Outlook Not Receiving Emails but Can Send? 7 Fixes

Your sent mail goes out instantly — people reply to it — but your Inbox has not shown a new message in hours. Outlook not receiving emails but able to send is one of the most useful symptoms in all of email troubleshooting, because it rules out most of the usual suspects in one stroke. Outlook not receiving emails but can send is a symptom that points straight at the incoming side.

Read that symptom properly and the search space collapses. Sending works, so your account, password and internet connection are all healthy. The fault is on the incoming side only: the IMAP/POP settings Outlook collects with, a sync that has stalled, a rule quietly moving mail, or a mailbox too full to accept more. This guide works through exactly those, in order. (If Outlook is not receiving and not sending — or you are not sure sending works — start with our broader Outlook not receiving emails guide instead, which covers every state.)

Quick Answer: If Outlook sends but does not receive, first verify the incoming server settings (Fix 1 — sending working does not validate them), then force a sync with F9 in Classic or View > Sync in the new Outlook (Fix 2). After that, check the quiet thieves in order: rules moving mail (Fix 3), a full mailbox (Fix 4), the Junk folder and Focused Inbox’s Other tab (Fix 5), and the Blocked Senders list (Fix 6). Rebuilding the local mail file is the last resort (Fix 7).

Outlook Not Receiving Emails but Can Send: What “Sending Works” Tells You

Sending and receiving are two separate conversations with two separate servers. When you send, Outlook logs in to the outgoing (SMTP) server — proof that your password is correct and current, the account is active, and your connection reaches the provider. When you receive, Outlook separately contacts the incoming server (IMAP or POP) with its own server name, port and encryption — settings that sending never touches.

That is why this exact split happens so often: something changed or broke on the incoming side alone — a provider migrated its IMAP server, the sync window shrank, a rule started filing mail elsewhere — while the outgoing side kept working. The screenshot below is the typical scene: a healthy account, sent mail flowing, and an Inbox frozen in time.

If instead Outlook shows Disconnected or Working Offline in the status bar, that is a connection-state problem rather than an incoming-settings problem — fix that first with our Outlook Disconnected guide. And the mirror image of this article — receiving fine but unable to send — is covered by Outlook not sending emails but can receive.

Fix 1: Check the Incoming (IMAP/POP) Server Settings

The incoming server has its own name, port and encryption, and a single wrong character stops receiving while sending sails on:

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, select the account, and click Change.
2. Check the Incoming mail server name against your provider’s published setting (for AT&T/Yahoo-family accounts it is imap.mail.att.net; for POP accounts, inbound.att.net).
3. Click More Settings > Advanced and verify the pair: IMAP uses port 993 with SSL/TLS (or 143 with STARTTLS); POP3 uses port 995 with SSL/TLS.
4. OK > Next > Close, then press F9 to force a full send/receive.

If your error names a code — 0x80042108 is this problem in coded form (“Outlook cannot connect to your incoming (POP3) email server”) — the dedicated guide goes deeper: Outlook error 0x80042108. Every coded guide is also collected in the Error Codes hub.

Fix 2: Force a Sync — and Check the Sync Window

Sometimes nothing is broken; Outlook simply has not pulled. Force it, then watch the result:

1. In Classic Outlook, press F9 (Send/Receive All Folders) and open the Send/Receive Progress window — an incoming error here (a credential refusal, a server timeout) tells you which fix below applies. In the new Outlook, use View > Sync.
2. Check the status bar afterwards: it should end at “All folders are up to date”, not stall on “Syncing…” or “Waiting…”.

One quiet setting shrinks what sync brings down: the “Sync this folder” window — right-click the Inbox > Properties > Synchronization in Classic, or the account’s sync settings in the new app — and Classic’s “Days of email to save” slider under File > Account Settings > Change. If that window is set to a few days, older expected mail simply is not downloaded, which can look exactly like “not receiving”.

Fix 3: Check Rules and Filters That Move Mail on Arrival

Rules run the moment mail arrives — before you ever see it — and a rule created months ago (or by accident, from a right-click) can file every new message into a subfolder, an archive, or Deleted Items. Receiving “works”; the mail just never reaches the Inbox:

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. Read every checked rule, looking for move to folder, delete, or conditions broader than intended (“from anyone”, “with specific words” matching common terms).
3. Uncheck anything suspect and press F9 — or better, send yourself a test from another account and watch where it lands.

In the new Outlook and Outlook.com, the same check lives in Settings > Mail > Rules — and sweep the Settings > Mail > Forwarding page while you are there: forwarding switched on (especially “do not keep a copy”) produces exactly this symptom.

