Cannot receive emails

Question

I currently can send emails in outlook, but cannot receive emails

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

1. Is the affected email address for a personal Microsoft account (e.g., ending in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com that you created for services like Skype or Xbox) or a work/school account provided by an organization (e.g., ******@company.com)?
2. What is the exact error message the sender receives when they try to email to your account?

Try sending a test email from another of your accounts to the problematic email address. If you receive any bounce-back error message, please share the error message with us here.

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Alternatively, check your remail forwarding rules to make sure your incoming emails are not being forwarded to another address: https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/options/mail/forwarding

And check your blocked sender lists and email rules.

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Answer 2

Try these checks and fixes in classic Outlook for Windows:

1. Confirm internet connectivity

• Open a browser (for example, Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome).
• Browse to http://www.microsoft.com or http://www.bing.com.
• If these sites do not load, fix the network first using the guidance in Fix network connection issues in Windows.

2. Manually sync Outlook

• In Outlook, go to the View tab on the Ribbon.
• Select the Sync button to force a manual sync.
• Watch the status bar at the bottom for any sync or error messages.

3. Check for password or authentication issues

• If the email account password was recently changed on the provider’s website, update the same password in Outlook.
• If Outlook shows a message like “Please create an app password for Outlook on your email provider's site,” follow the provider’s instructions to generate an app password and use that in Outlook instead of the normal password.

4. Check rules and junk filtering (if only some mail is missing)

• Look for rules that might be moving incoming mail to other folders (for example, RSS Feeds or custom folders).
• Check the Junk Email folder and mark valid messages as Not Junk so they return to the Inbox.

5. Check antivirus and firewall

• Some antivirus products scan email and can block receiving mail if they detect an issue.
• Use the antivirus help or support to review email scanning and any quarantined items that might be blocking mail flow.

6. Repair Outlook installation

• Use the Office repair feature to fix the Outlook program if it has become corrupted. See Repair an Office application for step-by-step instructions.

7. Repair or recreate the Outlook profile

• A damaged profile can prevent receiving mail while still allowing sending.
• Use Fix your Outlook email connection by repairing your profile to repair the existing profile.
• If issues persist, create a new Outlook profile using Create an Outlook profile and set it as default.

8. Start Outlook in Safe Mode to rule out add-ins

• Press the Windows key, type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter.
• If email is received normally in Safe Mode, an add-in is likely causing the problem.
• Disable or remove problematic add-ins and then restart Outlook normally.

If these steps do not restore incoming mail, follow the broader guidance in Troubleshooting Outlook issues for more detailed diagnostics.

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References:

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