Apps · Repair guide

How to fix Outlook not receiving emails

10 fixes, easiest first5 min readUpdated November 2026

Quick fix

Check whether the missing mail appears in Outlook on the web, then look in the Other tab, Junk Email and your rules. In classic Outlook, make sure Work Offline on the Send / Receive tab is turned off and press F9.

What it means

When Outlook stops showing new mail, the messages are often arriving but landing somewhere you don't expect, such as the Other tab, Junk Email or a folder a rule moved them to. Other times Outlook is offline, your password changed, or your mailbox is full and the server is refusing new mail. Steps differ slightly between classic Outlook and new Outlook for Windows.

Common causes

  • Mail is sorted into the Other tab, Junk Email or another folder by a rule
  • Classic Outlook is set to Work Offline or has lost its connection
  • Your mailbox or Microsoft cloud storage is full
  • Your password changed or the account needs you to sign in again
  • Forwarding is sending mail to another address
  • A damaged offline mail file or account setting (classic Outlook)

How to fix it

Work down the list. Each fix is safe to try before moving on to the next.

01Check Outlook on the web firstEasy

  1. Make sure the PC is online by opening any website.
  2. In a browser, sign in to Outlook on the web (Outlook.com for personal accounts, or your organization's Outlook on the web for work accounts).
  3. If the missing mail is there, the problem is the Outlook app on this PC; try the offline, restart and repair fixes below.
  4. If the mail is missing on the web too, it is not reaching your account; check the Other tab, Junk Email, rules, forwarding and storage.

Why it helps: This quickly shows whether the problem is your account or the app on your computer.

02Look in the Other tab and sort by dateEasy

  1. If your Inbox has Focused and Other tabs, open Other and look for the missing mail.
  2. Classic Outlook: to turn the tabs off, open your Inbox, go to the View tab and select Show Focused Inbox to clear it.
  3. New Outlook: go to View > View settings, select Mail > Message list, clear Sort messages into Focused and Other and select Save.
  4. Make sure no filter is applied and the list is sorted by date, newest first. In Outlook.com, select the Filter icon and choose Sort > Date.

Why it helps: Focused Inbox and filters can hide new mail without deleting it.

03Check the Junk Email folderEasy

  1. Open the Junk Email folder and look for the missing messages.
  2. Classic Outlook: select the message, then on the Home tab choose Junk > Not Junk (on some ribbons it is Block > Not Junk).
  3. New Outlook and work or school Outlook on the web: select the message, then select Report > Not junk. In Outlook.com personal accounts, select It's not junk if that button appears instead.
  4. Check your blocked senders list in junk email settings and remove anyone you want mail from.
  5. Act quickly: messages in Junk Email are deleted automatically after a number of days.

Why it helps: Real messages are sometimes filtered as junk, especially from new senders.

04Check your rules and forwardingEasy

  1. New Outlook: go to Settings > Mail > Rules. Turn off, using its switch, any rule that moves or deletes the missing mail.
  2. Classic Outlook: go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts, look for rules that move or delete messages, and clear a rule's check box to stop it.
  3. New Outlook: go to Settings > Mail > Forwarding and make sure mail is not being forwarded somewhere you don't expect. Turn on Disable forwarding if it shouldn't be on, and save.
  4. Check other folders, including Archive and Deleted Items, for the missing mail.

Why it helps: A forgotten rule or forwarding setting can move mail away from the Inbox as soon as it arrives.

05If you use classic Outlook, turn off Work Offline and send/receiveEasy

  1. Go to the Send / Receive tab.
  2. If Work Offline is highlighted (gray background), select it to go back online.
  3. Press F9, or select Send/Receive All Folders, to check for new mail.
  4. On a Mac: if you see a Go Online button just below the title bar, select it.

Why it helps: In offline mode Outlook doesn't download new mail until you go back online.

