Why are sent emails in outlook for Mac suddenly all turning up as blank DRAFT in the sent folder

Question

Why are sent emails in outlook for Mac suddenly all turning up as blank DRAFT in the sent folder

Marc Godwin 5

I have suddenly found that I have multitudes of recent emails sitting in the sent folder as Draft and Blank, however I know the email was sent and received by the other party.

Why is this suddenly happening and how to fix the issue, these emails are on the server but are fully sent with details.

Please help!

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3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi Marc Godwin

Based on my research, this behavior may be related to client-side synchronization handling in New Outlook for Mac, particularly when Outlook re-syncs message metadata from the server. This has been observed more frequently in business accounts, including IMAP-based and some Exchange configurations, and does not appear to affect actual mail delivery.

At present, the message content exists correctly on the server, but the issue appears within the Outlook client view. Recent Office for Mac update notes do not mention any specific change related to this behavior. I found some recommended steps you can try, which may help reduce recurrence

Removing and re-adding the affected account in Outlook
Reviewing Drafts and Sent Items folder mapping (for IMAP accounts)
Using Legacy Outlook for Mac or Outlook on the Web
Keeping Outlook updated to the latest available build

If you continue to encounter this behavior after trying the steps above, you are encouraged to submit diagnostic data via Help > Contact Support in Outlook. This can assist with further investigation by directing the information to the support team.

I hope this information helps, and if you have any question, please feel free to ask!

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.

Guido Wolf Reichert 0 Reputation points

2026-11-11T14:23:54.6866667+00:00

I strongly disagree with the generic troubleshooting advice given to Marc Godwin.

This is not a feature request or a matter of user preference. It is a serious reliability defect in an essential function of Outlook.

I have experienced virtually the same issue with New Outlook for Mac 16.115 (26110837). An intact IMAP message was displayed as an empty draft. Moving the message between folders via the provider's webmail immediately restored its correct display in Outlook.

Suggesting account removal and reconfiguration, switching to Legacy Outlook, or submitting a feature request is not an adequate response to such a defect. Particularly when users have already established that the messages are intact on the server.

I have documented my findings here:

https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/970dabce-dadd-f111-bda3-6045bd78a526

Microsoft should acknowledge and investigate this issue, identify its root cause, and provide a permanent fix rather than leaving paying customers to devise workarounds for basic email functionality.

Answer 2

Marc Godwin 5

Thank you,

I checked on the sever and yes they are all sent and all information is captured
I reverted to legacy view and yes they are all sent and again all information is captured
I have tried to review the mapping for IMAP account affected but the new Outlook for MAC doesn't show the mapping for the folders, can you send me a link of such that shows how to perform this.

Anonymous

2026-05-15T03:17:01.01+00:00
Hi Marc Godwin

I'm so sorry if my previous reply caused any confusion. Manual IMAP folder mapping is no longer available in the New Outlook for Mac. Since we cannot manually map the folders in the New Outlook, here are your two best paths forward:

Force a fresh auto-sync (To stay on New Outlook): Since the current auto-mapping is stuck, removing and re-adding the account forces the system to try mapping it correctly from scratch. Go to Outlook > Settings > Add Accounts, select the IMAP account > manage > Remove account to remove it. Restart Outlook, then add the account back.

Stay on Legacy Outlook: Because every third-party IMAP provider handles folders slightly differently, many users prefer to stay on Legacy Outlook. It connects directly to your email provider (bypassing the cloud sync) and fully supports the manual IMAP mapping you are looking for.

Answer 3

Marc Godwin 5

Hi Hani-Ng

No worries I got it, thanks

I have just reverted to using bcc on all my sent emails has I have several email accounts running so dont want to revert to Legacy.

It seems a pity that MS has such poor support for Mac user on Outlook as there are many things not possible with it. If it really aggravates me I will just stop using and use apple mail for that IMAP account

Thanks for your efforts

Anonymous

2026-05-15T08:14:11.39+00:00

Hi Marc Godwin

Thank you for sharing your experience. If you would like Microsoft to consider improvements, you can submit feedback directly from Outlook by going to Help > Feedback > Suggest a Feature. This will ensure your input is reviewed by the product team.

Best Regards,