Classic outlook does not work, it gives sending and receiving error message.

Question

Kindly advise how to fix this problem

Thank you

Andras

Answer 1

@Andras Czermak
If you are using any non-Microsoft email accounts (e.g. GMail, Yahoo, any IMAP or POP) with Classic Outlook you may have run into a know bug.

See the Answer by "Hornblower409 Mar 15, 2026, 4:15 PM" at
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5822942/imap-email-server-connection-error

Answer 2

Hi ,

I'm Dyari. Thanks for reaching out. I will be happy to assist you in this regard.

If the steps provided by the Q&A Assist do not work for you, kindly check the mailbox storage. If your mailbox is full, Outlook cannot send or receive emails.

Also, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Select your account > Change > More Settings > Double-check

Incoming/Outgoing server names, Ports and Encryption (SSL/TLS).

Then, try sending an email from Outlook Web, If it works, the problem is the Outlook App configuration.

Please feel free to ask if you need further assistance.

Answer 3

Follow these steps in Classic Outlook to fix send/receive errors:

1. Check Outlook 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 stuck messages.

2. Confirm internet connectivity

• Open a web browser (for example, Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome).
• Browse to http://www.microsoft.com or http://www.bing.com.
• If these pages 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 large attachments (for example, larger than 20 MB), delete the attachment and either:
  • Attach a smaller file, or
  • Replace it with a link to the file.
• Try sending again.

4. If errors persist, repair data and profile

• Run the Inbox Repair Tool to fix the Outlook data file (.pst) as described in Repair your Outlook personal folders file (.pst). This typically takes about 15 minutes.
• If problems continue, repair the Outlook profile using Fix your Outlook email connection by repairing your profile.

5. Additional checks

• If the email account password was recently changed on the provider’s website, update the same password in Classic Outlook.
• If antivirus software scans email, its email protection can sometimes block sending/receiving; contact the antivirus vendor’s help desk if needed.
• If Outlook add-ins are causing issues, start Outlook in safe mode:
  • Press the Windows key, type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter.
  • If send/receive works in safe mode, create a new Outlook profile.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, use the Classic Outlook troubleshooters and, if required, 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