I cannot send or receive emails

Question

The lasat email I received was on July 4, 2026. I tried to send mself a test email today and it did not go through. I must have access to emails in my office. Please tell me how to contact someone for help. I am 85 and not a computer expert. thank you.

Answer 1

Please note that this is a user-to-user community. As moderators, I have limited access to internal development details. My role is to direct users to the appropriate support channels and resources. While I cannot provide backend analysis, I will do my best to assist you within my responsibilities. 

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Hi Michael Brown

I understand that you have not received email since July 4, 2026, and that your test email did not go through. I am happy to help. Please reply with only these details:

• Can you sign in to Outlook.com normally?
• Do you see any message about storage being full?
• Does a sender receive a bounce-back message when emailing you?

Meanwhile, try the steps below:

1) Check Outlook.com storage first

If Microsoft cloud storage or mailbox storage is full, Outlook.com may not be able to send or receive email. Messages sent while storage was full may be bounced back to the sender and cannot be recovered.  Please sign in to Outlook.com, open Settings, search for Storage, and check whether either Microsoft storage or mailbox storage is full. Reference: Storage limits in Outlook.com | Microsoft Support

2) Empty Deleted Items and Junk Email

If storage is full or nearly full, delete unneeded messages, then empty Deleted Items and Junk Email. After that, sign out of Outlook.com, sign back in, and send yourself another test email.

3) Check whether the account is blocked

If Outlook.com detected unusual activity, sending or receiving email may be temporarily blocked. Please follow: Unblock my Outlook.com account | Microsoft Support

4) Check whether mail is being hidden or redirected

In Outlook.com, please check these locations and settings:

• Junk Email
• Other tab, if Focused Inbox is enabled
• Deleted Items
• Settings > Mail > Rules
• Settings > Mail > Forwarding

If forwarding is turned on and you do not recognize it, turn it off. If there are rules moving or deleting emails, disable them and test again. Please also check Junk Email, forwarding, and rules when Outlook.com is not receiving mail.

5) Contact Microsoft Support directly

Since you need direct help, please contact support via:

• Visit Contact - Microsoft Support (Only chat support is available for personal account)
• Type a brief description of your issue in the search box   
• Scroll down to the bottom > select Sign in to contact support   
• Log in to your personal Microsoft account.    
• Under Products & Services, select "Other Products"; Under Categories, select a suitable Category.  
• Click "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours)

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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