Fix 4: A Full Mailbox Stops Receiving First

When a mailbox hits its storage limit, providers typically refuse new incoming mail while still letting you send — the purest form of this article’s symptom. Outlook tells you:

1. File > Info shows Mailbox Settings with a storage bar — if it is at or near full, that is your answer.
2. Free space by emptying Deleted Items and Junk Email, then archiving or deleting the largest old messages (sort a big folder by Size).
3. Wait a few minutes after freeing space; receiving usually resumes on its own, then press F9.

Fix 5: Check Junk — and the Focused Inbox “Other” Tab

Before assuming mail is not arriving, confirm it is not arriving somewhere else. Outlook’s Focused Inbox splits mail into Focused and Other tabs, and anything it judges less important silently lands in Other — no notification, no badge you would notice:

1. Click the Other tab at the top of the message list and look for the missing mail.
2. Check the Junk Email folder too — aggressive filtering is the other silent destination.

Found the mail in Other? Right-click it and choose Move to Focused (and “Always move to Focused” for that sender) to train the filter. Mail repeatedly landing in Junk has its own deeper guide: Outlook emails going to Junk.

Fix 6: Check the Blocked Senders List

If one particular person’s mail never arrives while everyone else’s does, the Junk filter’s blocked list is the likely home of the problem — a sender can land there from one careless right-click:

1. Home tab > Junk > Junk Email Options > Blocked Senders.
2. Scan the list for the missing sender’s address or domain.
3. Select it, click Remove, then OK — and ask them to resend, or test from that account.

Fix 7: Rebuild the Local Mail File (Last Resort)

If the settings are right, sync completes without errors, and mail genuinely reaches the account (check by signing in to your provider’s webmail — if it is there, the account is fine and Outlook’s local copy is the fault), rebuild that copy:

• Classic Outlook: the local cache is the account’s .ost file. Close Outlook, open File Explorer to %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook, rename the .ost to .old, and reopen Outlook — it rebuilds the file from the server. IMAP and Exchange mail lives server-side, so nothing is lost.
• New Outlook: remove the account (Settings > Accounts > Your accounts > Remove) and add it again for the same fresh start.

Provider-Specific Fixes

Sending works, so your login and connection are proven — the fault sits on the incoming side. For the providers below, that fault is usually one specific setting or provider rule. Find yours before rebuilding profiles.

AOL Mail: A Yahoo Password Prompt for an AOL Account Is Normal

If Outlook pops up a Yahoo password prompt for your @aol.com account, nothing is hijacked — AOL Mail runs on Yahoo’s platform, and that prompt is part of the sign-in plumbing. The fix is a fresh AOL app password: generate one in AOL Account Security, then check the incoming settings — IMAP imap.aol.com, port 993 with SSL (POP: pop.aol.com, 995), username your full AOL address, and the app password in the password field, not your normal web password. A manually added AOL account refuses the ordinary password by design. Full setup steps: add Yahoo and AOL mail to Outlook.

EarthLink: Check spamBlocker, the POP Host, and the 90-Day Rule

EarthLink’s incoming server is imap.earthlink.net, port 993 with SSL/TLS, username your full address, and your normal email password — EarthLink has no app password. Three EarthLink-only causes stop mail arriving. First, spamBlocker: on the High setting it only allows senders in your Address Book, so check it in EarthLink webmail if expected mail never appears. Second, POP accounts use pop.earthlink.net (995, SSL) — with @mindspring.com addresses on pop.mindspring.com and @ix.netcom.com on pop.ix.netcom.com — and POP downloads and deletes mail from the server by default, so check “Leave a copy of messages on the server” if mail vanishes between devices. Third, EarthLink stops delivering new mail after 90 days without a webmail sign-in; signing in to WebMail restarts delivery.

Sympatico / Bell: The Country You Are In Can Block Receiving

Bell’s incoming settings are IMAP imap.bell.net, port 993 with SSL (legacy POP: pophm.sympatico.ca, 995), username your full address — @sympatico.ca and @bell.net alike — and your normal mailbox password; Bell has no app password, and the imap.bell.net / invented pop.bell.net pair in old guides is wrong on the POP side. The Bell-only trap is the geo-block: Bell only allows email programs to connect from Canada, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, the Bahamas, Australia, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Travel outside that list and Outlook simply cannot receive (or send) — webmail is the workaround until you are back. Errors 0x800CCC90 / 0x800CCC92 with “mail storage services unavailable” are Bell server-side; wait and retry rather than rebuilding your profile. Sending-side Bell fixes live in Sympatico email not sending in Outlook.

