Outlook webmail and phone app are not loading

Because Outlook fails in both the browser and phone app, check Microsoft’s service status before changing either client; a confirmed Exchange Online or Outlook.com incident means waiting for Microsoft’s recovery updates rather than reinstalling the app.

1. Determine whether this is a service outage

• Personal Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live account: Open the Microsoft Service Health Status site linked from Microsoft’s current Outlook.com issues page. Microsoft directs users who cannot access Outlook.com to this status page.^1^
• Microsoft 365 work or school account: An administrator should open Microsoft 365 admin center → Health → Service health, then inspect Exchange Online for an active incident or advisory. If the admin center is inaccessible, use Microsoft’s public service-status page instead.^2^

A service incident confirms that other users are affected. Third-party outage reports alone do not confirm a Microsoft-side outage.

2. If no incident appears, isolate the browser problem

1. Open Outlook in an InPrivate/incognito window.
2. Temporarily disable AdBlock, uBlock, or other content-blocking extensions. Microsoft notes that these can prevent Outlook.com from loading.^3^
3. Try the latest version of another supported browser:
   • Windows: Edge, Firefox, or Chrome
   • macOS: Edge, Safari 16 or later, Firefox, or Chrome
   • Linux: Firefox or Chrome
4. Test on a different connection—for example, switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data.

If Outlook loads privately or in another browser, the problem is local browser cache, an extension, or a network filter rather than the mailbox service.

3. If the phone is Android

Outlook depends on Android System WebView for embedded web content and sign-in. Microsoft documents updating WebView and Chrome as the resolution for Outlook Mobile failures associated with WebView.^4^

1. Open Google Play Store.
2. Search for Android System WebView and select Update.
3. Search for Google Chrome and select Update.
4. Restart the phone.
5. If Outlook still hangs:
   • Open Settings → Apps → Outlook → Force stop.
   • Open Storage → Clear cache.
   • Update Outlook from Google Play, restart the phone, and test again. Clearing only the cache preserves Outlook’s local data.^5^

Avoid Clear data or deleting the account initially, because those actions require account setup and authentication again.

4. If only the Inbox fails to load

If Sent, Drafts, or other folders open but the Inbox remains stuck on both web and mobile:

1. In Outlook on the web, open Settings → Mail → Layout.
2. Under Focused Inbox, select Don’t sort my messages.
3. Change the Reading pane position and set sorting to Newest on top.
4. Temporarily disable Inbox rules or Sweep settings under Settings → Mail.

These steps apply specifically when only the Inbox is affected across modern Outlook clients.^6^

If there is no listed outage and both clients still fail on multiple browsers, devices, and networks, contact Microsoft Support for a personal account; for a work or school account, ask the Microsoft 365 administrator to inspect Service health and report the issue from that page.

References

1. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com
2. How to check Microsoft 365 service health
3. Supported browsers for Outlook on the web and Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
4. Android WebView Crash | Microsoft Support
5. Troubleshoot Outlook mobile issues | Microsoft Support
6. Inbox not loading on New Outlook (Web & Mobile), Works in Classic - Microsoft Q&A