Email not sending or receiving
Checks for Outlook when messages are stuck in the Outbox or new mail does not arrive.
Reviewed 06 Nov 2026
Try these steps
- 1 Check you have internet by opening a web page. Without internet, Outlook cannot send or receive.
- 2 Look at the bottom of Outlook: if it says "Working offline", go to the Send / Receive tab and click Work Offline to turn it off.
- 3 Open the Outbox folder. If a message with a very large attachment is stuck there, delete or move it to Drafts and send it again with a smaller attachment or a shared link.
- 4 Close Outlook completely and open it again.
- 5 Sign in to webmail (outlook.office.com) with your normal work account in a browser. If email works there, the problem is the Outlook app on this computer.
- 6 Check the Junk Email folder in case expected messages were filtered there.
Before you start
Work through the steps in order and stop as soon as the problem is fixed. Never share passwords or verification codes with anyone.
When to contact support
If webmail also does not work, or you receive bounce messages, open a ticket and include the exact bounce text (never your password).
Still not working?
Never share passwords or codes with anyone. Our team can take it from here.