email problem please

Question

In one of my email accounts i can receive emails but when i try to send a email it says couldn't send this message and send it to drafts ?

Answer 1

Hello,

Is this regarding an outlook.com or hotmail.com address?

Are you sending it via the email app, or have you tried directly in www.outlook.com on the web browser, does it work on the web version?

Answer 2

If an account can receive but not send and messages are moved to Drafts with “couldn't send this message,” common causes in Outlook/Outlook.com are:

1. Mailbox or cloud storage is full

• If Microsoft cloud storage is full, sending is blocked.
• Check mailbox storage and free space if needed using the storage page linked in the article.

2. Message or attachment is too large

• Outlook.com cannot send messages with attachments larger than 25 MB.
• In Outlook for Mac, oversized messages are held in Drafts (not Outbox) until attachments are reduced.
• To fix:
  1. Open the Drafts folder.
  2. Open the affected message.
  3. Remove or reduce attachments, then send again.

3. Account or sending limits in Outlook.com

• If using an Outlook.com address in New Outlook:
  • A new account may have a low temporary sending quota until credibility is established.
  • If a non-delivery report (NDR) is received, check the error text for reasons like invalid address, recipient mailbox full, server issues, or spam filtering.

4. Signature or content issues

• In Outlook.com, signatures can sometimes prevent sending.
• Remove the signature from the draft and try sending again.

5. Account issues or temporary block

• If cloud storage is not full and sending still fails, the account may be temporarily blocked due to unusual activity.
• Use the unblock flow for Outlook.com accounts if applicable.

If none of the above resolves the issue and the problem persists for all messages from that account, contact Microsoft Support from Outlook (Help → Contact Support) so the account configuration and backend status can be checked.

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References:

• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com
• My email message doesn't send