Cogeco: Match the Incoming Server to Your Province

Cogeco’s own top receive cause is the wrong incoming server for your province — the two halves of Cogeco use different hosts. Ontario: IMAP imap.cogeco.ca (993, SSL/TLS) or POP pop.cogeco.ca (995). Quebec: IMAP imap.cgocable.ca (993) or POP pop.cgocable.ca (995). Your username must be the full Cogeco address, including @cogeco.ca — a bare username is the second cause on Cogeco’s own list. If your account was set up while living in the other province, or by a guide that only printed one table, correcting that one server name usually restarts receiving immediately.

Juno: There Is No Juno IMAP — It Is POP Only, by Design

Start here, because this one fact ends most Juno receiving problems: Juno has no IMAP server. Juno’s official settings are POP only — incoming pop.juno.com, port 995 with SSL, username your full memberid@juno.com — and every page listing an imap.juno.com server is inventing it. Set the account up as POP, and check “Leave a copy of messages on the server” so checking mail in Outlook does not empty the mailbox for your other devices. Be aware that the new Outlook app has known trouble connecting Juno accounts at all — Microsoft’s own answers concede it may not yet be compatible — so if the new app refuses the account, Classic Outlook or Juno webmail is the working route.

BT Internet: One Server, SSL Not STARTTLS, and No SPA

BT uses one host for everything: incoming is mail.btinternet.com — IMAP port 993 or POP3 port 995 — with SSL enabled and STARTTLS specifically not used, and do not enable SPA (Secure Password Authentication); BT’s settings require it off, with your normal BT password — BT has no app password for this. Two BT-only traps look exactly like an Outlook fault. BT Mail Basic: accounts downgraded to Basic cannot be used in any email app at all, webmail only, so check your BT Mail product if the account has never worked in Outlook. The 12-month rule: if you only used webmail for over a year, BT switches client access off — resetting your BT password switches it back on. BT’s sending traps are in BT email not sending in Outlook.

Virgin Media: Receiving Needs the Mail App Password Too

Virgin Media’s incoming server is imap.virginmedia.com, port 993 with SSL (POP3: pop3.virginmedia.com, 995) — the same settings cover @virginmedia.com, @blueyonder.co.uk and @ntlworld.com addresses. The password is the trap in both directions: Outlook needs your Virgin Media Mail app password, not your My Virgin Media password. Generate one under My Virgin Media > Account settings > Account details > Manage your Virgin Media Mail app password (on the newer Virgin Media O2 ID sign-in, look under Identity & Security Settings > Manage your products). One warning: generating a new app password invalidates the old one everywhere, so update every device at the same time. Virgin Media’s sending error VM401 is covered in Virgin Media email not sending in Outlook.

BigPond / Telstra: Replace the Old BigPond Server With the Telstra One

If Outlook still points at the legacy mail.bigpond.com, receiving is broken by address alone — BigPond mail moved to Telstra Mail, and the current incoming server is imap.telstra.com, port 993 with SSL/TLS (POP: pop.telstra.com, 995), username your full @bigpond.com, @bigpond.net.au or @telstra.com address. Run the webmail-first test: sign in at email.telstra.com. If mail is waiting there, the account is healthy and only Outlook’s settings are stale. One setup quirk: Outlook’s add-account wizard regularly mis-detects BigPond as a Gmail account — back out and choose manual setup, then type the Telstra servers yourself. (Some Telstra account flows reference a generated mail password; if Telstra prompts you for one during setup, complete that step as Telstra directs.) Sending fixes: BigPond email not sending in Outlook.

Sky: Empty Inbox After Sign-In Means the App Password Again

Sky’s incoming server is imap.tools.sky.com, port 993 with SSL — not imap.sky.com. The classic Sky symptom is an account that signs in and shows folders but no emails, or that quietly stops syncing: because Sky mail is Sky Yahoo Mail, Outlook needs the 16-digit app password generated in your Sky account, and your normal Sky password will not sync mail in an app. Remove the account, generate a fresh app password, and re-add it with the app password in the password field. Sending uses the same credential, so this one repair normally restores both directions together.

Xtra / Spark: Do Not Delete the Account — That Trap Is Well Documented

Read this before the obvious move: Xtra users who deleted the connection and tried to re-add it have ended up locked out entirely, with errors like ERRORCREDENTIALS_TEMPORARILYUNAVAILABLE that turned out to be an acknowledged Spark-side fault with a ticket open. Deleting removed the one working copy of the setup and gained nothing. Try everything else first, and re-add only as a last resort.

