send and receive in outlook

Question

Outlook has stopped receiving and sending emails How do i fix it

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

*Is the affected email address for a personal Microsoft account (e.g., ending in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com that you created for services like Skype or Xbox) or a work/school account provided by an organization (e.g., *****@company.com)?

Could you please share the exact error message you receive when you try to send emails to other recipients? OR

Send a test email from one of your other accounts to the affected email address. Then, check whether you receive any bounce-back error message in Outbox. If you do, please copy and paste the full error message here.

Alternatively, please make sure you have enough storage space to send and receive emails. To verify this, sign in with your Microsoft account using the link below.

https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/options/accounts-category/storage

Once signed in, expand Microsoft Storage and Email Storage to review your available space.

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Answer 2

Try these steps in order to restore sending and receiving in Outlook:

1. Check Outlook’s connection status
   • Look at the bottom status bar in classic Outlook.
   • If it shows Disconnected, Working Offline, or Trying to connect…, Outlook is not connected to the mail server.
   • Go to the Send/Receive tab on the ribbon.
   • In the Preferences group, select Work Offline once to toggle back online.
   • Then select Send/Receive or open and resend any messages stuck in the Outbox.
2. Confirm the internet connection
   • Open a browser (Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome).
   • Go to http://www.microsoft.com or http://www.bing.com.
   • If these sites do not load, fix the network first using the steps in Fix network connection issues in Windows.
3. Check for large or stuck messages
   • In Outlook, open the Outbox folder.
   • Start with the oldest message.
   • If any message has attachments larger than about 20 MB, remove or reduce the attachment size, or replace it with a link.
   • Send the message again.
4. Manually sync (if available)
   • In Outlook, go to the View tab.
   • Select the Sync button to force a manual sync.
   • Watch the status message at the bottom of the message list while Outlook syncs.
   • Note: This manual Sync button does not apply to some third‑party accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, generic POP/IMAP).
5. Verify password and account sign-in
   • If the email account password was changed on the provider’s website, update it in Outlook as well.
   • In new Outlook: select the icon next to the account name, choose Continue when prompted, and enter the new password.
   • If Outlook shows a message like Please create an app password for Outlook on your email provider's site, follow the provider’s instructions to generate an app password and use that in Outlook.
6. Check for antivirus or profile/program issues (classic Outlook)
   • If antivirus software scans email, it may block sending/receiving when it detects a problem; contact the antivirus help desk if needed.
   • Repair Outlook: follow the steps in Repair an Office application.
   • Repair the Outlook profile: use Fix your Outlook email connection by repairing your profile.
   • If mail sends/receives in Outlook Safe Mode (outlook.exe /safe), create a new Outlook profile and use that profile going forward.
7. Use Microsoft troubleshooters or contact support
   • Run a classic Outlook troubleshooter from the Classic Outlook troubleshooters page.
   • If the issue persists, contact Microsoft support for further assistance.

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References:

• I can't send or receive messages in Outlook
• Issues sending and receiving email