I added my email account to outlook but no messages will download

Question

I added my email account to outlook but no messages will download

Jon Walsh 5

I added a new work account to my outlook and it adds fine but no messages download at all, I have access to it on my phone so I know emails are coming in.

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Answer 1

Jess-Q 12,415 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Jon Walsh

Regarding your issue, may I kindly ask a few questions to help understand it better.

I noticed you posted this under the Outlook on the web tag just to confirm, does this issue also happen on Outlook desktop, or is it only occurring on the web version?
Does the Inbox show completely empty, or do older emails appear but new ones don't come in?
Was this added as a regular account, or as a shared mailbox?
Do you see any error message or a status like "Updating" / "Disconnected" at the bottom of the Outlook window? Could you provide a screenshot if possible (make sure to hide your personal information)
Have you tried a manual Send/Receive (F9) does anything download after that?

Hope to hear back from you soon.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Jon Walsh 5 Reputation points

2026-06-25T13:52:58.35+00:00

hi sorry that would be AI tagging it for me, its a desktop outlook on a Mac and on an iPhone (same problem on both)

is a standard account not shared and there are no error messages,

nothing shows at all, there is a message congratulating me on having cleared my inbox (if only)

I have tried manual send receive and it has no effect.
Jess-Q 12,415 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-25T14:13:00.2066667+00:00

Hi @Jon Walsh,

To help me look into this a bit more, could you share a few details about the account you're adding? If you'd prefer, feel free to send me the account details via private message rather than posting them here in the public thread.
Jon Walsh 5 Reputation points

2026-06-25T15:24:21.2733333+00:00

not sure how to send private message, but I don't think this is too sensitive, I have a banged outlook account provided by a local council for one role, and the email account I am trying to add is provided by an Further Education College I work at three days a week (I really need to get all my diaries in the same place hence trying to get them all into outlook) initially it would not add but then it did but nothing downloaded, not folders or emails
Jess-Q 12,415 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-26T14:56:23.9866667+00:00
Hi @Jon Walsh,

Thank you for sharing the information in the private message.

There's a known issue with Outlook for Mac and Outlook Mobile intermittently stopping syncing. Microsoft has shared a workaround you can try first: Outlook for Mac and Outlook Mobile intermittently stop syncing

If the issue continues after trying the workaround, it’s best to check from the admin side.

Ask your school IT admin to follow these steps:

Sign in to Microsoft 365 Admin Center (admin.microsoft.com)

Go to Users > Active users > select your account

Open Licenses and apps

Confirm a license that includes Exchange Online is assigned

Make sure the Exchange Online service toggle is ON

Open the Mail tab and select Manage email apps

Make sure Outlook desktop and Mobile is checked.

After making any changes, please sign out completely, close the app/browser, then sign back in and test again.

These checks require admin permissions, so your school/company IT team will need to assist with this part.

If the issue still persists after both steps, I recommend submitting a support ticket to Microsoft support so it can be investigated more thoroughly. A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.

Here’s what your Microsoft 365 Global Admin (IT Admin) should do next:

Submit a Service Request: The Global Admin should create a service request with Microsoft support to get advanced technical assistance and diagnostics. For detailed instructions on how to get support, please refer to Get support - Microsoft 365 admin.   

Find Your Microsoft 365 Admin: If you’re unsure who the Global Admin is within your organization, you can find guidance on locating them here: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin?

If your subscription is managed through a Microsoft partner or reseller, they can also assist with opening a support request and liaising with Microsoft on your behalf.

Note: If you’re an end-user, please coordinate with your Office 365 Global Administrator to handle these steps. 

When submitting, it helps to include details such as when the issue started, your New Outlook version/build number.

Hopefully it will help work with your issue and if you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.