If Outlook is not receiving emails, check five things in order: that Outlook is not in Work Offline mode, that the message is not in Junk or another folder, that no rule or blocked-sender entry is diverting it, that the mailbox is not full, and that the mail is actually arriving on the server (check webmail). One of those is almost always the cause.
Quick checks
- Work Offline — Send/Receive tab: if Work Offline is highlighted, click it to go back online
- Send/Receive — press F9 or click Send/Receive All Folders and watch the status bar for errors
- Internet — confirm the rest of the connection works; restart Outlook
Is it in another folder?
- Junk Email — check it; if legitimate mail is there, right-click > Junk > Never Block Sender
- Focused vs Other — if Focused Inbox is on, the message may be sitting in Other
- Search all mailboxes — search the sender’s name with scope set to All Mailboxes to see where it landed
Rules and blocked senders
File > Manage Rules & Alerts — a rule that moves or deletes mail is a common cause, especially one someone set up long ago. Home > Junk > Junk Email Options > Blocked Senders — check the sender or their domain is not listed.
Is the mailbox full?
A full mailbox stops delivery. In Outlook, File > Tools > Mailbox Cleanup shows the size; for Microsoft 365 or Exchange, check the quota in webmail. Empty Deleted Items and Junk, archive old mail, or ask for more storage.
Check the server
Open webmail (Outlook on the web, or your host’s webmail) and see if the missing message is there. If it is on the server but not in the Outlook app, the problem is the local profile — recreate it via Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles > Add, or let a new data file rebuild. If it is not on the server either, the issue is upstream: the sender, your mail filtering, or DNS/mail-flow — that is one for whoever runs your email.
When to call someone
If mail is missing on the server, if it is happening to several people, if it started after a domain or DNS change, or if senders get bounce-backs, it is a mail-flow problem rather than an Outlook one. We support business email and Microsoft 365 — see managed IT support and cloud services.
In Edmonton and want someone to handle it? Call +1 (587) 400-9991 (also on WhatsApp) or request a quote. See more common IT problems we fix.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I get email on my phone but not in desktop Outlook?
The mail is reaching the server, so the desktop profile is the problem — usually Work Offline, a corrupt data file, or a rule. Rebuilding the Outlook profile fixes most cases.
Emails are going to spam instead of my inbox.
Mark them Not Junk, add the sender to Safe Senders, and check server-side junk settings in webmail. If it is a whole domain of yours being marked, that points to a mail-authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) issue worth having checked.
Outlook stopped receiving mail after a password change.
The stored password is stale. Remove it in Control Panel > Credential Manager, or remove and re-add the account, and sign in again — including for multi-factor authentication if it is enabled.
It says “Outlook is trying to connect” or “disconnected”.
Check the connection first, then Work Offline, then the account settings. Persistent disconnection on Exchange or Microsoft 365 is often a profile rebuild or a server-side account issue.