The uninterrupted flow of email messages in Outlook 365 may face glitches several times. This situation can be caused by many reasons and leads to a loss of productive hours. In this guide, we will talk in length about the reasons and solutions for the ‘Office 365 Outlook client not sending & receiving emails’ error. We will also explore an OST to PST converter tool that is capable of extracting inaccessible OST data files and converting them to PST format.
Introduction:
Microsoft Office 365 Outlook is equipped with many security features that offer protection against phishing and malware. Its exceptional mailbox management capabilities, as well as its integrated cloud storage feature that facilitates access from any device, are also commendable. Even though this email client offers so many features, sometimes it prevents the user from sending or receiving messages, causing the loss of productive data.
There are many reasons that can lead to the ‘Office 365 Outlook client not sending and receiving emails’ error. Your Outlook account might also be temporarily blocked from any unusual activity. Similarly, if an email message has an attachment larger than 25 MB, Outlook cannot send the message. Some other reasons that can result in this error include an unstable Internet connection, an error in email account configuration, and a corrupt email profile. In this guide, we will not only shed light on the reasons that cause such errors but also on how to troubleshoot and fix the issue.
Understanding the Error:
In this part of the post, we will explore reasons that can lead to issues in Office 365 Outlook. Some of those reasons are listed below:
- Unstable Internet: Outlook 365 will work properly if there is a stable internet connection. In the absence of a reliable internet connection, it may fail to synchronize the mailbox to/from the mailbox server.
- Issues with Email Account: If there are some discrepancies, like wrong server ports, credentials mismatch, etc., in email account settings, it may prevent Outlook 365 from receiving or sending emails.
- Error in the Outbox Folder: It has been observed in some cases that emails get stuck in Outbox because of reasons like an oversized attachment, storage space issues, etc.
- Outdated Office 365 Outlook Version: An outdated Office 365 version may pose compatibility issues and prevent the user from receiving or sending emails. It is always advisable to install essential updates to avoid this issue.
- Installation Issues: If we are working with the damaged MS Office installation files, we may face issues sending or receiving emails in Outlook 365 as this scenario disturbs the application’s functionality.
- A Corrupt Profile: A corrupt profile can prevent synchronization between servers, resulting in this error.
- A large OST File: An oversized Outlook data file (OST) can prevent synchronization between servers, resulting in this error
- Faulty Add-ins: When we source and install add-ins from untrusted vendors, we may face compatibility issues. This happens because these faulty add-ins hamper the default functioning of Outlook, ultimately leading to this error.
- Other Reasons: This error may be caused by the following reasons:
- Sometimes that account may be blocked by Outlook because of some unusual sign-in activity.
- If a message has an attachment larger than 25 MB,.
- Filters in the ‘Other Tab’ prevent you from seeing all your messages.
- If the storage data is exhausted, you may come across this error.
How to Fix the ‘Office 365 Outlook Client Not Sending & Receiving Emails’ Error?
In this part of the guide, we will discuss various solutions available to Outlook users to fix this error. The step-by-step guide to the popular solutions is listed below:
Ensure a Stable Internet Connection: To ensure seamless working on Office 365 Outlook, we must need a stable and reliable Internet connection. If the Internet signals keep coming and going, it will hamper mailbox functionality. Check the Internet speed and also check the browsing speed of other websites. Restart the router and contact the internet service provider if nothing works.
Account Settings Validation: The next fix available with us is to check Outlook account settings. Follow the below steps for the same:
- Explore Outlook and click File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
- Hit the email profile in question to navigate to more settings.
- Validate the email address, password, incoming and outgoing server ports, and settings.
- Click Next > Finish to save the changes and restart Outlook.
Inspect the Outbox Folder and Mailbox Quota: Sometimes, owing to large attachments, emails get stuck in Outlook. Inspect the Outbox folder by following the below steps:
- Launch Outlook and hit on the ‘Outbox’ folder in the left pane.
- Look for any mail with a large attachment. If you find any, remove the attachments. Upload the attachment to any cloud storage service, like WeTransfer, and send a link along with an email message.
Follow the below steps to check the health of the mailbox quota:
- Explore the Outlook app.
- Navigate to File > Info > Tools, and select Mailbox Cleanup.
- Investigate the mailbox size by hitting the ‘View Deleted Mailbox Size’ button.
- Then press Close and use the Mailbox Cleanup window to clean the deleted folders and remove older mail items.
Check and apply Office 365 Outlook Updates: You must work on the latest Outlook version to avoid conflicts. Follow the below steps to check for the latest updates:
- Browse the Outlook app.
- Press File > Office Account.
- Under ‘Product Information’, click on Update Options > Update Now.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.
- Restart Outlook to check if the problem is resolved.
Outlook Installation Repair: We have already discussed that a corrupt Outlook or Office installation can cause operational issues in Outlook, including the ‘client not sending & receiving emails’ error. Follow the below steps to repair corrupted Outlook or Office installation files:
- Exit Outlook 365.
- Browse the Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue box, type: control, and then hit Enter.
- Go to Programs and Features and then click ‘Microsoft Office from the list. Then, press on ‘Change’.
- Based on the version, select ‘Online Repair’, ‘Quick Repair’ or ‘Repair’ option.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the MS Office repair process.
- After the repair, restart Outlook and check if the issue is resolved.
New Office 365 Outlook Profile Creation: You can replace the damaged profile with a new one. Follow the below steps to create a new Outlook 365 profile:
- Exit Outlook and browse the Control Panel.
- Search and hit ‘Mail’.
- Hit on Show Profiles > Add.
- Enter profile name and press OK to create a new profile.
- Enter email account details and settings as prompted.
- Set the new profile as the ‘default’ profile by going back to the Mail window and selecting the new profile in the ‘Always use this profile dropdown menu.
- Press ‘OK’ to save the changes and restart Outlook.
What should I do if nothing works?
We have tried every method discussed in the above post, and everything fails to resolve the issue. In such a scenario, use an OST to PST converter tool to troubleshoot the error. Stellar Converter for OST is an expert-recommended converter tool that can quickly convert large OST files to PST files. This tool can also convert mailbox items, even from inaccessible orphaned OST files, to PST files. You can later export the mailbox data that was not accessible earlier from the converted PST file. This tool is known to perform an accurate and swift conversion while preserving the original integrity of the mailbox items.
Conclusion:
Office 365 Outlook offers a pool of features for better communication. One of the features that attracts the fancy of executives is the flexibility to work from any place in the world with an Internet connection. But sometimes, like other software, this app is marred by errors. One of such errors is ‘Office 365 Outlook client not sending and receiving.’ In the above post, we have discussed possible reasons for this error, like slow Internet, incompatible add-ins, corrupt profiles, etc.
Besides this, we have also discussed methods to troubleshoot this error, like checking the internet connection, inspecting account settings, add-in management, creating a new Outlook 365 profile, etc. If none of the troubleshooting methods work, we can try an OST to PST converter tool like Stellar Converter for OST. This tool can easily convert any inaccessible or orphaned OST file to PST without compromising its integrity.