can't send or receive emails

Mark George 0 Reputation points
2026-08-31T20:21:08.07+00:00

unable to send or receive emails since 11:00 est today

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. EmilyS726 271.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-31T20:53:31.0366667+00:00

    I think there's something going on Microsoft's end right now. I am seeing many people reporting this issue, but Microsoft has not announced this on their service status page. However, there's an active service incident report on the commercial side. It can be related. You can use Microsoft's X/Twitter account page to check for update

    https://x.com/MSFT365Status/status/2094465993007378744

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-31T20:21:20.54+00:00

    For Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, check these in order:

    1. Check whether Microsoft cloud storage or the mailbox is full. If storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email, and messages sent during that time are bounced back and are unrecoverable.
    2. Check the account status:
      • If the password was changed recently, update it.
      • If the account may be temporarily blocked because of unusual sign-in activity, use the Outlook.com account unblock steps.
      • If sign-in is failing, use the Microsoft account sign-in helper.
    3. If mail is not being received, verify Outlook.com settings:
      • Check the Other tab.
      • Check the Junk Email settings and Junk Email folder, and mark valid messages as not junk.
      • Set Filter > Sort > Date to restore chronological order.
      • Check whether email forwarding is enabled.
      • Check for email rules that may be moving or hiding messages.
    4. If sending is failing, check for a stuck message:
      • Look in Drafts or Outbox.
      • If the message has an attachment larger than 25 MB, remove it and attach a smaller file or upload it to OneDrive and send a link instead.
      • If the inbox is full, empty Junk Email to free space.
    5. If Outlook is being used on PC or Mac with an Outlook.com account, select Send/Receive > Send/Receive all folders.
    6. If only one device is affected, remove the partnership between that mobile device and the mailbox to fix sync issues.

    If the issue started suddenly today, the fastest checks are storage, account block/password status, Junk/Rules/Forwarding, and any stuck large message in Drafts or Outbox.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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