How to Fix the “Outlook Not Receiving Emails” Issue

Common Reasons Why Outlook Is Not Receiving Emails

There are surprisingly many reasons that can cause the Outlook not receiving emails issue, including:

Obviously, with so many possible answers to the question "why emails are disappearing from your inbox," pinpointing the right fix isn't immediately obvious. This is why we recommend following our step-by-step approach in the next section to help you diagnose and resolve the issue effectively.

What to Do When You're Not Receiving Emails in Outlook

Facing the issue of not receiving emails in Outlook can be frustrating, but often, the solution is simpler than you think. In this section, we'll guide you through targeted solutions to the most common problems, starting with one of the simplest yet most overlooked fixes.

Solution 2: Check Outlook Server Status

Helps when: Microsoft's servers are experiencing downtime

Sometimes, the issue of Outlook not receiving emails is due to server-side problems at Microsoft. This can manifest as an inability to receive (or send) emails despite your internet connection working normally. In such cases, there's not much you can do apart from checking the server status and waiting for Microsoft to resolve the issue.

To check the server status, visit the Office 365 Service Health portal. There, you can see the current status of all Microsoft services, including Outlook. If there's an ongoing outage or maintenance, it will be displayed on the portal. Otherwise, you should see the "Everything is up and running" message.

Solution 3: Troubleshoot Internet Connection

Helps when: Your internet connection isn't functioning correctly

If you're not only having trouble with Outlook not loading emails but also can't access the Office 365 Service Health portal page to check the status of Microsoft's servers, then your internet connection might be to blame. In this case, follow these troubleshooting tips:

1. Restart your router: Sometimes, a simple router restart can resolve connectivity issues. Unplug your router, wait for about 30 seconds so that capacitors can discharge fully, and then plug it back in.
2. Use a wired connection: If possible, connect your computer directly to your router using an Ethernet cable. This can help determine if the problem is related to Wi-Fi signal strength.
3. Contact your ISP: If restarting your router and checking other devices doesn't help, contact your ISP for assistance. They may be experiencing an outage or have issues with your specific connection.

Solution 4: Switch to Online Mode

Helps when: Outlook is configured to work offline

In the Outlook desktop application, you have the flexibility to make it work online or offline with your mail server. If Outlook is set to work offline, it won't be able to receive (or send) messages. To switch to online mode:

Solution 5: Check Your Spam Folder

Helps when: Emails are mistakenly classified as spam

Sometimes, legitimate emails may be marked as spam by mistake and moved to the spam folder. To check your spam folder in Outlook.com or in the Outlook desktop email client, you simply need to navigate the Junk Email folder and review the messages that have ended up there.

Suppose legitimate messages are being classified as spam regularly. In that case, you should also check your junk mail filters and verify that they are not causing legitimate emails to be marked as spam. If they are, you need to unblock senders in Outlook.

To do this in Outlook.com:

1. Click the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Navigate to Mail and then Junk email.
3. Review active junk mail filters and delete those you don't need.

📌 Tip: The Junk mail settings section is where you can whitelist an email address by adding them to Safe senders so that all messages sent to you from it will always be delivered to your inbox, bypassing the junk filter.

The same steps can also be used to check your junk mail filters in the new version of the desktop email client for Windows.

If you're a Mac user, then you need to open the Settings window ( Command ⌘ + , ) and navigate to the Junk section instead.

Solution 6: Go Through Your Email Folders

Helps when: Emails might have been delivered or moved to an unexpected folder

It's not unusual for Outlook emails not to show up in your main inbox due to being mistakenly sorted into the wrong folder. This could be the result of rules you've set up previously or your own forgotten manual inbox organization effort.

1. Use Clean Email's Smart Folders to instantly apply predefined filters to your inbox. This allows you to focus on specific types of messages with just one click.
2. Take advantage of the search feature to display emails based on your selected criteria, such as a sender's address or subject line.
3. Once you have your filtered search results, sort the messages by size, date sent, or other relevant parameters.

When you find emails not showing up in Outlook with the help of Clean Email, you can move them to a different folder or reply to them directly—there is no need to switch to Outlook. In other words, you can use Clean Email to not only clean your Outlook mailbox but also to communicate with your contacts.

Solution 7: Repair Your Outlook Profile

Helps when: Your email profile has become corrupted

Believe it or not, your Outlook profile can become corrupted. When that happens, you might start to notice several telltale signs indicating something isn't right with your Outlook. These issues can range from minor inconveniences such as temporary freezes to Outlook emails not showing up at all. The good news is that Microsoft provides its users with effective profile repair solutions.

If you're a Microsoft 365 user, then you can download and install the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant. Then you just need to run the application, and it will diagnose and fix any issues with your Outlook profile automatically.

If you're an Outlook 2013 or 2016 user, then you can open the File menu and go to Account Settings. There, navigate to the Email tab and choose your account (profile). Finally, select the Repair option and follow the wizard.

Wrap-Up

Fixing issues with Outlook emails not showing up can be a straightforward process with the right tools and guidance. By following our step-by-step solutions, your Outlook inbox can be running smoothly in no time. To ensure that it stays that way, we recommend you make Clean Email part of your regular email management routine so that it can continue helping you maintain a clean and organized inbox.