Server-side mailbox corruption

Question

My outlook.com hotmail mailbox is generating infinite duplicate draft emails - regenerating instantly & flooding inbox.

I've changed my password, logged out and restarted, removed devices, cleared rules, forwarding, drafts and app permission, and emptied drafts/deleted items.

This appears to be a server-side mailbox corruption. Please can you run a mailbox repair / reset.

Many thanks

Claire Meager

Answer 1

The described behavior is consistent with malicious inbox rules or other account compromise artifacts rather than a repairable “mailbox corruption.” A mailbox repair/reset cannot be run from here, but the issue can be mitigated by fully cleaning up the account configuration and then engaging Outlook.com support if it persists.

Follow these steps end-to-end:

1. Verify and remove malicious rules/forwarding again
   • Sign in to Outlook.com in a browser.
   • Go to Settings → Mail → Rules and delete any rule that:
     • Moves, copies, or creates messages in Drafts, or
     • Has suspicious names or conditions (similar to the “Demon” rule pattern described in a related case).
   • Go to Settings → Mail → Forwarding and remove any forwarding address that is not recognized.
2. Remove hidden or persistent access paths
   • Go to the Microsoft account security page and use Sign out everywhere to invalidate all active sessions (this has been effective in other Outlook.com issues).
   • In the same security area, review app permissions and revoke any apps that are not recognized or no longer needed.
3. Clear out existing bad items
   • In Outlook.com, empty Drafts, Deleted Items, and any folder where these drafts are appearing.
   • Wait a few minutes and refresh the browser to see if new drafts are still being created.
4. Monitor for re-creation of drafts
   • If drafts immediately reappear, repeat the rules/forwarding/app-permission checks; in prior cases, a single overlooked rule or app was responsible for continuous draft creation.
5. If the behavior continues, contact Outlook.com support
   • Use the in-product help channel so Outlook.com support can check the mailbox on the service side:
     • In Outlook.com, select Help on the menu bar and enter a short description (for example, “Infinite duplicate drafts in Outlook.com”).
     • If self-help does not resolve it, scroll down to Still need help? and select Yes to open a support request.
   • If sign-in becomes a problem, use the dedicated sign-in help link from the documentation.
6. Keep the account secured
   • Ensure multi-factor authentication (authenticator app or SMS) is enabled and keep the new password unique to this account.
   • Periodically review sign-in activity and app permissions for anything unexpected.

If Outlook.com support confirms no remaining rules/forwarders/apps and the drafts still regenerate, they can investigate and remediate any server-side mailbox issues on the backend.

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References:

• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com
• Emails deleted from Outlook.com are reverting back to the Inbox
• Hacker set up continuous draft ransomware email - Microsoft Q&A
• Stopped receiving emails on my account. - Microsoft Q&A
• Outlook.com address returning TooManyObjectsOpenedError - Microsoft Q&A