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Email & Accounts

Outlook won't sync or send mail

Separate the account from the program: if webmail works, Outlook is the fault. If webmail is broken too, the account or the provider is.

Moderate20–30 min6 steps

Read before you start

If Outlook asks for your password after a warning banner, close it and sign in from your provider's website yourself. Password prompts reached through an email are the usual phishing route.

This guide is for you if

  • Mail sits in the Outbox and never sends
  • New mail stops arriving but the phone gets it
  • A password prompt appears over and over

Step by step

Work top to bottom

0 of 6 steps done

  1. Open webmail first

    Sign in at the provider's website. If mail sends there, the account is healthy and Outlook needs repair. If it fails there too, the account or mailbox is the issue.

    This one check saves most of the guesswork.

  2. Turn off Work Offline

    Outlook has a Work Offline toggle that quietly stops all sending and receiving. Check the Send/Receive tab and switch it back on.

  3. Check the mailbox size

    A full mailbox rejects everything you send. Empty Deleted Items and Sent Items, then check the quota on the provider's page.

  4. Re-enter the password or app password

    Providers with two-step verification need an app password, not your normal one. Re-enter it in Outlook and tick "remember me".

  5. Repair the Outlook profile

    Use the built-in repair option, then create a fresh profile if the problem returns. This rebuilds the local data file without touching mail on the server.

    A large .ost file is often behind repeated password prompts.

  6. Check rules and forwarding

    A forgotten rule can move or delete incoming mail so it looks like nothing arrives. Look at Rules and Junk settings before contacting the provider.