outlook.com will not forward emails

Greg Allshouse 25 Reputation points
2026-08-29T14:20:42.7333333+00:00

I am trying to forward my outlook.com email to another service. I have gone through the setup process, rechecked to make sure it was still shown the way I set it up and it is. I have no outstanding security issues as one recommendation that was presented stated that could be an issue and still nothing is being forwarded. Any ideas what to check for?

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Settings
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Hornblower409 14,425 Reputation points
2026-08-30T05:57:13.08+00:00

@Greg Allshouse said

I am trying to forward my outlook.com email to another service. I have gone through the setup process, rechecked to make sure it was still shown the way I set it up and it is. I have no outstanding security issues as one recommendation that was presented stated that could be an issue and still nothing is being forwarded

You've already covered all The Usual Suspects. From here on we are in Shot In The Dark territory.

0 -- Just to be sure that the path is not blocked, use Outlook Web https://outlook.cloud.microsoft/ and do a manual forward to the target.

1 -- Turn off account auto Forwarding and try a Redirection Rule instead?

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2 -- If the target is not Microsoft hosted, just as a test, change it to an outlook.com address.
If you need a test account, create a new, temporary one at https://signup.live.com

3 -- If this is a brand new outlook.com account, there are a very few reports of Mother Microsoft just flat out refusing to forward, no matter what the account settings say. If that's the case all I can suggest is to build up the "Reputation" of the account by sending and forwarding manually. But I can't tell you how long you'll have to do this before Mother turns you loose.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-29T14:20:56.68+00:00

    Check these areas in Outlook.com:

    1. Confirm forwarding is enabled in Outlook.com
      • Go to Settings > Mail > Forwarding.
      • Verify Enable forwarding is turned on, the destination address is correct, and Save was selected.
      • If prompted, complete identity verification. Outlook.com can require verification when forwarding is enabled.
      • If needed, turn forwarding off, save, then turn it back on and save again.
    2. Check whether rules are interfering
      • Go to Settings > Mail > Rules.
      • Look for any rule that moves, redirects, deletes, or otherwise processes messages before forwarding.
      • If forwarding through rules is preferred, create a rule with Apply to all messages and use Forward to or Forward as attachment.
    3. Check whether mail is being filtered or routed somewhere unexpected
      • Review the Other tab.
      • Check the Junk Email folder and Junk Email settings.
      • Make sure messages are not just appearing out of order by using Filter > Sort > Date.
    4. Check whether the mailbox can still receive mail normally
      • If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email, and forwarding will not work correctly until storage is available again.
    5. If mail still is not forwarding
      • Use Outlook.com support from Help in the menu bar, enter the issue, and if self-help does not resolve it, use Still need help?

    A useful distinction:

    • Automatic forwarding sends messages as forwarded from the account.
    • If replies should go to the original sender instead, use a redirect rule under Mail > Rules instead of standard forwarding.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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