Where are emails marked OUTBOX on iPhone in my desktop PC's Outlook for web application?

Question

Where are emails marked OUTBOX on iPhone in my desktop PC's Outlook for web application?

STL MO 20

Sending emails from my phone to my PC using the same email account often (but not always) results in those emails being hung up in the iPhone's Outbox. I cannot find the same Outbox emails on the desktop PC. Would like to be able to save the photos attached to my PCs hard drive and external storage device. Thanks.

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Answer accepted by question author

Thomas4-N 23,670 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello STL MO,

Those messages are still stored locally in the iPhone’s Outbox because they have not successfully reached Outlook.com. Therefore, they will not appear in Outlook on the web on the PC.

Before deleting, resetting, or removing the email account from the iPhone:

Open the stuck message on the iPhone.
Press and hold each attached photo.
Select Save Image or Save to Files.
Transfer the saved photos to the PC using OneDrive, iCloud, or a USB cable.

After the photos are safely stored, try resending them in smaller groups over a stable Wi-Fi connection.

Are you using Apple’s built-in Mail app or Microsoft Outlook on the iPhone? The repair steps differ between the two apps.

Thomas4-N 23,670 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-23T10:37:12.3066667+00:00

Hello STL MO,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.
STL MO 20 Reputation points

2026-10-27T00:56:38.28+00:00

Thanks for checking in on me! I found the "lost" emails on my PC's Outlook Web Version (which were stranded in the Outbox on my iPhone's email index) by doing a search of all the PC's email using the subject lines I'd originally given each one. Then, photo by photo, I'm able to save them to the hard drive of the PC (and my external hard drive back-up).

1 additional answer

Your answer

Thomas4-N 23,670 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-23T10:37:12.3066667+00:00

Hello STL MO,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.
STL MO 20 Reputation points

2026-10-27T00:56:38.28+00:00

Thanks for checking in on me! I found the "lost" emails on my PC's Outlook Web Version (which were stranded in the Outbox on my iPhone's email index) by doing a search of all the PC's email using the subject lines I'd originally given each one. Then, photo by photo, I'm able to save them to the hard drive of the PC (and my external hard drive back-up).

Answer 1

In Outlook on the web / Outlook.com, there is no Outbox folder like there is in desktop Outlook. Messages that fail to send usually stay in Drafts, or they may disappear if the send attempt was interrupted.

For this scenario:

In Outlook on the web, check Drafts first.
Also check Sent Items and Deleted Items.
Use the search bar and search for part of the subject or message text, then search across All folders.
If the message is found in Drafts, open it and download or remove the photos as needed.

If the message is still only stuck in the iPhone Outbox, it would not appear as an Outbox item in Outlook on the web.

For messages that are not sending from Outlook.com, also check:

whether the attachment is larger than 25 MB
whether mailbox storage is full

To review storage in Outlook.com, go to Settings > Account > Storage.

References: