I am unable to receive emails in my account

Laura Wachter 0 Reputation points
2026-10-03T03:01:19.9033333+00:00

I am currently unable to receive emails in my account.

I believe i was hacked a couple weeks ago because friends reported getting strange emails from my account asking for gift cards which I would never do.

I have not received any of my regular email since that time.

I cleared out old emails and deleted thinking maybe it was a storage issue with no success.

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email

2 answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest

  1. AI answer

    2026-10-03T03:01:36.78+00:00

    Since the account likely sent scam messages and regular mail stopped afterward, check for malicious settings that hide or redirect mail, then secure the account.

    1. Check whether the account is blocked or the password needs updating.
      • Outlook.com can stop sending or receiving if unusual sign-in activity was detected.
      • Use the Microsoft account sign-in helper or the Outlook.com account unblock flow if needed.
    2. In Outlook.com, check where mail is being diverted.
      • Check the Other tab.
      • Check the Junk Email folder. If valid messages are there, mark them as not junk.
      • Restore message order with Filter > Sort > Date if messages appear out of order.
    3. Check for forwarding and rules.
      • Verify that email forwarding is not enabled.
      • Check that there are no email rules preventing messages from appearing.
      • Compromised accounts commonly have suspicious Inbox rules, including rules that forward mail to unknown addresses or move messages to Junk Email or other folders.
    4. Check storage again.
      • If either Outlook.com mailbox storage or OneDrive cloud storage is full, email cannot be sent or received.
      • Messages sent while storage was full can bounce back to the sender and are unrecoverable.
    5. Re-secure the account.
      • Change the password again.
      • Sign out of all existing sessions.
      • Enable two-step verification.
      • Review aliases and sign-in/contact information and remove anything unrecognized.
    6. If a specific sender’s messages still do not arrive, ask that sender to review Outlook.com sender guidance.

    If mail is still missing after these checks, use the Outlook.com interactive troubleshooter.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. Ben4724 4,645 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-03T06:12:57.96+00:00

    Hi there! Just to confirm, have you also checked if there are any information added on your account that you are not familiar with? Such as an unknown email address, phone number, etc. First thing you should check is your accounts security information via https://account.microsoft.com/security page.

    From there, check if your recovery information is still up to date or if someone put theirs on that page. If you see an information you are not familiar with then it is likely that the hacker changed your account information and that they may still have access to your account.

    If that's the case, best is to go through the hacked account guide of Microsoft on this page https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/how-to-recover-a-hacked-or-compromised-microsoft-account by following it you should reach a form that will allow you to submit a report directly to Microsoft. I hope the additional information helps!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.