web), check Junk Email, Other (if Focused Inbox is on), and Deleted Items. If items were deleted, use “Recover items deleted from this folder” from Deleted Items when available.  
• Re-check Inbox rules  
  • In Outlook.com settings, review and remove any rules that move/delete/mark as read/forward messages. See: Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook - Microsoft Support 
• Double-check storage 
  • Even if your mailbox looks “not full,” Outlook.com can stop sending/receiving if Microsoft storage is over quota.  
• Make sure the account is fully secured after the compromise 
  • Use How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account - Microsoft Support to review and lock down the account.  
• If Outlook.com web is receiving but Outlook for Mac is not  
  • Once the web mailbox receives mail normally, then focus on the Mac client sync (Legacy Outlook for Mac).  

I hope this helps get your Inbox working as normal. If you have further issues, please reply and I will be happy to assist further. Have a nice day! 

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Answer 3

Because the account was recently hacked and no new mail is arriving in the Hotmail (Outlook.com) inbox, focus on both security and delivery settings in the Outlook.com account itself, not just the Mac client.

Work through these steps in order:

1. Confirm the account is still active and not full

• Sign in to Outlook.com in a browser.
• Verify that Microsoft cloud storage and mailbox are not full. If storage is full, new messages are bounced and unrecoverable. Free up space if needed by deleting large items and emptying Deleted Items.

2. Check if messages are being delivered but hidden or moved In Outlook.com (web):

• Check the Other tab (if Focused Inbox is enabled) and ensure there are no filters hiding messages.
• Select Filter above the message list and choose All and Sort > Date so nothing is hidden or out of order.
• Open the Junk Email folder and look for legitimate messages. For any that should be in Inbox, right‑click and choose Mark as not junk to move them back and train filtering.
• Check the Archive folder to ensure messages weren’t archived instead of delivered to Inbox.

3. Look for rules or forwarding that a hacker may have created In Outlook.com (web):

• Go to Rules settings and review all Inbox and Sweep rules. Delete or edit any rule that moves, deletes, or redirects all new mail (for example, moving everything to RSS feeds or another folder).
• Check for email forwarding in your Outlook.com settings. Disable any forwarding you did not configure.

4. Verify the account is secure after the hack Because the account was compromised:

• Follow the guidance in How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account:
  • Run a full antivirus/malware scan on every device used to access the account.
  • Change the Microsoft account password again to a strong, unique password after scans complete.
  • Review and correct account settings such as connected accounts, forwarding, and automatic replies to ensure the attacker did not leave backdoors.
• Review recent sign‑in activity for unusual logins and follow the steps there to secure or recover the account if needed.

5. If only one sender’s messages are missing

• If mail from a specific sender is not arriving and no error is shown, ask the sender to review Sender Support in Outlook.com to ensure their messages are not being blocked or rejected.

6. If still not receiving any new mail

• Recheck that there are no remaining rules, filters, or forwarding.
• Use the Outlook.com interactive troubleshooter if available from the Can’t send or receive email in Outlook.com article.
• If the problem persists, use the Help option in Outlook.com to contact support (requires signing in) and describe that the account was hacked and no new mail is arriving despite storage being available and rules/forwarding being cleared.

On the Mac client (Legacy Outlook for Mac), once Outlook.com on the web is receiving mail correctly, use Send/Receive or restart Outlook. If the Mac client still shows no new mail while the web inbox does, remove and re‑add the Outlook.com account in Outlook for Mac so it resyncs from the server.

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References:

• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com
• Email is missing from your Outlook.com inbox
• How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account