The correct incoming setting is imap.xtra.co.nz, port 993 with SSL/TLS (POP3: pop3.xtra.co.nz, 995), username your full @xtra.co.nz address and your normal Xtra password. If the new Outlook app prompts for an app password, ignore it — Spark does not issue app passwords; two-step verification is webmail-only and does not apply to Outlook. The underlying clash is that Xtra offers basic IMAP login while the new Outlook app expects a modern cloud sign-in, so an account that receives happily in Classic Outlook can stall in the new app. When that is your pattern, Classic Outlook is the honest workaround while Spark and Microsoft sort the pairing out — and if Spark has a known fault open, waiting is the fix, not another re-add.

TELUS: Receiving Broke Because the Account Is a Google Account Now

TELUS email moved to a Google-powered platform, and the old incoming server imap.telus.net is dead — along with pop.telus.net and smtp.telus.net, whatever older setup pages still claim. If Outlook keeps asking for your TELUS password, it is asking the wrong server. The repair: check the mailbox works on the web first, enable IMAP in the mailbox’s Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, delete the stale TELUS account or profile from Outlook, and add it fresh as a Google account, signing in with your full @telus.net (or @telusplanet.net) address. Manual-server clients should use Google’s imap.gmail.com (993, SSL). Once it is added the Google way, the password loop and the silent non-delivery both stop, because Outlook is finally talking to the platform that actually holds the mail.

Rogers: Stuck on “Synchronizing Subscribed Folders” Is the OAuth Break

Rogers mail is Rogers Yahoo! Mail, and its receiving failures trace to the same change as its sending ones: Rogers has withdrawn app passwords, so accounts still trying to sign in with one stall — the signature symptom is Outlook hanging on “synchronizing subscribed folders” and never finishing. Remove the account and re-add it in a current Outlook version, choosing the Yahoo sign-in so it connects with the modern login; the underlying platform servers are imap.mail.yahoo.com (993, SSL) if a client demands manual values, with your full @rogers.com address. One hard deadline to know: Rogers permanently deletes mailbox contents after 12 months of inactivity, at which point receiving stops because there is nothing left to receive — sign in on the web periodically to keep the mailbox alive.

Still Nothing? The Full Not-Receiving Guide

This guide owns one specific pattern: sending provably works. If your situation is broader — Outlook not receiving and not sending, a brand-new account that never received, mail missing after a migration, or anything the seven fixes above did not touch — the complete reference is our main guide: Outlook not receiving emails. It covers cache rebuilds, profile repairs and the Junk deep-dive that sit outside this article’s “sending works” scope. Microsoft also walks through the same send/receive checks in its support article, I can’t send or receive messages in Outlook.

And if the same thing happens in Outlook.com in your browser rather than in the app, the causes sit on the account side — storage, rules and forwarding — and the checks live in our Outlook.com not receiving emails guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

I can no longer receive emails using Outlook, but I can send them. Why?

Because the incoming side has its own settings and machinery that sending never uses. The usual causes, in order, are: wrong or migrated IMAP/POP server settings (Fix 1), a stalled sync or a shrunken sync window (Fix 2), a rule moving mail on arrival (Fix 3), a full mailbox refusing new mail (Fix 4), or mail being filed into Junk, the Other tab, or blocked entirely (Fixes 5 and 6).

How is this different from Outlook not receiving emails at all?

Scope. “Not receiving at all” can include accounts that also cannot send, broken profiles and connection failures — the broad guide, Outlook not receiving emails, covers those. This article is only for the case where sending works, which proves the account, password and connection are healthy and limits the fault to the incoming side.

Can a full mailbox stop me receiving but still let me send?

Yes — it is one of the classic causes of this exact split. Providers refuse new incoming deliveries when storage is exhausted, while outgoing mail (which adds almost nothing to storage) keeps working. Check File > Info > Mailbox Settings, empty Deleted Items and Junk, and receiving normally resumes within minutes.

Why do emails land in the Other tab or Junk instead of my Inbox?

Focused Inbox sorts mail it considers lower priority into the Other tab, and the Junk filter files suspected spam into Junk Email — both silently. If the “missing” mail is sitting in either place, receiving was never broken; the sorting was. Move a message to Focused or mark it Not Junk to train the filters for that sender.

Will rebuilding the .ost file delete my emails?

No — for IMAP and Exchange accounts the mailbox lives on the server, and the .ost is only a local cache. Renaming it makes Outlook download a fresh copy. The caution applies to old POP accounts that stored mail only locally: back up the data file first in that case.

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Still not receiving? The most useful detail you can send us is whether the missing mail appears in your provider’s webmail — that one fact separates an Outlook fault from an account fault. Reach us via our Contact page: servicedesk@howtofixerroronline.com, available 24 hours. If sending is the broken half instead, the mirror guide is Outlook not sending emails but can receive.