hotmail account is not sending/receiving messages after a hack

michael pratta 0 Reputation points
2026-08-08T19:19:40.6133333+00:00

My hotmail account is not receiving or sending messages after a hack has occurred. I worked with MS specialist yesterday to use authenticator to login, and while it has gained me access and I believe eliminated access by the hacker, i'm not receiving any emails other than in my junk folder. I've been unable to connect with another MS specialist today to help me. Could you please provide support?

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-08T19:19:58.4133333+00:00

    Since the account was recently compromised and access has already been restored, the most likely causes are mailbox rules, forwarding, junk filtering, or a temporary security restriction.

    1. Check Outlook.com storage first. If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email, and messages sent while storage was full are bounced back and unrecoverable.
    2. In Outlook.com, check the Other tab and make sure filters are not hiding messages.
    3. Open the Junk Email folder and Junk Email settings. If legitimate messages are there, right-click each one and select Mark as not junk.
    4. Restore the message list to chronological order: Filter > Sort > Date.
    5. Check whether email forwarding is enabled and turn it off if it should not be active.
    6. Check for email rules that move, delete, or redirect messages, and remove anything unfamiliar.
    7. If IMAP or POP is enabled for a connected app, disable IMAP and POP and test again.
    8. If only one device has the problem, remove the partnership between that mobile device and the mailbox to fix sync issues.
    9. Because the account was hacked, review account security settings:
      • Run a full antivirus or malware scan on the PC before changing the password again.
      • Change or reset the password after the scan.
      • Check connected accounts, forwarding, and automatic replies for anything unfamiliar.
    10. If the account was just recovered, temporary protection measures can also delay normal mail flow for a period after suspicious activity is detected.

    If a specific sender cannot reach the mailbox and no error is shown, ask that sender to use Sender Support in Outlook.com.

    If these checks do not resolve it, use Outlook.com support from within Outlook.com: select Help on the menu bar, enter the issue, and if self-help does not solve it, go to Still need help? and select Yes.


    References:

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