I haven't received emails on my hotmail account since April.

Question

The message says the connection to the server failed. I created a new password. What does that mean and why?

Answer 1

Hi Angela

I understand that your Hotmail account has not received emails since April and that you are seeing the error message “connection to the server failed”. Reply with the following information:

• Does the same problem happen when signing in directly at Outlook.com, or only in an app/device?
• Can you send emails from the Hotmail account?
• Is your mailbox or Microsoft storage full?
• What is the exact wording of the “connection to the server failed” message?

Meanwhile, follow the steps below:

1) Check whether Outlook.com works directly in a browser

Sign in to Outlook.com using an InPrivate or Incognito browser window.

Then send a test email to your Hotmail account from another email account.

• If Outlook.com on the web also does not receive the test message, continue with the next steps.
• If only one app or device shows “connection to the server failed,” the issue is likely with that app or device connection rather than the mailbox itself.

2) Check mailbox and Microsoft storage

If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email. Messages sent while storage was full may bounce back to the sender and cannot be recovered. Please check your storage in Outlook.com settings and free up space if needed.

3) Check Junk Email, Other tab, filters, and message sorting

In Outlook.com, check the following:

• Junk Email folder
• Other tab, if Focused Inbox is enabled
• Any active filters that may be hiding messages
• Message sorting, and make sure messages are sorted by Date

4) Check forwarding and rules

In Outlook.com, go to:

• Settings > Mail > Forwarding
• Make sure mail is not being forwarded away from the mailbox.

Then go to:

• Settings > Mail > Rules
• Remove or disable any rule that may be moving, deleting, or redirecting incoming mail.

5) Check whether the account is temporarily blocked or restricted

An Outlook.com account may be temporarily blocked if unusual sign-in activity is detected. If you see any prompt about account security, complete the unblock or verification process first, then test receiving mail again.

6) If the error happens only in an app, remove and re-add the account

If Outlook.com on the web receives mail, but your phone, Mail app, or Outlook app still shows “connection to the server failed,” remove the account from that app and add it again as an Outlook.com account. For classic Outlook, Hotmail.com and Live.com addresses should be added as the Outlook.com account type, not as Exchange or Microsoft 365.

7) If using classic Outlook desktop, repair the profile

In classic Outlook for Windows:

• Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
• Select the Hotmail account
• Select Repair
• Restart Outlook after the repair completes

See: Fix your Outlook email connection by repairing your profile | Microsoft Support

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

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