Sending, receiving, and organizing email in Outlook.com
If Outlook says the account needs to be signed in, first verify whether the account itself can sign in in a browser.
- Open Outlook.com and try to sign in with the same Microsoft account.
- If sign-in works in the browser, check for any security prompts or unusual sign-in verification messages.
- Then return to Outlook and sign in again when prompted.
If Outlook.com sign-in fails:
- Use the sign-in troubleshooter.
- If the account is temporarily blocked because of unusual sign-in activity, use the unblock guidance.
If sign-in works but email is still missing:
- Check the Junk Email folder. If the message is there, mark it as Not junk.
- If Focused Inbox is enabled, check the Other tab.
- If Outlook.com service status is not green, wait and try again later.
If the issue is in Outlook on a desktop app rather than Outlook.com in the browser:
- If the account password was changed recently, Outlook may need the new password entered again.
- In classic Outlook, if the status bar shows Disconnected, Working Offline, or Trying to connect..., go to Send/Receive and turn off Work Offline.
- Make sure the internet connection is working by opening a website in a browser.