I am receiving emails intermittently

Question

I have tried to problem solve myself, but I am not able to receive all the emails sent to me and I have attempted to troubleshoot myself. I have no rules, the emails are not in my junk folder, I signed off/signed on, and I have plenty of storage. I am not able to get through to customer service. Does anyone have any advice?

Answer 1

Hello

I think there's something going on Microsoft's end yesterday/today. I am seeing many people reporting that they cannot receive emails from Yahoo or Gmail users. You are not the only one. Earlier this week it happened with iCloud users, but it finally recovered. There's no official announcement on Microsoft side at the moment.

As of now, some users have noticed emails have slowly arrived.. let me know if you noticed the same.

Answer 2

If this is about receiving mail from GMail or Yahoo:

See the Answer by "Chloe-L May 15 2026" in
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5892105/unable-to-recieve-emails-in-hotmail-com-account

inbound mail from Gmail (and a few other external providers, including Yahoo) being heavily delayed or not arriving at all, while outbound mail from Outlook works normally. [Will] update here if any official information becomes available.

Answer 3

Perform the following checks in Outlook.com / Outlook on the web to narrow down why messages only arrive intermittently:

1. Confirm messages are not being filtered or sorted away
   • In the Inbox, check both Focused and Other tabs. Some messages may be going to Other instead of Focused.
   • Select Filter > Sort > Date to ensure messages are shown in chronological order so nothing appears “missing” due to sorting.
2. Review Junk and blocked senders
   • Check the Junk Email folder and move any legitimate messages back to the Inbox by right‑clicking and choosing Mark as not junk.
   • Open Settings > Mail (or Options) > Junk email and review:
     • Blocked senders and domains – remove any addresses or domains that should be allowed.
   • Also review the Blocked Senders / Block and allow list as described in the Mail and Calendar guidance; remove any legitimate senders from this list.
3. Check rules and forwarding
   • In Settings > Mail > Rules, verify there are no rules moving or deleting messages (including rules that might send mail to RSS or other folders). Disable or delete any suspicious rules.
   • In Settings > Mail > Forwarding, confirm forwarding is either disabled or configured as intended. Misconfigured forwarding can cause some messages to bypass the Inbox.
4. Verify Junk Email settings and filters
   • In Junk Email settings, review any custom filters or safe senders lists. Add important senders to Safe senders so their messages are less likely to be filtered.
5. Check for third‑party apps or clients
   • If using Outlook desktop, Outlook mobile, or other mail apps connected to Outlook.com, ensure they support modern authentication and IMAP as required. Non‑compliant apps can cause sync issues.
   • If IMAP or POP are enabled and used by another app, try disabling IMAP/POP temporarily and see if delivery stabilizes.
6. Ask specific senders to verify delivery
   • For senders whose messages never arrive (and no error is shown), ask them to review Sender Support in Outlook.com to ensure their messages are not being blocked or rejected on the sending side.
7. Use Microsoft’s troubleshooter and support options
   • Run the interactive Outlook.com email troubleshooter (linked in the Outlook.com article) to step through additional automated checks.
   • If the problem persists, use Help in Outlook.com (menu bar) and choose Still need help? to contact support while signed in.

If a specific error appears such as “The recipient server did not accept our requests to connect,” follow the guidance to update the email address or alias as described in the Outlook.com alias article.

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References:

• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com
• Where are my email messages or calendar events in Mail and Calendar for Windows 10?
• Outlook is using a temporary email and I cannot receive emails - Microsoft Q&A
• Stopped receiving emails on my account. - Microsoft Q&A
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A
• Not able to have access to my email ! - Microsoft Q&A