Email won't sync on my mobile devices

Question

Hi,

I have had this Hotmail account for 29 years, and recently, all my mobile devices that I've tried many times logging in, out and resetting, have not synced. For example, if I received an email on Friday, it will pop up on the screen, but it won't load and will be stuck on Tuesday. How can I fix this?

Thank you,

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for your reply.

You've already tried checking your emails in the web browser, and the fact that they exist proves your email account is working correctly.

You've tried uninstalling and reinstalling Outlook, and the same problem persists on multiple Outlook mobile devices. This is likely an Outlook software malfunction.

Go to Outlook Settings >> Help and Feedback >> Send Feedback to report this issue to Outlook so they can investigate and fix it.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello, thank you for your reply.

How did you log in to your email account in Outlook?

Could you please provide some relevant images to help me confirm the situation? Thank you.

Answer 3

Hello, thank you for your reply.

To verify that you actually received these emails, please go to the following link:

https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/

Then check if these emails are present in your web browser.

Answer 4

Hello,

If a notification arrives but the email content doesn't load, it's commonly due to a corrupted local cache. The most direct solution is to uninstall Outlook, reinstall it, and then log in again.

Answer 5

Follow these steps in order, testing sync after each major step:

1. Check Outlook.com account health
   • Sign in to Outlook.com in a browser.
   • Confirm new mail appears and opens normally.
   • Verify Microsoft cloud storage is not full; if it is, free space in your mailbox and cloud storage. If storage is full, sending/receiving will stop and messages sent to the account while full are bounced and unrecoverable.
   • If email works in the browser, the issue is likely with the mobile apps/devices rather than the mailbox itself.
2. Remove and recreate the mobile device partnership This often fixes one-device or multi-device sync problems. In Outlook.com (web):
   1. Go to Settings > General > Mobile devices.
   2. Select each affected device in the list.
   3. Delete the device partnership.
   4. Select Save at the top.
   5. On each mobile device, power it off completely.
   6. Turn it back on and let it resync the mailbox. If using a native mail app, remove and re-add the Hotmail/Outlook.com account after the restart.
3. If calendar/contacts are not syncing
   • Ensure the account is added as an Exchange ActiveSync/Outlook.com/Microsoft 365 account, not as POP or IMAP. POP/IMAP can only sync email and are more prone to partial-sync issues.
   • If the account is currently set up as POP/IMAP on a device, remove it and re-add it using the Outlook.com/Exchange option.
4. If sync previously worked and suddenly stopped on all devices
   • Review and follow the guidance in Can’t send or receive email in Outlook.com to rule out:
     • Account sign-in issues or temporary blocks.
     • Password changes not updated on devices.
   • If one or more devices still won’t sync after the above, use Fix email sync issues by removing a device from your Outlook mailbox and repeat the device-removal steps.
5. If issues persist on mobile only
   • If the account works in Outlook.com on the web and there is no storage or sign-in problem, the email app itself may be at fault. In that case:
     • Remove the account from the mobile mail app.
     • Install and use the Outlook mobile app instead, then add the Hotmail/Outlook.com account there.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, use the Outlook.com in-product Help option or the interactive troubleshooter linked from the sync-issues article for guided diagnostics.

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References:

• Troubleshoot Outlook mobile issues
• Can't sync calendar and contacts with my phone or tablet
• Fix email sync issues by removing a device from your Outlook mailbox
• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com