06Restart Outlook and the PCEasy

  1. Close Outlook.
  2. Right-click Start, open Task Manager and make sure Microsoft Outlook is no longer listed; if it is, select it and choose End task.
  3. Restart the PC and open Outlook again.
  4. Leave Outlook open for a few minutes so it can sync.

Why it helps: A restart clears a stuck connection and lets Outlook sync from a clean start.

07Check that your mailbox isn't fullEasy

  1. Look for a "Mailbox full" or "Quota Exceeded" message in Outlook.
  2. Outlook.com accounts: in Outlook on the web, go to Settings > Account > Storage to see what uses space.
  3. Delete large old messages, then empty Deleted Items; deleted items still count until they are emptied.
  4. Your shared Microsoft cloud storage (OneDrive and attachments) also counts. If it is full, you can't send or receive email even when the mailbox itself has room.
  5. Work accounts: ask your IT team about your mailbox size.

Why it helps: When storage is full, new mail is returned to the sender and won't reach you until you free up space.

08Sign in again or update your passwordEasy

  1. If you changed your email password recently, update it in Outlook when asked, or sign out and sign back in.
  2. Watch for a sign-in prompt hiding behind other windows; use Alt + Tab to find it.
  3. If your Microsoft account was blocked after unusual sign-in activity, follow the prompts in Outlook on the web to unblock it.
  4. For Gmail or other providers, make sure the account still works in that provider's own website.

Why it helps: Outlook can't download mail when your saved password is wrong or the account needs a fresh sign-in.

09If you use classic Outlook, repair the account and show older mailMedium

  1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
  2. On the Email tab, select your account and choose Repair (if available), then follow the prompts and restart Outlook.
  3. If older mail is missing, select the account and choose Change instead.
  4. Move the Download email for the past: slider to a longer period, or all the way to All, then select Next and Done and restart Outlook. More mail will be stored on this PC.

Why it helps: Repair fixes broken account settings, and the slider controls how much mail classic Outlook keeps on your PC.

10If you use classic Outlook, rebuild the offline mail fileAdvancedBack up first

  1. Warning: this is for classic Outlook only, and only for Microsoft 365, Outlook.com or Exchange accounts, whose mail is stored on the server. Never do this with a .pst file. Anything kept only in the .ost file, such as unsent messages in the Outbox or changes that hadn't synced yet, will be lost, and a large mailbox can take hours to download again.
  2. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings and open the Data Files tab. Note the folder and name of the account's .ost file.
  3. Close Outlook, and check Task Manager to make sure it has fully closed.
  4. In File Explorer, turn on View > Show > File name extensions, go to that folder and rename the .ost file by adding .old to the end (for example name.ost.old).
  5. Open Outlook. It creates a new offline file and downloads your mail again from the server.
  6. Once everything looks right, you can delete the .old file to free up space.

Why it helps: A damaged offline file can stop new mail appearing even though it reaches your account.

Check it's fixed

  • Send a test email to yourself from another account and see it arrive in the Inbox within a few minutes.
  • The Inbox in Outlook matches what you see in Outlook on the web.
  • In classic Outlook, Work Offline on the Send / Receive tab is no longer highlighted.

When to get help

If mail is missing in Outlook on the web as well and nothing is in Junk, Other, rules or forwarding, contact your email provider or IT team. Ask the sender for any bounce message, since it often states the exact reason.

Questions

Why can I send emails but not receive them in Outlook?

Common reasons are a full mailbox, a rule or filter hiding mail, or mail going to Junk or Other. Check Outlook on the web to see whether the mail reaches your account at all.

Why do emails show on my phone but not in Outlook on my PC?

The account is working, so the problem is the Outlook app on the PC. Turn off Work Offline in classic Outlook, restart Outlook, and check the account settings.

What happens to emails sent to me while my mailbox is full?

They are returned to the sender and don't arrive later. Free up space, then ask senders to send them again.

Is new Outlook different for missing emails?

The Work Offline, Send/Receive and account repair steps are for classic Outlook. In new Outlook, check rules and forwarding under Settings > Mail, and compare with Outlook on the web.

Related fixes

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