Outlook only displays old emails, all of them are from Outlook Calendar

Question

Outlook only displays old emails, all of them are from Outlook Calendar

Robert Wheatley 0

My current desktop is unable to run outlook so it's in the middle of updating but has been getting stuck. That, however, is the main device I use my outlook and other Microsoft 365 apps on.

In the meantime, I attempted to try and use my email on a family member's computer but my outlook is still only showing old emails and they are all only from Outlook Calendar (which leads me to believe its still "offline" even if there is nothing that says that or nothing I can see at the moment to change how it is right now).

This computer is much newer than the one I am trying to update and to my knowledge is fully updated. I am not sure why this issue is still occurring, please let me know how best to fix this so I can still use my email while fixing my old computer!

Robert Wheatley 0 Reputation points

2026-08-12T16:03:06.3633333+00:00

Looking into it further, I am unable to login to outlook on the app after opening it on this computer (so far I have only logged in in browser) as it says "to add this account, you must have an outlook.com or hotmail email address set as the primary alias". I thought this meant maybe having an email like @outlook.com the same you would have @gmail - in the outlook browser I realize my account does have an @outlook address but when trying to put that address into the login page it simply says "we couldn't find an account with that email address" ([Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]****@outlook.com) <the email for reference

So, I would like to know how I am able to log in on the app as this silly AI answer seems to have only given me advice for the app.
Robert Wheatley 0 Reputation points

2026-08-12T17:29:09.28+00:00

I have also tried inputting the incoming and outgoing servers for this email address, that also did not work. Really not sure what I am doing wrong, why I'm able to access an email account through the 365 home after clicking on the app, but not able to login on the app at all - and then even the account I am seeing in browser from 365 is not working as stated above

1 answer

Your answer

Robert Wheatley 0 Reputation points

2026-08-12T16:03:06.3633333+00:00

Looking into it further, I am unable to login to outlook on the app after opening it on this computer (so far I have only logged in in browser) as it says "to add this account, you must have an outlook.com or hotmail email address set as the primary alias". I thought this meant maybe having an email like @outlook.com the same you would have @gmail - in the outlook browser I realize my account does have an @outlook address but when trying to put that address into the login page it simply says "we couldn't find an account with that email address" ([Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]****@outlook.com) <the email for reference

So, I would like to know how I am able to log in on the app as this silly AI answer seems to have only given me advice for the app.
Robert Wheatley 0 Reputation points

2026-08-12T17:29:09.28+00:00

I have also tried inputting the incoming and outgoing servers for this email address, that also did not work. Really not sure what I am doing wrong, why I'm able to access an email account through the 365 home after clicking on the app, but not able to login on the app at all - and then even the account I am seeing in browser from 365 is not working as stated above

Answer 1

Hi Robert Wheatley

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

I understand how frustrating this situation must be, especially when Outlook is only showing old emails and you're unable to add your account in the desktop app.

Based on your description, it appears that Outlook on the web and Outlook desktop may not be connecting to the same mailbox. Please sign in to Outlook on the web, make sure you are viewing the Inbox, and check the Junk, Deleted Items, Archive, and Other folders for newer messages.

I also recommend reviewing the aliases associated with your Microsoft account. If the @outlook.com address is not listed as a current sign-in alias, Outlook may not recognize it when you try to add the account. Please use an email address that appears in your Microsoft account's sign-in settings when adding the account to Outlook.

There is no need to manually enter incoming or outgoing server settings for an Outlook.com account. Instead, select Outlook.com/Microsoft account and complete the standard Microsoft sign-in process.

Please do not remove or replace any Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, or MSN.com alias while troubleshooting, as changing Microsoft-domain aliases can affect the mailbox associated with that address.

If Outlook continues to display the message that an Outlook.com or Hotmail address must be set as the primary alias, please contact Microsoft Support

Click Show expanded list of products
Select Outlook > Get Home support
Type Outlook live chat in the search box, then select Get Help > Contact Support
If you can’t sign in to the affected account, sign in with a different Microsoft account to access support options
Under Products & Services, select Other Products > Outlook, then choose Chat with a support agent via web browser

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas only.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.