Outlook not receiving emails: how to fix it

Applies to: classic Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024 and Outlook 2021, and the new Outlook for Windows, on Windows 11 (most steps also work on Windows 10), with a short section for Outlook.com and Outlook on the web for Microsoft 365. Use it when new messages stop arriving, arrive late, or show up on your phone but not on your PC.

Missing mail has two very different causes: the message never reached your mailbox, or it reached the mailbox but the app on your PC isn’t showing it. The steps below separate the two first, so you don’t repair Outlook when the real cause is a full mailbox or a rule. If Outlook doesn’t start at all, use our guide to Outlook not opening instead. Where a step is our suggestion rather than Microsoft guidance, we say so.

Match your symptom

What you see	Likely cause	Start with
No new mail at all, and the status bar says Working Offline or Disconnected	Outlook isn’t connected to the mail server	Fix 1
Mail is on the web and your phone but not in Outlook on the PC	Offline mode, a stalled sync or a damaged profile	Fix 1, Fix 7, Fix 9
Only some messages are missing, or messages from one sender	Junk filter, Focused Inbox, a block list or a rule	Fix 2, Fix 3, Fix 4
Senders say their mail bounced back	Mailbox storage full or the account is blocked	Fix 5, Fix 6
Outlook keeps asking for a password and nothing new arrives	Changed password or sign-in problem	Fix 6
A Gmail or Yahoo account stopped updating in classic Outlook	IMAP sync error or account settings	Fix 8
Error 0x80004005 when you update a folder	Sync problem on Microsoft’s side in 2026	Known issues

Before you start: check the web version and your connection

• Open your mailbox in a browser. Sign in at Outlook.com for a personal Microsoft account, or at Outlook on the web for a work or school Microsoft 365 account. This is our suggestion, but it’s the quickest way to narrow things down. If the missing message is there, skip to Fixes 1, 7 and 9. If it isn’t there either, work through Fixes 2 to 6.
• Check the internet connection. Load any website. If nothing loads, fix the network or Wi-Fi first; Outlook can’t download mail without it.
• Ask the sender. If one message is missing and nothing has bounced, ask the sender to check the address they used and whether they received an error. Microsoft’s Outlook.com troubleshooting page also points senders to its sender support article when mail goes missing without an error.
• Know which Outlook you’re using. Windows 11 can have both the classic Outlook and the new Outlook installed. The new one is listed as Outlook (new) in your apps and has a New Outlook toggle at the top. Some steps below differ between the two, and we label them.

Fix 1: Make sure Outlook isn’t working offline

If classic Outlook is set to work offline, it stops talking to the server, so nothing new arrives, even though everything you already downloaded still shows. It’s easy to switch on by accident because it’s a single button.

1. Look at the status bar at the bottom of the window. If it says Working Offline, Outlook is disconnected.
2. Select the Send / Receive tab and select Work Offline. Microsoft notes that the button is highlighted only while you’re offline, so selecting it again switches you back online.
3. Wait for the status bar message to go away. If it doesn’t, select the button again until the status changes to connected.

Microsoft says that if you don’t see the Work Offline button on a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account, Cached Exchange Mode may be turned off (see Fix 7).

New Outlook: there’s no Work Offline button. Microsoft describes a setting under Settings > General > Offline called Enable offline email, calendar, and people, which is on by default and keeps a copy of your mail for use without a connection. It doesn’t stop new mail when you’re online. As a check of our own, switching it off, selecting Save and then switching it back on can make the app refresh its saved copy.

Fix 2: Look in Junk, the Other tab and your view filters

Many “missing” messages have actually arrived and been filed somewhere you don’t usually look.

