Outlook issues

Question

I've been having problems and I can not receive email.

Answer 1

Hi Ricky Hogens

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

To better understand the issue, could you please provide a bit more information: 

• Are you unable to receive emails from all senders or only specific ones? 
• Do you receive any error messages? If so, could you please share a screenshot with me through private message to help avoid exposing any personal or organizational information?  
• Does the issue also occur in Outlook on the web? 
• What type of account are you using (Microsoft 365/Exchange, IMAP, or POP)? 
• Are you still able to send emails successfully? 
• Have there been any recent changes, such as password updates or Outlook updates? 

In the meantime, please also try the troubleshooting steps in this article to see if it can help resolve the issue: I can't send or receive messages in Outlook - Microsoft Support 

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. 

I look forward to your update. 

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Answer 2

Perform these checks in classic Outlook and Outlook.com to restore receiving mail:

1. Verify account password

• If the email account password was recently changed on the provider’s website, update the same password in classic Outlook so it can connect again. If the account is a Microsoft account, use the guidance in Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password.

2. Check for account or mailbox issues

• If using Outlook.com:
  • Confirm Microsoft cloud storage and mailbox are not full. If storage is full, no email can be received and messages sent during that time are bounced and unrecoverable. Use the mailbox storage page to see what is taking space.
  • If unable to send or receive, ensure the account is not blocked due to unusual sign-in activity and follow Unblock my Outlook.com account if needed.
  • If sign-in fails, use the Microsoft account sign-in helper.

3. Check junk, filters, rules, and sorting

• In Outlook.com:
  • Check the Other tab and remove filters that might hide messages.
  • Review Junk Email settings and the Junk Email folder; for legitimate messages, right‑click and choose Mark as not junk.
  • Ensure messages are not just out of order: select Filter > Sort > Date to restore chronological order.
  • Review email forwarding and disable it if mail is being sent elsewhere.
  • Check for rules that move or delete messages; remove or adjust any rule that prevents seeing the desired email.

4. Check antivirus and add-ins in classic Outlook

• Some antivirus tools scan email and may block receiving messages if a virus is detected. Contact the antivirus vendor’s help desk and clean any reported infections.
• Start Outlook in safe mode to rule out add-ins:
  • Press the Windows key, type outlook.exe /safe, then press Enter.
  • If email is received in safe mode, create a new Outlook profile and use that profile going forward.

5. Repair Outlook and profile

• Repair the Office/Outlook installation using the Repair an Office application process.
• If issues persist, repair the Outlook profile or create a new one using Fix your Outlook email connection by repairing your profile / Create an Outlook profile.

6. Device-specific sync issues

• If only one device is affected while others receive mail normally, remove the partnership between that device and the mailbox, then re-add it as described in Fix email sync issues by removing a device from your Outlook mailbox.

If these steps do not restore mail flow, use Outlook.com Help (Help menu → Still need help?) or the Microsoft support entry points in the article to get assisted troubleshooting.

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References:

• I can't send or receive messages in Outlook
• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com