Email Troubleshooting Guide
- Not receiving emails
- Missing emails
- Emails not appearing in your Inbox
- Outlook not syncing
- Shared mailbox not updating
- Emails delayed or arriving late
- Sent emails not being received
- Outlook showing "Trying to connect" or "Disconnected"
Please make sure you have completed the following:
- ✔ Save any open work.
- ✔ Ensure your computer is connected to the internet.
- ✔ Keep Outlook open while completing the checks below.
1. Restart Outlook
Close Outlook completely and wait approximately 10 seconds before opening it again.
Outlook can occasionally lose its connection to Microsoft 365. Restarting Outlook refreshes the connection and often resolves temporary synchronization issues.
Expected Result: New emails should begin downloading within a few minutes.
2. Restart Your Computer
If restarting Outlook does not resolve the issue, restart your computer and open Outlook again.
3. Check Outlook on the Web
Log in to Outlook on the web using your Microsoft 365 account.
- If the missing emails appear online, the problem is likely with the Outlook desktop application.
- If the emails are also missing online, the issue is likely related to email delivery or your mailbox.
4. Check Your Internet Connection
- Open a website to confirm your internet connection is working.
- If you are using Wi-Fi, disconnect and reconnect if necessary.
- If you are working remotely, ensure your VPN (if required) is connected.
5. Ensure Outlook Is Online
In Outlook:
- Select the Send / Receive tab.
- Ensure Work Offline is NOT enabled.
If Work Offline is enabled, click it once to reconnect Outlook.
6. Search for the Missing Email
The email may have been moved automatically.
Use Outlook's Search bar and search using:
- Sender's name
- Email address
- Subject line
- Keywords from the email
Also check:
- Inbox
- Junk Email
- Deleted Items
- Archive
- Focused / Other Inbox (if enabled)
7. Shared Mailbox Issues
If the problem affects a shared mailbox:
- Close and reopen Outlook.
- Check the shared mailbox in Outlook on the web.
- Ask another colleague if they can see the missing email.
8. Sent Email Not Received
If the email appears in your Sent Items but the recipient has not received it:
- Confirm the recipient's email address is correct.
- Ask the recipient to check their Junk or Spam folder.
- Allow a few minutes for delivery in case of delays.
If the recipient is another employee, IT can perform a message trace to investigate.
9. External Emails
If you are waiting for an email from outside the company, the message may have been:
- Delayed during delivery.
- Blocked by email security.
- Placed into quarantine.
If you believe this has happened, please contact IT for assistance.
10. Still Having Problems?
- Your email address.
- The sender's email address.
- The recipient's email address (if different).
- The email subject.
- The approximate date and time the email was sent.
- Whether the sender is internal or external.
- Whether the issue occurs in Outlook, Outlook on the Web, or both.
- Whether the issue affects only you or multiple users.
- Screenshots of any errors (if available).