• Junk Email folder. Open it and look for the message. In classic Outlook, select it and choose Home > Report > Not Junk. In Outlook.com and the new Outlook, Microsoft’s page says to right-click the message and choose Mark as not junk to move it back to your inbox. Microsoft notes that junk mail in Outlook on the web is kept for 30 days and can’t be recovered once it’s deleted automatically, so check soon.
• The Other tab. If your inbox shows Focused and Other tabs, Focused Inbox is sorting messages it thinks are less important into Other. In the new Outlook, Microsoft’s steps are View > View Settings > Mail > Message List; pick the account and clear Sort messages into Focused and Other, then select Save. To keep one sender in Focused instead, right-click a message and choose Move > Always move to Focused inbox. In classic Outlook, the switch is Show Focused Inbox on the View tab. Focused Inbox doesn’t work with shared mailboxes.
• Filters and sort order. A filter such as Unread or Flagged hides other mail, and a changed sort order can push new messages out of sight. Microsoft’s Outlook.com page suggests Filter > Sort > Date to put the list back in date order. In classic Outlook, check the View tab and use Reset View if the list looks unusual (our suggestion).

Fix 3: Check blocked senders and safe senders

If you once blocked a sender or a whole domain, their mail goes to Junk or doesn’t reach your inbox at all, and Outlook doesn’t remind you.

• Outlook.com, Outlook on the web and the new Outlook: select Settings (the gear icon), then Mail > Junk email. Under Blocked senders and domains, select the address or domain and remove it. To make sure a sender always gets through, use Add safe sender under Safe senders and domains, then Save. Microsoft’s page is written for Outlook on the web and says the new Outlook works in a similar way, so the labels may differ slightly in the app.
• Classic Outlook: select Home > Block > Junk Email Options. Check the Blocked Senders list for the address and remove it, and add trusted addresses to the Safe Senders list. Microsoft notes the default protection level is No Automatic Filtering, so if you raised it, consider lowering it again.

Microsoft also explains that for Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts, these lists are saved on the server. Mail from a blocked sender is moved to Junk Email on the server before classic Outlook sees it, which is why changing the list in one app affects the others.

Fix 4: Check rules and forwarding

A rule that moves, deletes or forwards messages can make mail look like it never arrived. Forwarding set up long ago, for example to another address, can send your mail elsewhere. Microsoft’s Outlook.com troubleshooting page lists both as things to check.

• Outlook.com, Outlook on the web and the new Outlook: open Settings, then Mail. Look at Rules and turn off any rule that moves or deletes mail you expect. Then open Forwarding and check that forwarding is off, or that it keeps a copy if you need it. The exact labels can differ slightly between Outlook.com, Outlook on the web and the new Outlook.
• Classic Outlook: select File > Manage Rules & Alerts. Clear the tick next to any rule that moves messages to another folder, deletes them or forwards them, then select OK. Search the folder a rule uses to find mail it already moved.

If classic Outlook shows an error when you open or save rules, see our guide to the error reading rules from the server.

Fix 5: Free up mailbox storage

When your mailbox is full, it stops accepting new mail. For Outlook.com, Microsoft warns that messages sent to you while your storage is full are bounced back to the sender and can’t be recovered, so this is worth checking early if people say their mail bounced.

• In Outlook.com, open Settings and look at the storage page to see how much space mail and attachments use. Microsoft’s page describes this as your cloud storage and links to a storage check.
• Empty Deleted Items and Junk Email, and delete large old messages with attachments.
• For a work or school mailbox, ask your IT admin if you see a mailbox-full warning; quotas and archive settings are managed by your organisation.

Fix 6: Sign in again or unblock the account

If you changed your password on the web or on another device, Outlook on your PC may stop receiving mail until you enter the new one. Microsoft also says an Outlook.com account can be temporarily blocked after unusual sign-in activity, which stops mail too.

• Sign in to Outlook.com in a browser. If Microsoft asks you to verify your identity or says the account is blocked, follow the prompts to unblock it.
• In Outlook on the PC, enter the new password when asked. If Outlook keeps asking for it, our password prompt guide covers that loop.
• For a work or school account, contact your IT admin if your account is locked.

Fix 7: Force a sync in classic Outlook

Classic Outlook normally checks for mail on its own, but a stalled sync can leave the inbox out of date while the web version is current.

• Send and receive manually. Press F9 or select Send / Receive > Send/Receive All Folders. To refresh only the folder you’re in, use Update Folder on the same tab.
• Watch for errors. If a task reports an error, note the code. Error 0x80004005 on updating a folder was a known issue in 2026 (see Known issues). Gmail and Yahoo errors are covered in Fix 8.
• Check Cached Exchange Mode. For Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, select the account and choose Change. Under Offline Settings, make sure Use Cached Exchange Mode is ticked, then exit and restart Outlook. Microsoft says 12 months of email are kept offline by default, so older messages may be on the server only. That’s normal, not a fault.
• Restart. Close Outlook, restart the PC and open Outlook again (our suggestion).

Fix 8: Gmail, Yahoo and other IMAP or POP accounts

Accounts from other providers depend on the provider’s servers and settings as well as on Outlook.

• Sign in to the provider’s own webmail. If the mail isn’t there, the problem is with the provider, not Outlook.
• Microsoft says third-party services need to support modern authentication and IMAP to work with Outlook on the desktop and mobile. Check your provider’s help pages for the settings it requires.
• In classic Outlook, errors 0x800CCC0E and 0x800CCC0F were a known 2026 issue with Gmail and Yahoo sync and are marked fixed. If you still see 0x800CCC0E, follow our guide to Outlook error 0x800CCC0E.
• With a POP account, mail is downloaded to a .pst file on your PC. If the account is also set to delete mail from the server, another device may have taken the messages first; check the account’s advanced settings and the other devices (our suggestion).

Fix 9: Rule out a damaged profile or data file (classic Outlook)

If the web version has the mail and none of the above helps, the profile or the offline data file on your PC may be damaged. These steps are the same ones that fix many startup problems, so we cover them in full in the Outlook won’t open guide:

• Safe mode. Press Windows key + R, type outlook /safe and select OK. If new mail arrives in safe mode, an add-in such as an email scanner from security software may be interfering; turn add-ins off and on one at a time.
• New profile. Create a new Outlook profile and add your account. For Microsoft 365, Exchange and Outlook.com accounts, mail downloads again from the server. Don’t remove the old profile until the new one works, and note where any .pst files are first.
• Rebuild the .ost file. For server-based accounts, the .ost file is only an offline copy; Outlook builds a new one from the server if it’s removed. Close Outlook before you touch it.

Outlook.com and Outlook on the web (Microsoft 365)

If mail is missing in the browser too, the PC isn’t the problem. Fixes 2 to 6 apply directly, and Microsoft’s page Can’t send or receive email in Outlook.com (updated September 30, 2026) offers an interactive troubleshooter at the end. For a work or school mailbox, your IT admin can trace a missing message on the server side, which you can’t do yourself.

Known issues in 2026

We checked Microsoft’s page Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in classic Outlook for Windows on November 8, 2026 (the page says it was last updated in November 2026). These 2026 entries relate to mail not arriving or not syncing:

• Mailbox folders not syncing with error 0x80004005 (June 2026). Marked Fixed. Microsoft’s known issue page (last updated June 23, 2026) says folders stopped updating automatically and Send/Receive > Update folder failed with “The operation failed”. The fix was on Microsoft’s servers, not in Outlook on your PC, so there’s nothing to install. The same entry appears on the new Outlook’s known issues page.
• Errors 0x800CCC0E and 0x800CCC0F with Gmail and Yahoo (March 2026). Marked Fixed. If you still see these, update Office with File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now and see Fix 8.
• POP and .pst profiles hang after the January 13, 2026 Windows update (February 2026). Marked Fixed through Windows Update. Outlook could stop responding rather than downloading mail; install pending updates in Settings > Windows Update.

On the matching page for the new Outlook for Windows (last updated August 2026), the 0x80004005 sync entry is the only 2026 item about receiving or syncing mail, as of November 8, 2026.

Related guides

• Outlook won’t open: how to fix it in Windows 11
• Outlook keeps asking for password: how to stop it
• Outlook error 0x800CCC0E: cannot synchronize subscribed folders (Gmail and Yahoo)
• “There was an error reading the rules from the server” in Outlook: how to fix it
• Outlook emails stuck in the Outbox: how to fix it

Official sources

• Microsoft: Can’t send or receive email in Outlook.com
• Microsoft: Work offline in Outlook
• Microsoft: Overview of the Junk Email Filter in classic Outlook