IMAP account on Outlook for iPad creates read-only drafts when trying to create new email

Question

IMAP account on Outlook for iPad creates read-only drafts when trying to create new email

Jocelin Marsh 0

Outlook for iPad does not feature a Minimise drafts setting which is available on iPhone. My Stretton IMAP account repeatedly produces a blank read-only draft with the message "Couldn't recover draft" whenever I try to compose a new email. Disabling the Minimise Drafts switch on my iPhone resolved the same issue. Please explain how I can disable this feature on iPad or explain how I can create new emails on my iPad without it failing due to blank draft creation every time

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Hello Jocelin Marsh,

Thanks for the update. I understand that removing and re-adding the IMAP account hasn't helped, and you're still unable to compose new emails on your iPad.

Since disabling Minimise Drafts resolved the same issue on your iPhone, it may be related to how Outlook handles drafts on the iPad. However, I wouldn't want to assume the IMAP server is responsible without confirming that.

Could you try composing a new email using the same Stretton account in Apple Mail on your iPad?

If Apple Mail works: This would suggest the problem is specific to Outlook for iPad.
If Apple Mail also fails: We may need to investigate the account or IMAP server configuration.

Answer 2

Jocelin Marsh 0

I have already deleted my IMAP account from Outlook and re-installed it. It made no difference. As soon as I try to write a new email, the blank draft is created and I am unable to create the email. The same problem remains

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Answer 3

Rayyan Fawad 1,255

Hi Jocelin the feature that automatically minimizes the drafts in the back end for Outlook for iPad can’t be turned off the same way as it can be for iPhone. This is because the automatic draft created in Outlook for iPad by clicking on the compose button is locked by the Stretton IMAP server. To do this you would need to delete your account from Outlook and re-add it to force a sync to update it to the latest version.

Jocelin Marsh 0 Reputation points

2026-11-06T16:03:39.78+00:00

I have already deleted my IMAP account from Outlook and re-installed it. It made no difference. As soon as I try to write a new email, the blank draft is created and I am unable to create the email. The same problem remains
Rayyan Fawad 1,255 Reputation points

2026-11-06T17:39:58.3333333+00:00

This is because Outlook automatically creates a “autosaved” draft message. This conflicts with your Stretton IMAP server so if you try to compose a new email it will not let you. You will have to go into the outlook settings and click on your account. Once there hit Reset Account. If this doesn't work you can also go into your account settings and turn off syncing of the Drafts folder. Or use the mail app on the iPad for somewhile until the bug is resolved. If this helps solve the issue please accept this as the answer.