Unable to receive emails since accidentally removed from Microsoft 365 Family Plan

Question

On Thursday I was accidentally removed from my Microsoft 365 family plan due to computer issues with the admin. I noticed I had not received any emails since being removed and I believe it is due to me exceeding the storage limits for the free version. As I’ve been on the family plan for years, the storage was well over so I wasn’t able to delete enough to rectify. Anyway, I’m back on the family plan now by following an invitation link and yet my emails are still no longer coming through. Please can someone help?

Answer 1

Hi Georgie Simpson

I'm glad to hear that you're able to receive emails again after being re-added to the Microsoft 365 Family subscription.

Regarding the emails that were sent while your account was over the storage limit, unfortunately those messages are generally not held for later delivery. According to Microsoft's Outlook.com storage documentation, when a mailbox is over quota, incoming messages are typically returned to the sender, and once the storage issue is resolved, the sender must resend the message.

I would suggest:

1. Check your Inbox, Junk Email, Deleted Items, and Archive folders to make sure the messages were not delivered to another folder.
2. Contact the senders of any important emails and ask them to resend the messages.
3. If these were order confirmations or automated emails, check the relevant website or service account, as many providers allow you to view past orders or resend confirmations.

For reference, Microsoft states that if Outlook.com email storage is exceeded, email cannot be received, and any messages sent to you are returned to the sender. After your storage is back under the limit, the sender needs to resend the email.

You can review Microsoft's storage guidance here: Storage limits in Outlook.com

If there are specific missing emails that were sent after you rejoined the Family plan and restored your storage allowance, please let me know approximately when they were sent so I can help narrow that down further.