When I am in outlook my hotmail account it will not let me send emails

Question

I went to my Hotmail account and noticed it was in a different language and foreign folders were created. I was able to get it back to the correct language but now I can not send emails. At first, it said my emails were blocked to ensure i am not spam and now it is saying mailbox full and also that it is limited. I have never had a limit. How do I get this fixed as it is an email used for medical reasons.

Answer 1

Hello Brittney Neely, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A. I understand how alarming it must be to find your account in another language and to lose the ability to send important medical emails. I am here to help you regain full control of your account. 

The symptoms you described suggest that an unauthorized person gained access to your account and used it to send out spam. Because of this, Microsoft's automated security system stepped in and temporarily froze your ability to send emails to protect your account and reputation. 

Please follow these steps to secure your account, clear the limits, and restore your ability to send emails: 

1. Secure the Account & Remove Backdoors 

• Log into outlook.live.com using a web browser. 
• Click the Gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner. 
• Go to Mail > Rules. If you see any rules in a foreign language or rules you did not create, click the trash can icon to delete them immediately. 
• Go to Mail > Forwarding. Ensure forwarding is turned Off. 

2. Lift the Spam Block 

• Open a new tab and go to account.microsoft.com. 
• Navigate to Security > Advanced security options. 
• Click Add a new way to sign in or verify and select Text a code. 
• Adding a mobile phone number verifies your identity to the server and will often lift the strict sending limits imposed by the spam filter. (Note: If you already have a phone number listed, you can skip this step). 

3. Clear the Storage Limit The hackers likely filled your storage with thousands of spam emails, which is why you are seeing a "mailbox full" error. 

• Go back to your Outlook inbox. 
• Check your Sent Items folder and your Deleted Items folder. If they are filled with spam messages the hacker sent, you must empty both of these folders completely. 
• Click the Gear icon (Settings) > General > Storage. Check both the Microsoft storage and Email storage bars to ensure they are no longer full and red. 

Important Note: After completing these steps, please allow a few hours for the automated system to process the changes, clear your storage, and lift the sending restrictions. 

Please let me know if you run into any trouble with these steps or if you have further questions.