How to Fix Outlook Not Receiving Emails or Messages Stuck in Outbox

What Causes This?

Outlook can stop receiving emails or leave messages stuck in the Outbox when it cannot properly connect to your mail server or sync your mailbox data. Common causes include working offline mode, a bad internet connection, oversized attachments, incorrect account settings, or a corrupted Outlook profile/data file. In some cases, antivirus email scanning or a damaged add-in can also block send/receive tasks.

Common Symptoms

• New emails do not appear even though you know messages were sent to you
• Emails stay in the Outbox and never send
• Outlook shows send/receive errors or keeps asking for your password
• The status bar says Working Offline or Disconnected
• Outlook freezes or becomes slow when trying to sync mail

How to Fix It Manually

1. Make sure Outlook is online

   • Open Outlook.
   • Click the Send/Receive tab.
   • If Work Offline is highlighted, click it once to turn it off.
   • Check the bottom status bar. It should no longer say Working Offline or Disconnected.

2. Check your internet connection and restart Outlook

   • Press Windows + I to open Settings, then go to Network & Internet and confirm you are connected.
   • Open a website in your browser to verify internet access.
   • Close Outlook completely.
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
   • Under Processes, end any remaining Microsoft Outlook tasks, then reopen Outlook.

3. Remove or resend stuck messages from the Outbox

   • In Outlook, click Send/Receive > Work Offline to stop Outlook from trying to send.
   • Open the Outbox folder.
   • Double-click any stuck message.
   • If it has a large attachment, remove the attachment or save it elsewhere and attach a smaller file.
   • Click Save, then either Delete the message or click Send again after turning off Work Offline.

4. Run Outlook in Safe Mode to rule out add-ins

   • Press Windows + R to open Run.
   • Type outlook.exe /safe and press Enter.
   • Try sending and receiving email.
   • If it works in Safe Mode, go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   • At the bottom, next to Manage COM Add-ins, click Go and disable add-ins one at a time until the problem stops.

5. Repair the Outlook data file and profile

   • Close Outlook.
   • Open File Explorer and browse to:
     • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\
     • or search Windows for SCANPST.EXE
   • Open SCANPST.EXE, select your Outlook data file, and run the repair.
   • If the issue continues, open Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.
   • Click Add, create a new Outlook profile, then set it as the default and test again.

6. Check account settings

   • In Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
   • Select your email account and click Repair if available.
   • Confirm the incoming and outgoing server settings are correct, especially if you use POP/IMAP.
   • If Outlook keeps asking for a password, re-enter it and remove any saved outdated credentials in Credential Manager from the Windows Start menu.

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