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cannot send email. From box has PUID after email address

Jane Laping 20 Reputation points
2026-04-23T11:43:59.3266667+00:00

When I write an email, a PUID number appears before my email address. After I click send, I get a message saying "the message failed to send."

Outlook | MacOS | New Outlook for Mac | For home
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  1. Chloe-L 12,780 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-23T15:48:03.7166667+00:00

    Hi Jane Laping,

    Thank you for reaching out. I understand how concerning it must be to see an unfamiliar code in your From field, especially when it's preventing you from sending emails.

    The "PUID" (Passport Unique ID) is a Microsoft internal system identifier that sometimes accidentally surfaces in the From field due to a display/sync glitch.

    Here are the steps to resolve it:

    1. Reset Your Account in Outlook (most effective fix):

    • Open Outlook → go to Settings → Accounts.
    • Select the affected account.
    • Click Manage at the bottom of the account list.
    • Click "Reset Account".
    • Wait about a minute for the reset to complete — the PUID should disappear and sending should work normally again.

    2. Remove and re-add the account:

    • In Outlook Settings → Accounts, remove the affected account.
    • Re-add it using your email address and password.
    • This rebuilds the profile and clears the corrupted sender identity.

    3. Verify your display name on Outlook.com:

    • Sign in to outlook.com.
    • Go to Settings → View all Outlook settings → Mail → Compose and reply.
    • Check that your display name and signature do not contain any PUID code.
    • Also check Settings → General → My account to confirm your name is correct.

    In most cases, Step 1 (Reset Account) resolves the issue immediately. If the problem persists after trying all the steps above, please use Help > Contact Support in Outlook for Mac so support can inspect your account configuration directly.

    I hope this helps get you back to sending emails smoothly. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions!

    If the answer was helpful, please click on "Accept Answer" and vote positive. If you have further questions, you can click on "Comment".

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive notifications about this thread.

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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-04-23T11:44:12.5833333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    The failure to send is most likely caused by Outlook treating the message as invalid because of the way the From address is being formed, or by a sending restriction such as mailbox/storage limits or attachment size.

    Work through these checks in New Outlook for Mac:

    1. Verify the From address
    • Start a new message and look at the From field.
    • Ensure it shows only the correct email address (no extra PUID or numbers). If there are multiple From options, pick the normal mailbox address.
    • If the From address cannot be corrected, remove and re-add the account in Outlook so the profile is rebuilt.
    1. Check for large attachments
    • If the message has attachments, remove them temporarily and try sending again.
    • Many providers block messages over ~20–25 MB. Outlook.com specifically cannot send messages with attachments larger than 25 MB.
    • If the message sends without the attachment, reduce or remove large files, or send via a cloud link instead.
    1. Check mailbox and Microsoft cloud storage
    • If Microsoft cloud storage is full, sending and receiving will fail.
    • Use the mailbox/storage page referenced in the article to confirm that both mailbox and Microsoft storage are under quota. Free some space if needed, then try sending again.
    1. Clear stuck draft or outbox items
    • If a previous oversized or invalid message is stuck, it can keep triggering send errors.
    • In New Outlook for Mac, check Drafts and Outbox:
      • Open any stuck message, remove large attachments or fix the From address, then send again.
      • Or delete the stuck message, then empty Trash so it is permanently removed.
    1. If messages still fail
    • If none of the above resolves the issue, use Help > Contact Support in Outlook for Mac so support can inspect the account configuration and the PUID behavior on the From line.

    References:

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