Is outlook down no incoming emails

david hendrickson 60 Reputation points
2026-10-30T16:52:03.1533333+00:00

I'm not able to get any incoming emails in outlook for a couple of days

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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Sumit 44,966 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-11-03T11:47:24.51+00:00

Please send a test email from one of your other accounts to the problematic account. Do you get any bounce back message?

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Vikki-T 13,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-10-31T10:12:00.2033333+00:00

Hello david hendrickson,

To help determine whether this is a mailbox delivery issue or an Outlook app synchronization problem, please sign in directly at Outlook.com and check whether any new messages appear there.

Could you also confirm the following?

  • Are you using Outlook on the web, new Outlook, classic Outlook, or the mobile app?
  • Is the affected address a personal Outlook.com/Hotmail/MSN account or a work or school account?
  • Can you still send email successfully?
  • When someone sends you a test message, do they receive a delivery failure notice? If so, please share the error message or code after removing any personal information.

If messages appear on Outlook.com but not in the app, the issue is most likely related to the app’s synchronization. If the test message does not arrive on Outlook.com either, please let me know the answers above so we can identify the most appropriate next step.

You can also review Microsoft’s official guidance here: Troubleshoot sending and receiving email in Outlook.com. Thank you so much for your understanding.     

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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AI answer

2026-10-30T16:52:45.7633333+00:00

There is no confirmed Outlook.com-wide incoming-mail outage at present, so check Microsoft’s live service status and then test the account-specific delivery causes below. ^1^

Check Outlook.com

  1. Check storage first.
    In Outlook.com, open Settings and search for Storage. If Microsoft cloud storage or the mailbox is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email. Messages sent while storage was full are returned to the sender and cannot be recovered, so after freeing space, ask senders to resend them. ^2^
  2. Look for mail outside the main Inbox.
    • Check the Other tab.
    • Open Junk Email. Right-click legitimate messages and select Mark as not junk.
    • Select Filter → Sort → Date to restore chronological order.
    • Remove any active Inbox filter.
  3. Review forwarding and rules.
    Open Settings and search for Forwarding and Rules. Disable any setting that forwards, deletes, archives, or moves incoming messages unexpectedly. Microsoft lists forwarding and mail rules among the documented causes of apparently missing mail. ^2^
  4. Run a delivery test.
    Send a message to the Outlook.com address from a different email provider. Check Inbox, Other, Junk, and Deleted Items. If it does not arrive, examine the sending account for a non-delivery report; its error text helps distinguish a rejected message from one hidden by Outlook settings.
  5. Check whether this is only an app problem.
    Sign in directly to Outlook.com in a browser. If new mail appears there but not in the Outlook desktop or mobile app, delivery is working and the issue is with that app’s synchronization. If a connected app uses POP or IMAP, Microsoft recommends disabling those connections temporarily and testing again. ^2^

If mail still does not arrive

Check Microsoft’s Outlook.com known-issues page for newly reported incidents or workarounds. ^3^

Then, while signed in to Outlook.com:

  1. Select Help on the menu bar.
  2. Enter not receiving email.
  3. Complete the self-help prompts.
  4. Scroll to Still need help? and select Yes to contact Outlook.com support. ^2^

For a work or school Microsoft 365 mailbox rather than an @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com account, the organization’s administrator should instead check Microsoft 365 admin center → Health → Service health.

References

  1. Microsoft service health status
  2. Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
  3. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
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  1. david hendrickson 60 Reputation points
    2026-11-03T12:20:43.35+00:00

    it's working again thanks

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