I can't use my email - it won't work on mac

Question

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Answer 1

Hi @Jenni Hobbs,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing the message you encountered when using your business email in Outlook for Mac.

I can totally understand how disruptive it is for you to not be able to use Outlook desktop with your work account. The message shown indicates that the account you are trying to add does not include a license that allows access to Outlook for Mac. This typically occurs when the account is assigned a Microsoft 365 Business Basic license, which does not include the Office desktop applications.

To confirm this, please follow these steps:

• Sign in to My Account and select Subscriptions from the left pane.
• Check whether Office desktop apps are listed. If they are not listed, this confirms that the current license does not support Outlook for Mac.

If Outlook for Mac is required, please reach out to your IT administrator and ask if they can assign a Microsoft 365 Business Standard license or a higher plan to your user account, as these plans include the Office desktop apps.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow the steps above and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can continue working together to resolve the issue.   

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out so I can continue to support you. If you found the response useful, please consider marking it as accepted, as this may help other community members who are looking for similar guidance.   

I look forward to continuing the conversation.   

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Answer 2

Use the following checks and fixes in Outlook for Mac to restore email functionality.

1. Confirm Outlook and network connectivity

• Make sure the Mac is connected to the Internet (test by opening a few websites in a browser).
• In Outlook, on the Outlook menu, verify Work Offline is not checked so Outlook is online.

2. Check Microsoft cloud mailbox storage

• If using a Microsoft 365/Outlook.com account, full cloud storage will block sending and receiving.
• Go to the mailbox storage page from a browser using the mailbox storage link mentioned in the documentation and free up space (delete or archive items, empty Deleted Items and Junk Email).

3. Verify account settings and credentials For POP/IMAP accounts:

• In Outlook, go to Tools > Accounts.
• Select the affected account in the left pane.
• Confirm the Email address, User name, and Password are correct.
• If mail still does not work, contact the email provider for the exact POP/IMAP, SSL, and port settings and update them in this same Accounts window.

4. Turn on SMTP authentication (if sending fails) Some providers require authentication on the outgoing server:

• Tools > Accounts > select the account.
• Under Outgoing server, click More Options.
• Choose the required authentication type and enter the username/password provided by the mail service.

5. Check for firewall or proxy issues

• If using a work or school network, or a different Wi‑Fi than usual, the network firewall may block the outgoing mail (SMTP) server.
• Ask the ISP or network administrator if an alternative SMTP server or port is required.
• If the network requires a proxy to reach mail servers, configure the proxy in macOS System Settings/Preferences as provided by the network administrator.

6. Confirm the mail server or Exchange server is online

• If the account is Exchange or Microsoft 365, open a browser and sign in to Outlook on the web (for example via the link in the documentation) to see if mail works there.
• If Outlook on the web also fails, contact the Exchange or Microsoft 365 admin to check server status.
• In Outlook, go to Tools > Accounts and check the Exchange account icon in the left pane; an orange indicator means connection problems that must be resolved by fixing server, SSL, or proxy settings with the admin.

7. If only receiving is broken (sending works)

• For POP accounts, verify the incoming server port and security. A similar case was resolved by correcting the POP port (for example, using the provider’s recommended secure POP port such as 995 instead of an incorrect one).
• Also review any rules in Outlook that might move or divert incoming mail to unexpected folders (including RSS feeds) and disable or delete incorrect rules.

If these steps do not restore mail flow, use the guided support tool from the Outlook for Mac help article to run through targeted troubleshooting.

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References:

• I can't send or receive messages in Outlook for Mac
• I can't send or receive messages with Outlook for Mac
• I can't connect to my Exchange account in Outlook for Mac
• Why am I not able to receive emails which I used to on my outlook mac. I can send emails without any issues. - Microsoft Q&A
• Stopped receiving emails on my account. - Microsoft Q&A